Tele2 Expands in Russia

NEW YORK and STOCKHOLM -- Tele2 AB, ("Tele2"), (Nasdaq Stock Market: TLTOA and TLTOB and Stockholmsbörsen: TEL2A and TEL2B), the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company, today announced that on 30 June, in St Petersburg, it will officially launch its third Russian GSM-network under the Tele2 brand.

The population covered by the GSM-license in St Petersburg is 5 million and the region’s mobile penetration is approximately 35%. Tele2 is the fourth mobile operator to launch GSM-services in the region. St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and is an important commercial and cultural center. As in Irkutsk and Rostov, the GSM-network in St Petersburg was launched based on the GSM1800 standard, having similar coverage per base station as the GSM900 standard by using a phased array antenna solution from Radio Components.

Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, CEO of Tele2 said; "The GSM-launch in St Petersburg follows on from our successful launches in Irkutsk and Rostov. Russia represents a great opportunity for us, as the Russian mobile market offers substantial growth potential".

Tele2 AB