Tag: "Astelit"

Astelit Sustains Losses Of USD 101 Million In 2010

The Astelit cellular mobile telephone company, which provides mobile telephone services under the life:) brand name, finished 2010 with losses of USD 101 million. In 2010, the company's net revenues in the hryvnia equivalent shrank by 3.36% or UAH 11.8 million, compared with 2009, to UAH 339.3 million. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of the company made up USD 64.5 million in 2010. Its capital expenditures (CAPEX) in 2010 made up of USD 66.5 million. Oleksandr Barinov, CEO of Astelit, said the reduction in the revenues of the company accounted for closure of a non-profitable branch on transit of of international traffic and the lower rates of interconnect. At the same time Barinov pointed to the EBITDA of the company for 2010, as EBITDA tripled over 2009. He assessed this as an achievement of the company's management through a complex of measures on trimming expenses, including restructure of tariffs to cut the expenses for interconnect. He said the company expects its financial indexes to grow in 2011 through realization of a strategy focusing on regional approach to its clients, effective management and development of data transmission services. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Astelit finished the October-December period with USD 30.9 million in the red. Astelit reported a loss of USD 111.8 million for the year 2009, when its net revenues reduced by USD 87.6 million or 19.9% to USD 351.1 million compared with 2008.

Life:) Likely To Introduce Mobile Number Portability Service In Q3, 2011

The Astelit mobile communication operator, life:) brand, expects that the Mobile Number Portability service will be introduced in July-September, life:) corporate relations director Yurii Kurmaz told the press. He also said that one should not expect the introduction of that service earlier as the staff of the National Communications Regulation Commission has recently been reshuffled. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, on December 23, 2010, the NCRC approved draft provision on Mobile Number Portability service. On July 1, 2010, the Verkhovna Rada backed the introduction of an amendment into the law "On communications" as for provision of mobile subscribers with right to save personal number while changing operators.

Astelit Sustains Losses Of USD 30.9 Million In Q4

The Astelit cellular mobile telephone company, which provides mobile telephone services under the life:) brand name, finished the October-December period with USD 30.9 million in the red. This is said in the quarterly report of Astelit. In the fourth quarter, the company's revenues in the hryvnia equivalent shrank by 11.9% or UAH 11 million to UAH 81.8 million. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of the company made up USD 16.9 million. Its capital expenditures in the fourth quarter made up of USD 21.4 million. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Astelit cellular mobile telephone company finished the July-September period with USD 26.4 million in the red, having reduced its revenues in the hryvnia equivalent by 8.85% or UAH 60.1 million to UAH 670.6 million (in dollar terms, it increased by USD 8.3 million or 8.9% to USD 84.9 million). Astelit reported a loss of USD 111.8 million for the year 2009, when its net revenues reduced by USD 87.6 million or 19.9% to USD 351.1 million compared with 2008.

life:) Integrates SMS With Twitter Social Network

The Astelit mobile communications operator, which renders services under the life:) brand, has introduced an SMS-integration service with the Twitter social network as of December 24, the company announced. life:) subscribers with accounts on Twitter may read transmitted messages or send their owns through a mobile phone. To use the service, one should register on the Twitter website or send a registration message writing a word START to 404404. The service is fulfilled free, SMS costs according to a subscriber's tariff plan. As Ukrainian News reported, Astelit on July 17 introduced a service of free notifications about events to users' accounts in the VKontakte social internet network. Astelit reported a loss of USD 111.8 million for the year 2009, when its net revenues reduced by USD 87.6 million or 19.9% to USD 351.1 million compared with 2008. The Turkcell company (Turkey) owns 54.8% of the shares in Astelit while the System Capital Management corporation (Donetsk) owns 45.2%.

NCRC To Select Administrator Of MNP

The National Communications Regulation Commission (NCRC) intends to determine before 2011 the company that will administer services allowing subscribers to mobile-telephone services to keep their personal telephone numbers when switching from one mobile-telephone operator to another (MNP - Mobile Number Portability). An informed source disclosed this to Ukrainian News. "It has not yet been announced officially who will administer number portability. The NCRC is presently in the final phase of selecting the administrator. It is a matter of 2-3 weeks," the source said. He did not name the companies seeking to perform this function, but he said that competition for the position was very fierce. As earlier reported, the Astelit cellular mobile telephone company, which provides mobile telephone services under the life:) brand, said in July that it was realistic to begin providing MNP in the first quarter of 2011 on condition of smooth joint work and cooperation between the NCRC, Ukrchastotnahliad (the Ukrainian State Center for Radio Frequencies), and, in particular, mobile communications operators. The MTS Ukraine mobile communications operator has said that it is impossible to introduce this service before July 2011. The parliament voted on July 1 to amend the Law on Telecommunications to grant subscribers to mobile telephone services the right to keep their personal telephone numbers when switching from one mobile-telephone operator to another and directed the NCRC to draft conditions for introduction of MNP within six months.

Five Companies Submit Applications For Privatization Of Ukrtelecom

Five companies have submitted applications to familiarize themselves with the documentation on privatization of Ukrtelecom, Ukraine's largest telecommunication company. State Property Fund Chairman Oleksandr Riabchenko announced this at a press conference. He noted that the State Property Fund of Ukraine has signed agreements on familiarization with the tender documents with three companies, including one Ukrainian company, one Russian company, and one non-CIS company. "Another two companies have submitted applications to sign confidentiality agreements," he said. He said the agreements with the two companies have yet to be signed. Both companies are Ukrainian residents. State Property Fund Chairman Riabchenko said he was bewildered at a ruling of the Kyiv City Economic Court dated November 8 on a lawsuit from the Ivinvest Company (Majuro, Marshall Islands). The court obliged the State Property Fund to fully abide by the Ukrainian privatization legislation and the provisions on the tender. He said the State Property Fund would abide by the ruling of the court. However, the State Property Fund can appeal against it. He said he held talks with several companies that could have triggered the ruling. All of the companies denied their being engaged in it. Riabchenko did not name the companies that requested documentation on Ukrtelecom, but he stressed that they did not include Turkcell (Turkey), Astelit (Kyiv), and System Capital Management (Donetsk). At the same time, he said that the Turkish embassy has expressed interest in the documentation. In particular, he said that Turkish diplomats have requested the official text of the announcement of the competition for Ukrtelecom in the English language. Riabchenko added that the State Property Fund was unable to fulfill this request because the official texts of announcements of privatization competitions exist only in the Ukrainian language. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the State Property Fund on October 13 announced a tender to sell 92.79% of the shares of the Ukrtelecom telecommunication company. The starting price of the 92.79% stake is UAH 10.5 billion. The State Property Fund expects the selling price of 92.79% of the shares in Ukrtelecom, the largest telecommunications company in Ukraine, to be UAH 11-12 billion. As at November 10, three companies submitted their applications for the privatization tender. The Kyiv City Business Court in its ruling dated November 8 on a lawsuit from the Ivinvest Company (Majuro, Marshall Islands) prohibits any persons from hindering the State Property Fund of Ukraine and other competent state bodies in their holding a tender on privatization of 92.79% of the shares of the Ukrtelecom telecommunication company.

Astelit Sustains Losses Of USD 26.4 Million In Q3

The Astelit cellular mobile telephone company, which provides mobile telephone services under the life:) brand name, finished the July-September period with USD 26.4 million in the red.

Number of Mobile Operators’ Subscribers in Ukraine Up to 56.3 Million

In August, the number of subscribers of Ukrainian mobile-telephone operators rose by 1.3% or 0.73 million to 56.34 million.

Life:) Introduces Life:) Hectic Day

The Astelit mobile communication operator, the life:) brand, introduced new tariff plan called 'life:) hectic day'.

Number of Life:) Subscribers Down to 11.7 Million

In July, the number of subscribers of Astelit, the mobile communications operator that owns the life:) brand, went down by 0.7% or 0.08 million people to 11.69 million people.