OREANDA-NEWS. February 04, 2011. The cellular assets of Sibirtelecom OJSC in the Transbaikal region were combined. As a result of integration Baikalwestcom Company (CJSC, 100% subsidiary of Sibirtelecom OJSC, “BWC” brand) took over the cellular business in the Republic of Buryatia that had been previously managed by the Buryatia branch of Sibirtelecom OJSC under the brand name "Ulan-Ude Cellular Network".

After the cellular assets had been combined the consolidated subscriber base amounted to over 2 mln users. Geographically the area of cellular communication services provided by BWC reached 1000 settlements.

“Two strategically important projects on combining cellular assets of Sibirtelecom OJSC were completed in 2010,“ comments Valery Belenky, Deputy General Director-Sales Director of Sibirtelecom, “In October Yeniseytelecom CJSC was reorganized, which resulted in joining two subsidiary assets: “StekGSM” and “Altaisvyaz” and now we can say that the project on the integration of cellular business on the basis of Baikalwestcom CJSC in the Baikal region has been successfully completed. As a result of integration, the two biggest cellular assets of Sibirtelecom OJSC have a possibility to expand the areas of its presence, which undoubtedly will positively influence the subscribers who will be able to use services at the most advantageous tariff options and offers.”

“We do our best to switch our subscribers to servicing by a new operator conveniently and painlessly,” says Svetlana Dimova, Sales Director of Baikalwestcom CJSC, “For all of us (both subscribers and operators), October and November of 2010 were the hardest months, since all required procedures had to be fulfilled quickly. Over 100 employees of Ulan-Ude Cellular Communications were involved in the renewal of the contracts. Mobile teams worked almost round-the-clock. For convenience, subscribers will be able to use the most popular tariff plans, such as ”Nyutag”, “Premium Mobile”, “Free Minutes”, “Univer”, and “Boss”. Certainly, the tariff line will be added with positions that are the most popular in the Irkutsk region and that will also become available for subscribers of the Republic of Buryatia. After the contract with Baikalwestcom had been renewed, the conditions of the tariffs that were currently used and the telephone numbers remained unchanged, and everyone who had renewed a contract received a welcome bonus from our Company in December: 50 minutes of local calls free of charge.”

Baikalwestcom Company also announced about the plans for the significant expansion of the GSM network in Buryatia; 40 new base stations will be established there in the coming months. The area of coverage will include new settlements, the sale and service points will be expanded.