Press release
Tele2 Group
Sep 15 2003, 11:06 AM CET
TELE2 LAUNCHES ITS SIXTH GSM NETWORK IN RUSSIA
New York and Stockholm - Tele2 AB, ("Tele2"), (Nasdaq Stock Market: TLTOA and TLTOB and Stockholmsbörsen: TEL2A and TEL2B), the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company, today announced that it has launched a GSM-network in Izhevsk, its sixth in Russia under the Tele2 brand.
The population covered by the GSM-license in Izhevsk is 1.7 million and the region's mobile penetration is approximately 9%. Tele2 is the third mobile operator to launch GSM-services in the region. As in Irkutsk, Rostov, St Petersburg, Kemerovo and Omsk, the GSM-network in Izhevsk was launched based on the GSM1800 standard, having similar coverage per base station as the GSM900 standard by using a phased array antenna solution from Radio Components.
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, CEO of Tele2 said; "The GSM-launch in Izhevsk follows on from our successful launches in Irkutsk, Rostov, St Petersburg, Kemerovo and Omsk. The Russian mobile market offers substantial growth potential for Tele2 and our previous launches in Russia show our customers appreciate our service offering."
Tele2 AB, formed in 1993, is the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company offering fixed and mobile telephony, as well as data network and Internet services, under the brands Tele2, Tango and Comviq to more than 18.7 million customers in 23 countries. Tele2 operates Datametrix, which specializes in systems integration; 3C Communications, which operates Internet payments, credit card transactions and public pay telephones; Transac, which offers data processing of credit card transactions and billing; C³, which is active in prepaid calling cards for fixed telephony; and Optimal Telecom, which offers households low price guarantees for telephony services. The Group also offers cable-TV services and jointly owns the Internet portal Everyday.com with MTG. Tele2 AB's shares are listed on the Stockholmsbörsen, under TEL2A and TEL2B, and on the Nasdaq Stock Market under TLTOA and TLTOB.
CONTACTS
| Lars-Johan Jarnheimer | Telephone: | + 46 8 562 640 00 |
| President and CEO, Tele2 AB | | |
| | | |
| Dwayne Taylor | Telephone: | + 44 20 7321 5038 |
| Investor enquiries | | |
Visit us at our homepage: http://www.Tele2.com