Russian Jan-March Mobile Phone Sales At 8 Million - Vedomosti

MOSCOW -(Dow Jones)- Sales of mobile phones in Russia in the first three months of the year amounted to 8 million units, according to the estimates by Moscow-based Mobile Research Group, Vedomosti reports Wednesday.

The newspaper didn't give comparative figures for the first quarter of 2004.

Vedomosti said sales from the country's largest mobile phone retailer, Euroset, tripled to 1.6 million handsets on the year in the January-March period. Euroset estimates that 7.63 million phones worth $1.14 billion were sold in Russia in the first quarter.

Retailers interviewed by the newspaper said mobile phone sales in the period exceeded their forecasts by 10%-30%. They attributed soaring sales to the many public holidays that the country had in the first quarter.

Newspaper Web site: http://www.vedomosti.ru

-Moscow bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; +7 095 974 8055

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Posted to the site on 6th April 2005