UMS expands 3G coverage in Karakalpakstan

State-owned mobile provider Universal Mobile Systems (UMS) has expanded its 3G network in Karakalpakstan, UzDaily reports. The cellco, which was operated as a joint venture between the Uzbek government and Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) until August this year, deployed 13 new base stations in the region, covering the province’s capital Nukus as well as Beruniy, Hodjeyli, Buston, Tortkul, Qirqqiz and Beriniy. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, the cellco claimed a total of 1.396 million subscribers at the end of June 2016, equating to a market share of just 6.9%.