Vimpelcom Leads in Moscow, MTS Expands in Russia
Top 10 Cellular Operators
| Company | August 31, 2003 | July 31, 2003 | ||
| Total | Moscow | Total | Moscow | |
| MTS* | 13,280,000 | 4,390,000 | 12,270,000 | 4,290,000 |
| Vimpelcom | 8,530,000 | 4,835,000 | 7,960,000 | 4,650,000 |
| MegaFon** | 4,942,745 | 593,643 | 4,653,450 | 513,257 |
| SMARTS Group | 915,000 | 860,000 | ||
| Uralsvyazinform | 869,800 | 789,329 | ||
| Siberia Telecom | 352,744 | 324,443 | ||
| N.Novgorod Cellular | 279,087 | 268,142 | ||
| Tomsk Cellular Communications | 183,904 | 169,926 | ||
| Ekaterinburg Cellular Communications | 161,490 | 155,600 | ||
| Tatincom | 118,606 | 120,239 | ||
* including UMC of Ukraine (2.4 mln) and MTS Belarus subscribers (250,000)
** including 8,500 in TT-Mobile (Tajikistan)
MTS finally completed SibChallenge deal (135,000 subscribers) and also acquired Primtelefon (91,000 subs) - a strategic asset for MTS providing access to Far Eastern territories. We have included both companies into MTS subscriber base displayed in the table above. With these transactions closed, only a few attractive independent cellular operators left in the country.
Russian Mobile Subscribers
| Mobile Subscribers | Aug. 31, 2003 | July 1, 2003 |
| Russia | 28,480,000 | 26,880,000 |
| Penetration | 19.6% | 18.5% |
| Moscow | 9,870,000 | 9,505,000 |
| Penetration | 58.1% | 55.9% |
| St.Petersburg | 2,971,000 | 2,841,000 |
| Penetration | 47.2% | 45.1% |
Russian Cellular Market Breakdown
Moscow Market
Megafon demonstrated strong growth in subscriptions for the second month in a row thanks to the new (and heavily promoted) O'Lite pre-paid tariff plan. Vimpelcom was again a winner in Moscow while MTS slowed down the pace. Nevertheless, we believe that MTS will be able to restore its share in net additions soon.
Moscow Net Additions, August 2003
