NEW YORK and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 14, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tele2 AB, ("Tele2"), (Nasdaq:TLTOA) (Nasdaq:TLTOB) and (Stockholm:TEL2A) and (Stockholm:TEL2B), the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company, today announced that on 12 July, in Kemerovo Region in South Western Siberia, it officially launched its fourth Russian GSM-network under the Tele2 brand.
The population covered by the GSM-license in the Kemerovo Region is 3 million and the region's mobile penetration is approximately 7%. Tele2 is the third mobile operator to launch GSM-services in the region. Kemerovo Region, which is home to the largest coal deposit on earth, is highly industrialized with over 87% of people living in urban areas. As in Irkutsk, Rostov and St Petersburg, the GSM-network in Kemerovo was launched based on the GSM1800 standard, having similar coverage per base station as the GSM900 standard by using a phased array antenna solution from Radio Components.
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, CEO of Tele2 said; "The GSM-launch in the Kemerovo Region follows on from our successful launches in Irkutsk, Rostov and St Petersburg. Russia represents a great opportunity for us, as the Russian mobile market offers substantial growth potential, particularly in the less well penetrated areas like Kemerovo".
Tele2 AB, formed in 1993, is the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company offering fixed and mobile telephony, data network and Internet services under the brands Tele2, Tango and Comviq to over 17.7 million people in 22 countries. Tele2 operates Datametrix, which specializes in systems integration, 3C Communications, providing integrated credit card processing, web payment solutions and public payphones; Transac, providing billing and transaction processing service; C(3), offering co-branded pre-paid calling cards and Optimal Telecom, the price-guaranteed residential router device. The Group offers cable television services and, together with MTG, owns the Internet portal Everyday.com. The Company is listed on the Stockholmsborsen, under TEL2A and TEL2B, and on the Nasdaq Stock Market under TLTOA and TLTOB.
CONTACTS Lars-Johan Jarnheimer Telephone: + 46 8 562 640 00 President and CEO, Tele2 AB
Andrew Best/ Dwayne Taylor Telephone: + 44 20 7321 5022 Investor enquiries
Visit us at our homepage: http://www.Tele2.com
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