Beeline Uzbekistan granted 15-year licence extension

VimpelCom has announced that its Uzbekistan subsidiary, which offers services under the Beeline banner, has been granted a 15-year extension to its operating licence, taking its validity period up to 2031. Regulatory approval for the move was given following an application submitted in May 2016 and reportedly takes into consideration VimpelCom’s further network development plans. ‘We are extremely pleased to have our licence extended in Uzbekistan and will continue to serve our customers in this important market,’ commented Dmitriy Shukov, CEO of Beeline, adding: ‘We cover 88% of the Uzbekistan population with our 2G network, 52% with 3G, and are now preparing to significantly expand our 4G/LTE services.’