VimpelCom License Transfer Purely Technical -IT Ministry

MOSCOW (Dow Jones)--A proposed transfer of licenses from mobile phone operator OAO Vimpel Communications (VIP) units to the parent company is "a purely technical issue" and is due to delays in adopting new legislation, the Information Technology Ministry said Monday.

"There is definitely no conflict - we are all waiting for the Anti-Monopoly Ministry to approve the list of activities that require a license. After this piece of legislation passes through the government, it will be a matter of days (for VimpelCom units to transfer the licenses)," a ministry spokeswoman said.

VimpelCom is keen to merge with its units KB Impuls and VimpelCom-R, which hold operating licenses for Moscow and regions respectively, so that all its operating licenses can be held by the parent company OAO VimpelCom.

The move follows a court case over the legitimacy of the Moscow license.

Earlier Monday, Russian newspaper Vedomosti said the Russian Telecommunications Agency has rejected two requests by VimpelCom to unite all licenses under one umbrella, implying a conflict between the operator and the regulator.

However, both the IT Ministry spokeswoman and a VimpelCom spokesman denied there was any conflict.

"We are eager to help VimpelCom - we gave them the numbering capacity they needed even before the new legislation was finalized," she said.

The VimpelCom spokesman said his company had no grievance with the ministry.

Company Web site: http://www.vimpelcom.com

-By Anna Ivanova-Galitsina, Dow Jones Newswires; 7095-974-8055; anna.galitsina@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 25th October 2004