FRANCE TELECOM AFFILIATE WINS TENDER TO BECOME THIRD CELLULAR OPERATOR IN ARMENIA

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
October 7, 2008 Tuesday 3:11 PM MSK
Russia

Orange SA, an affiliate of France Telecom, has won a tender for
the right to provide cellular services in Armenia, the Armenian
Transportation and Communications Ministry said in a statement.

Orange offered the highest price of 51.5 million euros in the tender.

The tender stipulates that Orange should register a company in Armenia
within seven days that will receive a license by December 15 following
all the required procedures.

The company will receive a 15-year license to work in GSM standard
with the opportunity to provide 3G services. The frequencies will
be provided in the range of 880-890, 925-935, 1745-1765, 1840-1860,
1910- 1915, 1950-1965, 2140-2155 megahertz.

Sweden’s M&A Tele2 AB also competed with Orange in the final stages
of the tender and offered 45.6 million euros, while British-Irish
joint venture Blackrock Communications offered 31.6 million euros.

Communications operator and Internet provider Orange SA has 90 million
subscribers and provides services in 23 countries.

At present, two companies provide GSM standard cellular services in
Armenia: Armentel (BeeLine trademark), a wholly owned subsidiary of
Russia’s VimpelCom (RTS: VIMP), and K-Telecom (VivaCell trademark),
in which Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) (RTS: MTSS) owns 80%.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress