<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'>Belarus? MDC subscriber base up to 2 million users</span>

MOSCOW, Mar 1 (Prime-Tass) -- The subscriber base of Belarus? mobile phone operator Mobile Digital Communications, or MDC, rose to 2 million users as of March 1 from 1.885 million users as of January 1, the company's press office said Wednesday.

MDC's subscriber base stood at 1.135 million users as of January 1, 2005.

MDC offers GSM 900/1800 standard services under the Velcom brand.

MDC was founded in August 1998. MDC?s charter capital is divided among Cyprus? SB Telecom with a 49% stake, Belarus? state-controlled fixed-line monopoly Beltelecom with 31% and Belarus? arms and weapons exporter Beltekhexport with 20%.

<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Belarus? MDC launches 3G network in test mode in Minsk</span>

MINSK, Mar 29 (Prime-Tass) -- Belarusian mobile phone operator Mobile Digital Communications (MDC) has launched a 3G network in test mode in Minsk, First Deputy IT and Communications Minister Ivan Rak told reporters Wednesday.

Rak said that the government does not plan to award 3G licenses for commercial usage yet. Third generation networks should be created in Minsk and other major cities on the base of already existing mobile operators' networks, Rak said, adding that he does not see it efficient to deploy 3G networks across the country.

The subscriber base of MDC amounted to 2 million users as of March 1.

MDC offers GSM 900/1800 standard services under the Velcom brand.

MDC was founded in August 1998. MDC?s charter capital is divided among Cyprus? SB Telecom with a 49% stake, Belarus? state-controlled fixed-line monopoly Beltelecom with 31% and Belarus? arms and weapons exporter Beltekhexport with 20%.

As much as I complain about my state run phone company and its monopoly (Etisilat), at least they are progressive when it comes to technology and have cheap internal calls. It is the international calls where they rob you blind (60 US cents a minute to call North America and Europe) and about US 25 cents a minute to call the mobiles with the cheapest international tariffs.

I've been carrying a Riiing phone in one pocket and an Etisilat in the other. Unfortunately, I often carry a Blackberry as well which makes 3 phones phones, yuck.

Turning to the US, GSM phones come from the providers SIM locked. Cingular (Orange) and T-MObile will eventually unlock your phones for you, but you need to be a good customer, half a reason, and the model has to be more than 90 days old.

The former ATT (now Cingular Blue) and the MVNO's will not unlock your phone, but of course you can get them unlocked back alley like you do in Europe. Phone repair shops are not particularly common in the US. I get mine fixed in Hong Kong or Dubai. (I'm getting my Nokia N70 reflashed with English firmware in the UK -- it is HK Chinese now with English, but no ITAP, etc).

I suspect the comment about permenant SIMs, however, is talking about the CDMA providers in the US. CDMA (2g) is a competing technology to GSM and does not use a SIM card in most implementations of the standard. In HOng KOng and Mainland China there is an impelmentation with a SIM, but not in most other places.

Stu

Interesting, but what does your post have in common with Belarus??? :unsure:

<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:#FF0000'>Belarusian GSM operator BeST user base at 7,500 as of May 1</span></span>

MINSK, May 3 (Prime-Tass) -- The subscriber base of state-controlled Belarus Telecommunications Network, or BeST, which started commercial operations in the capital city of Minsk on December 21, 2005, amounted to 7,500 users as of May 1, the company said late Wednesday.

The company currently operates 32 base stations and one switchboard in Minsk and is working to expand to other cities, BeST said.

Other mobile operators in Belarus, in addition to BeST, include two GSM operators, Mobile Digital Communications and Belarusian-Russian joint venture Mobile TeleSystems, or MTS Belarus, and BelCel, which operates in NMT450 and IMT-MC-450 standards.

Belarusian state-owned company Agat holds 75% stake in BeST, while state-controlled fixed-line monopoly Beltelecom holds a 25% stake in the company.


Not a great success for Luka, by now! :D

OT - one of Polish telecommmunications portals informed on 24th March 06 that the NMT450 network in Belarus had just been closed (actually replaced with CDMA 450). The portal claims that NMT networks still work in Poland (mainly as "wireless landlines" of Polish Telecom), Russia and Bulgaria.
It seems that there's a NMT network also in Iceland: http://www.icelandtelecom.is/english/resid...mobile_network/



Only 7500 subscribers and coverage in Minsk only - I "smell" forced national roaming coming :D

Just a few NMT networks still work in Russia. Many of them have been totally replaced or are being replaced with CDMA-450 networks too.

I don't believe they would force Velcom and MTS BY to provide national roaming for Best. I guess this would be too much for Luka & C', even. :D

Not MTS, but Velcom - why not? After all it's first GSM netowrk in the country and has the best coverage (and would have the Best one :lol: )

yes we still have them

http://www.mobikom.com/en/enter.asp?flash=yes

:)