Mobile TeleSystems (MBT) announced results for the second quarter with reported earnings of $1.49 per ADR beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents. Eastern Europe’s largest cellular operator reported revenue of $2 billion, down 23.3% year over year, hurt by the macroeconomic volatility across its markets. Net income dipped 14.6% from the year-ago quarter to $563 million on lower revenue, higher interest expenses and increased handset costs.

On a geographic basis, revenue rose 7% year over year in Russia, 4% in Uzbekistan, 35% in Turkmenistan and 3% in Armenia, while sales declined 8% in Ukraine.

Mobile TeleSystems added approximately 2.8 million customers in the quarter (up sequentially), primarily driven by a 2.3 million net subscriber growth in Russia. This was marginally offset by 155,000 subscriber losses in Ukraine. At the end of the second quarter, the company served approximately 99.5 million subscribers (67.4 million in Russia), up

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The second-largest cellular carrier in Russia, VimpelCom (VIP), announced the commercial launch of its wireless operation in Vietnam under its Beeline brand. The company will initially roll out services in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, covering a population of over 15 million. This follows the launch of the company's mobile operation in Cambodia in May 2009.

In July 2008, VimpelCom signed a definitive agreement to establish GTEL-Mobile, a mobile telecom joint-venture company for constructing GSM-based wireless networks in Vietnam. The other parties in this joint-venture pact are Global Telecommunications Corporation, a state-owned enterprise, and GTEL TSC, a subsidiary of GTEL.

Under the deal terms, VimpelCom has acquired 40% interest in GTEL-Mobile with GTEL and GTEL TSC retaining 51% and 9% stake, respectively. In early 2009, VimpelCom obtained a license from the Vietnamese government to build and operate a GSM cellular network under the joint-venture.

VimpelCom remains the second-largest wireless

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