Yerevan /Mediamax/. Exclusive interview of the Executive Vice-President of “VimpelCom” OJSC on business development## in CIS states Dmitri Pleskonos to Mediamax agency

- On April 25, an agreement was signed in Yerevan, according to which Beeline became the general sponsor of the Olympic team of Armenia. Who was the initiator of the given decision - Beeline, or the National Olympic Committee of Armenia?

- The decision was mutual. Such activity is characteristic of Beeline, since sport is our topic.

We are quite widely presented in the Russian sport, for example, Beeline sponsors the Kremlin Tennis Cup. Now we have gained a wider opportunity to advocate sport, and this fully corresponds to the spirit of our brand. We are the general sponsor of the national Olympic teams of two countries: Armenia and Tajikistan, and we hope that this will help the teams to show good results.

The Olympiad takes place once in 4 years, and for each sportsman it is very important to feel support, since the Olympiad is the contest, where the sportsman has to give all he/she has got. We believe that the very spirit of our brand provides for rendering that support, the confidence that the sportsman is backed by the whole country.

- Beeline brand was launched in early April. Can you sum up the first results?

- It is yet too early to give any assessments, but I can establish that Beeline brand is getting well acclimatized in Armenia. It is very important for us that the expectations, which are related to the rebranding, are justified. I think that, as for now, everything goes the right way. We did not only change the brand, we became more available, we changed the schedule of the work of our offices, and we started working on weekends as well.

There are many other issues as well, that are being solved, and this takes time, but I hope that by the end of 2008, we will make a fundamental breakthrough, which we planned for.

- Beeline started testing 3G network in Yerevan. When will it be put into commercial operation?

- At present, testing of the system is in process. It is yet difficult to name the exact date of its final implementation – we want to launch the product with the quality, which the customers expect. Hurry is pregnant with consequences: if the consumer tries it and does not like something, he/she may never again return to it.

- In the beginning of the year, “ArmenTel” signed a contract with Ericsson on building a new convergent network in Armenia. At what stage is the given process now?

- We have already established new billing and solved a number of technical tasks. However, one should take into account the aspect that from the point of view of mobile connection, we are an unregulated operator, and from the point of view of the fixed connection – regulated. As a result, even if the technical possibilities allow is starting provision of convergent services, there is the need to necessarily co-ordinate the decision with the state structures.

From the technical point of view, we are almost ready for the implementation of the new network. 3G, which we test in Yerevan, is built on the equipment of Ericsson, and this will help us in building the convergent network.