Russian Subscriber Numbers

J'son & Partners has reported that in April, the number of cellular subscribers in Russia (GSM, TDMA/DAMPS, NMT, IS-95, IMT-MC rose 4.4% reaching 22.23 million. Overall penetration in Russia reached 15.3%1 of the population. Gross additions in April were 0.93 million subscribers. MTS was a leader in terms of new additions in Russia.

The Northern Caucasus Region with its current population of 18.9 million witnessed strong uptake of cellular communications resulting in triple-digit growth from 2000-2002. Overall penetration in the region rose from 3.8% in 2001 to 10.1% in 2002. By the end of April 2003, penetration exceeded 12%. Competition and subscriber growth increased significantly. The Big 3 (MTS, VimpelCom, MegaFon) entered the local market through acquisitions and greenfield development."

Posted to the site on 14th May 2003