NEW YORK and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tele2 AB ("Tele2") (Nasdaq:TLTOA) (Nasdaq:TLTOB) (Stockholmsborsen: TEL2A and TEL2B), the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company, today announced that it has launched a GSM-network in Chelyabinsk. Tele2 now offers GSM services in ten out of the eleven Russian regions where it has mobile telephony operations.
The population covered by the GSM-license in Chelyabinsk is 3.6 million and the region's mobile penetration is approximately 22%. The network in Chelyabinsk uses the GSM 1800 standard.
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, CEO of Tele2 said: "The GSM-launch in Chelyabinsk follows on from our successful launches in Nizhny Novgorod and Kursk earlier this year. Our objective is to offer GSM services in all of the eleven Russian regions where we operate by the end of the second quarter. The Russian mobile market offers substantial growth potential for Tele2 and our experience of Russia shows that customers appreciate our service offering."
Visit us at our homepage: http://www.Tele2.com
Tele2 is Europe's leading and most profitable alternative telecom operator. With our unique values, we provide cheap and simple telecom for all Europeans every day. We have over 22 million customers in 23 countries. We offer products and services in fixed and mobile telephony, Internet access, data networks, cable TV and content services. Our main competitors are the former government monopolies. Tele2 was founded in 1993 by Jan Stenbeck and has been listed on Stockholmsborsen since 1996. The share has also been listed on Nasdaq since 1997. In 2003 we had net sales of SEK 36,911 million and reported a profit of SEK 5,710 million (EBITDA). Tele2 always strives to offer the market's best prices.
This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net
The following files are available for download:
http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/04/13/20040413BIT20150/wkr0001.pdf