MTS NewsOREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2015. Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS” – NYSE: MBT), the leading telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS, today announces the launch of its 1800 MHz range LTE network in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia. In line with MTS’s nationwide LTE/4G expansion strategy, the network initially covers 36 population centers in Krasnodar region and is planned to extend to 160 population centers across the region by the end of 2016.83389Sergey Laskavyi, Director of MTS’s South Region, said, “MTS is already the largest mobile operator in Krasnodar region, serving over 60% of all subscribers in the region. The launch of our 1800 MHz LTE network means that our customers there can now enjoy the faster data speeds and innovative services such speeds enable. We expect to deliver a rapid roll-out of our LTE network throughout the region by re-farming spectrum currently used for our GSM networks. While we will ensure high data transfer speeds are initially available in Krasnodar and resort areas like Sochi where we are seeing strong demand for data, we are also focused on extending LTE network access to smaller towns and areas where fixed-line Internet access is either under-developed or non-existent.”

To-date, MTS has launched its LTE networks across 77 of Russia’s 85 regions.