Market News
2002 Gross Additions of Moscow Operators is Over 5.2 mln
Meanwhile, net additions in Moscow were only 60% of total 2002 sales. This ratio reflects the situation when the major part of growth in Moscow area comes from budget segment of users as saturation approaches.
Sales of Largest Moscow Operators in 2002.
Megafon significantly improved Moscow sales in the end of the year thanks to its new line of "Priem" tariffs. MTS sales skyrocketed with massive ad campaign and introduction of "Jeans" pre-paid brand. Vimpelcom's strong positions were undermined by MTS' aggressive moves in October and November but the company's sales bounced back in December.
2002 results are available as AC&M's Russian Cellular Market Update, December 2002 (PDF file).
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Total Number of Cellular Users in Russia Exceeds 20 mln
AC&M reports that Russian mobile companies have more than 20 mln subscribers. Total number of Russian cellular users is 20,100,000, which translates into 13.8% penetration of mobile services in the country.
Top 10 Cellular Operators
| Company | February 28, 2003 | January 31, 2003 | ||
| Total | Moscow | Total | Moscow | |
| MTS* | 7,320,000 | 3,385,000 | 7,050,000 | 3,245,000 |
| Vimpelcom | 5,850,000 | 3,850,000 | 5,620,000 | 3,800,000 |
| Megafon** | 3,445,000 | 382,278 | 3,235,750 | 361,100 |
| SMARTS Group | 619,940 | 582,000 | ||
| Uralsvyazinform | 516,600 | 471,600 | ||
| Taif-Telcom | 313,648 | 296,375 | ||
| N.Novgorod Cellular | 191,000 | 177,000 | ||
| Tatincom | 120,584 | 119,081 | ||
| Tomsk Cellular Communications | 114,311 | 107,173 | ||
| Ekaterinburg Cellular | 104,300 | 85,000 | ||
* including Belarus subscribers (65,000); UMC (Ukraine) will be consolidated starting from March 2003
** including 5,000 in TT-Mobile (Tajikistan)
Alternative Operators Earned More Than 50% of the Industry Revenue
It is important to note that for the first time in the history "alternative" operators outperformed "traditional" ones in terms of revenue. "Traditional" operators mainly include Svyazinvest regional subsidiaries while the rest of operators dubbed as "new" or "alternative". Alternative operators include cellular services providers, ISPs, non-Svyazinvest carriers, etc. According to AC&M estimates, cellular companies alone earned approximately US$ 3.2 bn in 2002.
Russian Telecom Industry Revenue
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More Than 1 mn of New Users Enlisted by Mobile Operators in January
Top 10 Russian Cellular Operators
| # | Company | Subs |
| 1 | MTS | 7,050,000 |
| 2 | Vimpelcom* | 5,605,000 |
| 3 | Megafon | 3,235,750 |
| 4 | SMARTS Group | 570,000 |
| 5 | Uralsvyazinform | 471,600 |
| 6 | Taif-Telcom | 296,375 |
| 7 | N.Novgorod Cellular | 180,000 |
| 8 | Tatincom | 119,081 |
| 9 | Tomsk Cellular | 107,173 |
| 10 | Delta Telecom | 99,000 |
*StavTeleSot (~200,000) is consolidated starting January 2003
Russian Сellular Market Breakdown, January 2003
Moscow market
Vimpelcom remains a leader in Moscow with 3.870 mln subscribers while MTS narrows the gap with 3.245 mln. Megafon enlisted 48,600 new users in January bringing total number of its Moscow users to 361,000.
Net Additions in Moscow, January 2003
Russian Internet Data, Jan 2003
Source: Yandex