OREANDA-NEWS. November 17, 2010. Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS” – NYSE: MBT), the leading telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS, announces that it has joined the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), an international alliance of telecommunications companies committed to building a global open platform for development and distribution of mobile applications.

“MTS membership in the WAC alliance is a logical next step in developing internet services as part of MTS’ 3i Strategy. The company will gain access to the best products and services developed by the leaders of the telecommunications industry, including mobile operators, integrators, vendors, and applications developers. At the same time, the other members of the alliance will benefit from our ability to involve Russian developers in designing applications for a global market of around three billion users. MTS will make sure that the unique features, capabilities and needs of the Russian market are addressed in the process of creating a global market for mobile applications,” highlighted Mikhail Gerchuk, MTS Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

“We are delighted to welcome new members to our alliance. This supports our initiative and guarantees that our project will continue to gain significant momentum in the market,” commented Michel Combes, Chairman of WAC.

The Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) is an alliance launched in February 2010 with the aim of creating and managing a multifunctional universal platform that provides for the development of mobile applications, which will be available to end users globally regardless of their network operator, handset manufacturer or operating system.

WAC plans to devise a commercial platform for distributing applications developed by the members of the community. Using this platform, developers will be able to design applications and sell them to the subscribers of the operators who are part of the alliance.

Currently the alliance comprises 48 major global companies in the mobile services industry. All WAC members will have access to working papers and platform specifications and will be able to participate in the working groups, including technical ones, and in the launch of WAC-enabled storefronts. Having completed the purchase of the JIL laboratory in early October 2010, WAC has significantly expanded its functionality, geographic scope and service capacity.