OREANDA-NEWS. October 20, 2010. Altaisvyaz OJCS and STEK GSM CJSC were reorganized in the form of merger with Yenisseytelecom CJSC (ETK), a 100% subsidiary cellular company of Sibirtelecom OJSC. Based on Altaisvyaz OJSC and STEK GSM CJSC, Altai and Kemerovo branches of Yenisseytelecom were established.

The licenced territory of Yenisseytelecom included 3 more regions: the Republic of Altai, Altai Krai and Kemerovo Region. Today Yenisseytelecom is one of the biggest cellular operators in Siberia and successfully provides communication services in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Taymyr Autonomous District, Republics of Khakassia and Tyva, and from October 1, 2010 – on the territory of Altai Krai, the Republic of Altai and Kemerovo Region. Altaisvyaz OJSC and STEK GSM CJSC were included in the structure of Yenisseytelecom CJSC as branches that will continue to provide mobile communication services to subscribers in Altai and Kuzbass under the ETK brand.

It is reputed in the Company that the merger sums advantages of the three operators and will enhance them in the future. “We can already speak about advantage that our subscribers have received, - said Anna Purtova, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer of ETK CJSC. – First of all, it is a possibility to make calls to all regions on the licenced territory of ETK at the price for outcoming calls of a subscriber without any additional payments for long-distance calls. Secondly, it is a discounted price for one minute of the call if the subscriber travels to new regions of the “home network” and vice versa. For example, it used to be so that if those who live in Krasnoyarsk would go to the popular Altai Resort of Belokurikha, they would pay 5 rubles per minute of a call. Not their expenses will be reduced more than 2 times – up to 2 rubles per minute. Similar conditions are provided to subscribers in Altai and Kemerovo, who can now travel with their mobile phones to Krasnoyarsk Krai, Republics of Khakassia and Tyva and economize on communication.”

After entering new territories, ETK presented to their inhabitants not only its name and corporate style, having changed the decoration of the company sales and service centers of Altaisvyaz OJSC and STEK GSM CJSC, but also offered two tariffs (Kopeika and Pobeda) that had become popular in Krasnoyarsk, in an adjusted variant. Transition to a new marketing policy will be gradual, they said in ETK. Activation and transition to some tariff plans of the reorganized operators will be closed, but it will not affect subscribers. The planned changes will be positive, every subscriber will be informed individually about them.

“Some technological services of ETK will be temporarily unavailable to those who live in the Republic of Altai, Altai Krai and Kemerovo Region for technical reasons. Anyway, subscribers can already use packages of popular mobile services of SMS, MMS and GPRS within the Kopeika and Pobeda tariffs, – said Anna Purtova. – Also, taking into account the fact that networks of both operators support the EDGE technology of data transmission, I am sure that all new services of ETK that reduce the cost of cellular Internet will be of immediate interest: “Unlimited Night Internet”, “Optimal Internet” and “Night Internet 50”.

ETK plans to offer its subscribers on new territories some competitive tariffs for the business segment, the ‘Mediabonus’ loyalty program, service cards by the end of 2010, and to also significantly expand the range of additional services. Plans for the next year include engineering modification of networks.