OREANDA-NEWS. VimpelCom Ltd. (“VimpelCom”, “Company” or “Group”) (NASDAQ:VIP), a leading global provider of telecommunications services headquartered in Amsterdam and serving over 217 million customers, today announces the winners of its Eurasia Mobile Challenge. 

Out of over 550 teams of young entrepreneurs from seven countries, who signed up to participate in the competition, a panel of judges selected the top three winners during the EMC Challenge regional final in Moscow on 28 January. Artasian from Tajikistan (a social entrepreneurship project to help talented artisans from Central Asia to reach customers globally), Mdirect from Kazakhstan (with an app for finding and buying auto parts) and Stolik from Uzbekistan (an app for restaurant finding and table booking) have been announced as the winning teams. Following the regional final, the three teams will now participate in the Global Mobile Challenge final in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, 22-26 February 2016. 

Yogesh Malik, VimpelCom Group Chief Technology Officer, said: “At VimpelCom, we honor forward-looking disruptive thinking. We are constantly investing in innovative products and digital services that add value to our customers’ lives and I am very impressed with the winners we have selected. They have demonstrated fresh and agile thinking and have shown how mobile technology enriches the lives of people and communities no matter where they are. The three winning ideas are truly cutting-edge and I wish them all the luck at the finals in Barcelona.”

Mikhail Gerchuk, VimpelCom Head of Eurasia, said: “The entrepreneurial spirit in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as well as other Eurasian countries is truly inspiring. At VimpelCom, we are proud of our heritage in these markets and remain firm in our commitment to each and every one of them. I look forward to supporting local entrepreneurs that are shaping the digital environment. With mobile the key driver of the fourth industrial (digital) revolution, the Eurasian region is clearly one to watch with its huge talent pool of technical expertise.”

During the regional event in Moscow, VimpelCom also launched a report produced in collaboration with A.T. Kearney, a leading global management consulting firm, "Digital Entrepreneurship in Russia: how Russia can build a world-class digital ecosystem." The report gives an exclusive insight into the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem in Russia, identifying success factors and barriers as well as growth opportunities in the fields of technology and digital innovation.

About VimpelCom

VimpelCom, an international telecoms company operating in 14 countries and headquartered in Amsterdam, is one of the world’s largest integrated telecommunications services operators providing voice and data services through a range of traditional and broadband mobile and fixed technologies in Russia, Italy, Algeria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Laos, and Zimbabwe. VimpelCom’s operations around the globe cover territory with a total population of approximately 740 million people. VimpelCom provides services under the “Beeline”, “Kyivstar”, “WIND”, “Mobilink”, “banglalink”, “Telecel”, and “Djezzy” brands. As of September 30, 2015 VimpelCom had 217 million mobile customers and 5.8 million fixed-line broadband customers on a combined basis. VimpelCom is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol (VIP).