OREANDA-NEWS. April 16, 2012. Rostelecom OJSC (MICEX - RTS: RTKM, RTKMP; OTCQX: ROSYY) (“the Company”), Russia’s national telecommunications operator, announces that it has signed an agreement with Yota, the Russian mobile broadband provider, that gives Rostelecom access to Yota’s LTE network infrastructure. Rostelecom will utilise a feature-driven development (FDD) range of frequencies of between 2500-2530 MHz and 2620-2650 MHz to provide telecommunications services as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). Under the terms of the contract test services are expected to commence July 1, 2012, reported the press-centre of Rostelecom.

Rostelecom intends to start providing commercial services using an LTE network in the Moscow region from September 1, 2012 and the provision of these services across other Russian regions will be rolled out at a later stage. The Company also plans to offer subscribers its branded telecommunication equipment.

Alexander Provotorov, President of Rostelecom, commented: “Providing mobile and broadband services in Moscow is a key step in Rostelecom’s development. Our MVNO-model will enable Rostelecom to optimise its costs and resources when starting to provide 4G network services in the near future. It will also help us to expand Rostelecom’s range of services in Moscow. We believe that LTE technology has great potential, and we are pleased to start our long-term cooperation with Yota in this field.”