Yerevan, March 22 /Mediamax/. The Vice-President of “VimpelCom” OJSC Sergey Avdeev stated in Tsakhkadzor today that “we will quickly conclude the process of purchasing the 10% shares of the “ArmenTel” Company from the Armenian government”.

Mediamax reports that today in Tsakhkadzor there took place the conference of the Top-Managers of the “VimpelCom” OJSC and the General Directors of the Companies, which enter the “VimpelCom” group: “ArmenTel” (Armenia), “CaR-Tel” (Kazakhstan), “Ukrainian RadioSystems” (Ukraine), “UNITEL” (Uzbekistan), “TACOM” (Tajikistan), “MOBITEL” (Georgia).

Sergey Avdeev reminded that the condition for selling the 10% share of “ArmenTel” was the renunciation of the new owner of the company from monopoly rights.

“We renounced monopoly and hope to quite soon conclude the process of purchasing the shares. We are glad that the Armenian government made today the corresponding decision”, the Vice-President of “VimpelCom” stated.

The “VimpelCom” OJSC, which functions under the “Beeline” brand, purchased in November 2006 the 90% of the shares of “ArmenTel” from the Greek OTE for 341,9mln euro, and also took upon itself the 40mln euros’ debts of the company.

Sergey Avdeev said that “sooner or later, we will start providing mobile services in Armenia under the “Beeline” brand”.

What concerns the fixed net; Sergey Avdeev and the CEO of “ArmenTel” Oleg Bliznyuk consider it expedient to preserve the former brand.

“ArmenTel” is not an ordinary company for us, as it provides both fixed and mobile communication. We need some time to finally understand how to put in order the work”, Sergey Avdeev stated.

According to the Vice-President of “VimpelCom”, “we know that “ArmenTel” does not have a very good image”. “We want to de-monopolize the market, to establish a competitive environment, in which the operators would hunt subscribers and not vice versa”, he noted.

Answering Mediamax’s question, Sergey Avdeev confirmed that “VimpelCom” is examining the prospects of establishing in Armenia a convergent product by means of combining the services of the mobile and fixed nets.

“The idea is that being at home, you are talking by your ordinary home telephone, and going out, using the same number on your mobile phone”, the Vice-President of “VimpelCom” stated.

At the same time, Sergey Avdeev admitted that “this is a future service; it does not have a mass character yet”. “I even cannot name large-scale convergent projects, which would be completed”, the Vice-President of “VimpelCom” stated.

“In “ArmenTel” we have the possibility to try this service, as we have an exceptionally felicitous combination of fixed and mobile services in the hands of one operator. We are potentially close to the point to realize the given service at least in a testing regime”, Sergey Avdeev stated.

“It is very important for us to enlarge the set of products, which would be realized in the fixed nets. In the nearest future for the first time in Armenia the service of high-speed transfer of data based on DSL technology will be implemented”, the Vice-President of “VimpelCom” OJSC stated.