[Effendi]

Belarusian GSM operator BeST user base at 2,000 as of Feb 1

MINSK, Feb 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 2,000 users as of February 1, the company said late on Thursday.

Currently BeST has a switchboard center with a capacity of 150,000 numbers, which can be increased to 3 million, and over 30 base stations in Minsk.

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 CDMA-450 standards.

As of February 1, the total amount of mobile subscribers in Belarus stood at 4.230 million users.

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