VIMPELCOM POSTS $719.75 MLN NET PROFIT IN 2009
Alexander Alpatkin

RIA Novosti
14:2627/08/2009

MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian mobile phone operator
VimpelCom posted on Thursday a net profit of 22.6 billion rubles
($719.75 mln) calculated to International Financial Reporting Standards
for the second quarter of 2009.

The company had a net loss of 8.5 billion rubles ($271 mln) in
January-March 2009.

Revenue rose 3.3% to 69 billion rubles ($2.2 bln) in the reporting
period.

The company’s managing director Boris Nemshich said the improved
results were due to a 19% year-on-year increase in the number of
subscribers to 63.7 million people. VimpelCom currently provides mobile
and broadband internet services to 1.7 million people, compared to
0.6 million last year.

VimpelCom, which operates under the Beeline brand, is the second
largest cellphone operator in Russia, and also provides services in
Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia. In
2008, VimpelCom acquired licenses in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The operator covers a territory with a population of 340 million.