IR Blog

          
MTS 835, 3G-enabled phone with a 2 megapixel camera and a 2.4 inch screen

We have been selling MTS-branded phones since the end of last year through our monobrand retail network in Russia. Currently, we have a total of four models on offer ranging from a basic model at 980 rubles* (or around $32**) - one of the most affordable in the market - to a 3G-enabled one at a very attractive price point  of 6,490 rubles (or around $215).
 
Lower-end phone models dominate in Russia, and we estimate that phones for under 5,000 rubles (around $165) accounted for over 35% of the market in 2009. This price point is attractive to customers who are buying their first phone, but also to those that want a phone for a second line or to use during vacation.

So far, we are quite pleased with the sales of MTS-branded phones. At the end of 2009, MTS was among the top five mobile phone brands, accounting for approximately 2% of the market in Q4’2009 (based on our estimates, in terms of sales of devices). During the months of November and December, MTS-branded phones accounted for 15% of phone sales through the MTS monobrand network. MTS-236, the entry-level model, was one of the 10 most popular models in December.

MTS is pleased to announce that we launched the first MTS Comstar bundle offer – the STREAM Versatile Box product – through our retail stores in Moscow and Zelenograd, a Moscow suburb, in December 2009. This is one of the first steps of our previously announced Comstar integration plans following our acquisition of the company in October 2009.

As we have discussed before on this blog, we believe that distribution of exclusive and innovative handsets through the MTS monobrand retail network is key to subscriber acquisition, usage growth and customer retention. For Russian consumers, the purchase of a handset is very much an emotional purchase that we see as being key in strengthening their ties with MTS in order to encourage more loyal behavior. By signing exclusive deals with leading device manufacturers, we will be able to drive greater customer traffic to MTS stores and gain competitive advantage over our peers. Selling handsets through MTS stores will also allow us to customize these phones and pre-install handset-specific software and applications to drive data and content usage.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have launched a number of new phones:


The new MTS-branded phone, MTS 236, is the first device to be sold in Russia under the MTS brand through the partnership with Vodafone. The phone was developed by ZTE for Vodafone. MTS 236 is an entry-level phone, priced at RUB 890 (around $28), that will be offered with a Super Zero tariff.

Earlier in August, we have opened the doors of our new flagship store in Moscow. The new store is located on the first floor of the Evropeiskiy shopping center, one of the more popular locations with the residents of Moscow. Around 190,000 people visit the center daily and over 220,000 per day come there during the weekend, according to the data provided by the shopping center.

The new flagship store is part of the development of MTS’ monobrand retail network in Russia, which includes the acquisition of multibrand retailers, increasing franchisees and the rebranding and optimization of existing locations. The key focus of MTS’ retail strategy is to provide personalized customer service and better tailored products, including exclusive devices bundled with applications developed by MTS. For instance, we have recently launched Nokia’s N97 mobile computer exclusively in our retail network.

Mobile Internet is taking off rapidly in Russia, as all three national mobile operators already operate 3G networks and offer mobile Internet modems. We have been selling the MTS Connect modem in Russia since early 2008 and have sold over 600,000 modems since July 2008, as 3G networks were launched across the country. Currently, we estimate that around 200,000 modems are being sold monthly in Russia by mobile operators, CDMA operators and WiMAX providers, and MTS Connect accounts for around 30% of the total.

Yesterday, we announced a partnership with Intel to support the uptake of mobile Internet solutions in Russia. The first joint initiative under this partnership is a promotion of a bundled offer that will include an Intel-powered netbook, an MTS Connect modem and a special MTS tariff plan.

This summer we are launching contract sales through payment terminals. Our first partner is OSMP, the leading payment terminal company in Russia. Their consumer brand, QIWI, is the largest network of terminals accepting payments for a wide range of services, including mobile telephony, Internet services, subscription TV and utilities. The network has around 87,000 terminals in Russia, of which over 20,000 are in Moscow.

Mikhail Gerchuk, Chief Commercial Officer of MTS, was interviewed in the June issue of Total Telecom, one of the most respected telecommunications magazines. Mikhail met with the Total Telecom editor to discuss the BrandZ 2009 ranking, where MTS became the 71st most valuable brand globally and one of the 10 most valuable telecom brands, worth $9.2 billion (see press release, BrandZ website and the report in the Financial Times).