MTS wins 3G licence

Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has announced that its Uzbeki subsidiary has been awarded a UMTS licence by the Communications and Information Agency. The ten-year concession will allow MTS to rollout a W-CDMA network which will operate in tandem with its existing GSM platform. 3G services will initially be rolled out in Tashkent, Samarkand, Buhara, and Andijan, and are expected to be launched commercially in 2008.