MTS History

Launch of the mobile communication in Ukraine 1992 – 1996

November, 11, 1992 – Pechers’k Regional Executive Committee of Kiev City registers a multy-national ukrainian-german-danish-dutch enterprise UMC, company gets a license for mobile communication and frequences.

End of 1992 – a newly founded mobile operator distributes the first commutaror and 6 base stations of Nokia (Finland) production to Ukraine to develop network of the standard NMT-450i in Kiev.

January 1993 – 7 technicians were hired by UMC and sent to Finland to get practice at installing Nokia commutational equipment.

July, 1, 1993 – UMC launches the first mobile network of analog standard NMT in Ukraine. The first call was done by the first President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, he called the ambassador of Ukraine in Germany Ivan Piskov.

1994 – mobile communication services become available in Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Simferopil’ and Sevastopil’.

End of 1995 – mobile communication network covers 12 regional centres of the country, the amount of UMC subscribers riches 14 thousands.

1996 – NMT network covers all regional centres of Ukraine. By the end of the year UMC communication services become available in 93 towns and cities and on 4 thousands kilometres of the main highways of the country. 42% of the population of Ukraine (more than 20 million people) live on the territory that is covered by NMT network.

1996 – the overall amount of subscribers riches 30 thousands.

GSM Era – 1997-2000

September, 1, 1997 – before launching GSM, a significant event has hapenned in ukrainian market: for the first time UMC introduces automatic roaming with Russia in NMT-450i standard by signing corresponding agreement with «Moscow Mobile Communication», and with Switzerland («Swisscom») in GSM-900 standard.

September, 1997 – UMC launches GSM-900 standard network in Kiev. In December new nework is launched in Odesa.

March, 1999 – UMC starts selling pre-paid service under SIM-SIM trade mark in 10 cities of Ukraine. By the end of the year SIM-SIM gives UMC 58 thousands new subscribers

Summer, 1999 – UMC appears in the world-wide web – Internet. One can find information about the company on two sites: a corporate site www.umc.com.ua and a site of pre-paid mobile communication services www.sim-sim.com.

October, 1999 – UMC together with «Aval» bank present the first on the market card project – UMC-VISA-AVAL. UMC subscribers now have an opportunity to get plastic cards of the international payment system VISA at «Aval» on privileged terms. Plastic cards simplify the process of payment invoices for mobile communication.

December, 1999 – UMC makes mobile communication services available in Kiev underground. Network covers 2 stations: «Khreschatyk» and «Maidan Nezalezhnosti».  

1999 – UMC continues development of regional network of mobile services. It covers 200 settlements and 7,5 thousands kilometres of the main highways of the country. For the first time on local market company launches Control centre for GSM and NMT networks that gives an opportunity to track its work and default on-the-fly. By the end of the year there are about 300 thousands mobile services subscribers, and 186 thousands of them are UMC customers.

New standards, new opportunity– 2000-2002

February, 2000 – foreign founders of UMC apply to the government with a proposition to buy 25% of the company from the country. Prime-minister of Ukraine Victor Yuschenko gives a commission to the State Communication Committee to work out a procedure of selling.

February, 2000 – UMC introduces per-second tariff (after the first minute) for contract subscribers and then introduces per-second tariff from the 30-th second for all subscribers’ categories (from November 2000).

July-August, 2000 – UMC subscribers got an access to Internet via mobile phones with the commercial launch of WAP-services for contract subscribers. The first «gentleman set» of the WAP-service was rather simple – news, anecdotes, horoscope, weather forecast, rate of exchange on WAP-sites of the operators (during next 2 years companies have seriously extended the list of such services).

November, 2000 – UMC launches WAP-access to Internet for pre-paid subscribers. By the end of the year the amount of WAP-users riches 5%  of the overall amount of mobile communication subscribers.

August, 2000 – UMC develops network covering in Kiev underground. Subscribers of the company now can use mobile services on 6 stations – «Ploscha Lva Tolstogo», «Palats Sportu», «Teatral’na», «Zoloti Vorota» are added to «Khreschatyk» and «Maidan Nezalezhnosti».

November, 2000 – UMC celebrates Telecommunication workers’ Day by launching GSM-900 network in Ternopil’, by this finishing covering regional centres with this standard.

October, 2000 – UMC gets a license for GSM-1800 standard.

February, 2001 – UMC introduces a new GSM-1800 network in Ukraine, by this proving again its leadership in the field of communication quality. The amount of UMC subscribers riches 500 000 people.

2001 – UMC segments the market to become an operator for all potential customers. Formerly UMC and SIM-SIM were applying to the same people. Company launches UMC-Business which has become a separate field of serving corporate subscribers. UMC-Business becomes a symbol of reliability and success. The result of such policy is that 80% of 500 largest companies have become customers of UMC-Business.

January, 2002 – company enters New year with the largest amount of subscribers – 1 000 000 people.

February, 2002 – UMC launches Internet-access with the use of GPRS technology for the key subscribers of the company.

June-July, 2002 – All-Ukrainian tour of group «VV» under the title «UMC Tour – 15 years of “VV”».

October, 2002 – UMC in collaboration with Gala-radio conducts a unique action – UMC SMS Open championship. Ukraine has become the first country in the CIS where such a traditional for many west-european countries SMS-championship took place.

November, 2002 – For the first time in Ukraine UMC annnounces the launch of a unique innovative service MMS – Multimedia Messaging Services. It allows sending and receiving photos, images and audio clips on mobile phones.

Time of Changes – 2003

March, 2003 – Company MTS (“Mobile Telesystems”), the largest operator in Russia and CIS countries, becomes the holder of 57,7% of UMC shares and declares an intention to buy those UMC shares that are left.

March, 2003 – UMC cancels a charge for incoming calls from all mobile and fixed numbers.

June, 2003 – UMC 10-years anniversary. It the first jubilee of the whole ukrainian mobile communications market.

July, 2003 – To celebrate 10-years anniversary of the ukrainian mobile communications market UMC organizes a tour that covers 7 ukrainian cities «10 Years of UMC. A holiday with «Okean El’zy»».

July, 25, 2003 – A meeting of UMC members approves transfer of 16,3% of the shares, that belong to dutch company TDC to the company MTS. By this transfer «Mobile TeleSystems» becomes 100% owner of the UMC.

August, 2003 – The first virtual operator «JEANS» is introduced into ukrainian mobile communications market. With a motto «All and At Once!» it establishes a new principle of communication with the lowest tariffs for services. Reasonable, convinient and stylish. 

October, 2003  – a company inculcates a revolutionary UMC-region service due to which the subscribers get a possibility to ring on the city numbers of Ukraine with special reduced tariff.

October, 16, 2003 – the amount of Jeans operator subscribers exceeds a mark of 200 thousand during 3 months

November, 2003 – subscribers of Sim-Sim prepaid services first get from a mobile operator at once three services on the basis of GPRS technology. Sim-Sim subscribers, mobile telephones of which support WAP, GPRS, MMS can use mobile GPRS-Internet – access to the Internet and E-mail; WAP GPRS – access to the various WAP-resources; MMS GPRS – exchange of MMS-messages.

Do Ukraine mobile– 2004

February, 2004 – UMC extends GPRS-coverage in Kherson, Nikolaev and regions. The territory of GPRS-coverage comes up to the territory of UMC GSM-coverage.

April, 2004 – the Alcatel commutation center is opened on 300 thousands of numbers. The amount of UMC subscribers UMC exceeds 4 million persons, 1 million from them are Jeans subscribers.

Summer 2004 – first Jeans DJ Parade takes place in 7 cities of Ukraine. Final is August, Kyiv.

August, 2004 – UMC covers by a mobile connection all underground part of Kievan subway together with all tunnels between the stations. UMC gets possibility of full network cover of capital subway due to signing the agreement with LTD. "Proximus" about the lease of base station subsystem of GSM-1800, placed in underground part of the Kievan subway in October, 2003.

November, 2004 – the amount of mobile communication subscribers in the country exceeds the amount of stationary connection users, most of them - 6 millions – are UMC subscribers.

December, 2004 – UMC inculcates the innovative, constantly operating program of loyalty for all Sim-Sim users – "SIM-SIM Aladdin". Subscribers accumulate tentative marks – «pearls», and then change them on connection services.

The amount of UMC subscribers exceeds 7 million persons. On the eve of achieving a 7-million mark UMC conducts a promotion "Happy seven". In accordance with its terms seven subscribers will be able to use free mobile communication from UMC the whole year.

On the eve of New Year 2005 the amount of subscribers with Company contracts exceeded 1 million

High-quality growth – 2005

March, 10, 2005 – the commutation international center is put into operation.

March, 19, 2005 – the amount of UMC subscribers exceeded 8 million persons.

April, 2005 – UMC opens Subscriber Maintenance Center (SMC) in Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa. In accordance with active growth of subscriber base a company extends the network of call-centers which provides more than 8 million subscribers with informative support.

July, 2005 – UMC conducts beneficent SMS-promotion in which 10 million free minutes of mobile communication is played off. Every SMS-message, sent by a subscriber, takes part in the drawing of one of ten prizes – 1 million free minutes from UMC. A sum, collected by UMC subscribers, was 671 948 UAH (without taxes).Having doubled a sum, the company passed to Children of Chernobil Relief Fund 1 343 896 UAH.

July, 12, 2005 – UMC opens a commercial exploitation of international roaming service with a 300-th roaming-partner, an operator Qatar Telecom (Qtel), Qatar, GSM 900/1800.

July, 15, 2005 – UMC announces about 10 millions subscribers. Most of company contract subscribers is 1 144 922 persons, most of Sim-Sim prepaid connection service subscribers is 4 377 435 people. Amount of Jeans virtual operator subscribers in Ukraine is 4 480 301people. The program "Make Ukraine mobile" is completed. The beginning of the new strategic program "Quality more than all” is declared.

July, 28, 2005 – UMC complete an agreement with National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine about collaboration during 2005-2008. An agreement foresees the collaboration of UMC and NOK about sponsorship of preparation of the Ukrainian sportsmen to XX Winter Olympic Games in 2006 in Turin and XXІ Olympic Games in 2008 in Peking.

Summer, 2005 – second Jeans DJ Parade takes place in 7 cities of Ukraine.

September, 6, 2005 – UMC opens Subscriber Maintenance Center (SMC) in Odessa. Within the framework of the program «Quality more than all» a company substantially extends the possibilities of subscriber maintenance on the south and west of Ukraine.

October, 15, 2005 – two the biggest operators of Ukraine mobile communication – companies UMC and "Kievstar" – entered a service of MMS-messages exchange between their subscribers. Subscribers got possibility without difficulty to send each other pictures and sound greetings.

October, 29, 2005 – as a result of the International festival-competition "Choice of year" in Ukraine, UMC is selected in the third time "Best mobile communication operator of 2005 in Ukraine".

December, 2005 – UMC opens Subscriber Maintenance Center in Lvov.

December, 2005 – during the last month of the year UMC engages more than 1 425 000 subscribers which is a record for the Ukrainian market.

Olympic year – 2006

January-February, 2006 – UMC subscribers take part in the Mobile Olympic games and conquer medals in the series of virtual competitions in five "types of sport": SMS, Java, WAP, MMS and voice.  More than 250 thousand subscribers take part: UMC, SIM-SIM and Jeans.

February, 2006 – a company enters free services "Who called" and "Notify me"

March, 2006 – UMC introduces a service "Call me back", which enables to send a free query to a friend with a request to ring up.

June, 1, 2006 – UMC introduces a service "Online TV", which gives subscribers a possibility to look the programs of the “1+1” TV channel, cartoons, video clips, sporting rollers.

June, 2006 – UMC first among mobile operators in Ukraine introduces into commercial operation Wi-Fi service. Company UMC plans constantly to multiply the amount of points of access to the Wi-Fi service to give its subscribers all advantages of high-speed Internet.

November, 2006 – company together with Ministry of transport and connection and Ministry of education and science of Ukraine begins the program, directed to support educational and scientific potential of country, bringing in of mobile technologies in the sphere of education and preparation of young specialists to work in the area of the telecommunication system.

November, 15, 2006 – a company introduces "Hyper.NET" service, with the help of which company subscribers get possibility of unlimited access to the network Internet.

December, 2006 – a company conducts a beneficent promotion action the "Christmas UMC express" is a truck with gifts for children, deprived paternal anxiety, rides throughout Ukraine. The program starts on December, 19, in the day of St. Nicolay, in Lvov, and farther takes place throughout all regions of Ukraine from west to east: throughout Odessa, Crimea, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov and Kyiv.

Year of changes – 2007

March, 2007 – a company joins to the network of Global Agreement of UNO, which determines principles of corporate social responsibility.

July, 2007 – technical testing of the first in Ukraine network of high-speed wireless Internet begins on the base of technology of СDMA-450 REV A.

July, 9, 2007 – an operator of mobile communication UMC, 100% subcompany JSC "MTS" (NYSE: MBT), officially announces of turning into the new brand – MTS. A scale publicity campaign which supports the start of the new brand in Ukraine begins.

August 2007 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and mobile operator MTS launch a joint project of emergency communication with the embassies called "Homeland in touch" to help Ukrainian MTS subscribers who faced problems during their stay abroad.

September 2007 – MTS Ukraine presents a new service GOOD'OK, which provides the possibility to set melodies or voice messages instead of custom dial tones when calling to the subscriber. The service has the biggest catalog of songs in the Ukrainian market - subscribers can choose from about 5000 tunes and sound effects.

October 2007 – Ukrainian subscribers of MTS Ukraine were the first in the CIS who got an exclusive opportunity to enjoy popular worldwide service BlackBerry. Subscribers with BlackBerry communicators can use the phone connection, the Internet, send text messages etc. and also have instant secure access to personal and work e-mail, corporate databases and applications.

October 2007 – the commercial launch of 3G wireless broadband Internet access based on CDMA-450 REV A technology in Kiev and its satellite towns. By the end of the year the Internet covers seven cities: Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Lviv and Odessa.

November 2007 – JEANS and MTS subscribers were joined in the largest network in Ukraine. From that time the subscribers of JEANS youth operator got the ability to make calls within the largest joined network according to the single-net tariff.

December 2007 – MTS Ukraine launches the HyperActive service: unlimited mobile Internet access.

PEOPLES TARIFFS – PREMIUM NETWORK – 2008

February 2008 – MTS Ukraine has introduced EDGE technology throughout Ukraine.

February 2008 – MTS Ukraine conducts a charity auction of "MTS golden numbers", which helped to collect a record amount of 1,250 million UAh. Funds were spent on computers for Ukrainian schools and orphanages for further 3G mobile internet wire up.

March 2008 – Launch of WAP-portal for children (wap.kids.mts.com.ua).

April 2008 – MTS Ukraine launches WEB/WAP music portal MUZon (www.muzon.ua)

April 2008 – MTS brand was the first among the CIS brands to enter the TOP-100 global brands prestigious world rating completed by Millward Brown and Financial Times (position 89). MTS brand was valued at $8,077 billion.

June 2008 – MTS Ukraine obtained a license for frequencies in order to provide Internet access services based on its own Wi-Fi network.

September 2008 – MTS Ukraine mobile operator, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and Thomson Reuters international news agency organized "Games-2008. Taste of Our Victories!" international photo exhibition dedicated to the most important and emotional moments of XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing.

September 2008 – MTS Ukraine launched large-scale promotional event "100 cars in 100 days". According to its terms, any operator's subscriber got the possibility to win one of 100 Ford Fiesta cars and one of two apartments in any Ukrainian city.

October 2008 – MTS Ukraine and Raiffeisen Bank Aval launched "Mobile MTS bonus" joint loyalty program by issuing a joint cash card. Card owners, who are MTS subscribers and also Raiffeisen Bank Aval clients, got special service conditions from both companies.

October 2008 – MTS Ukraine in the frameworks of "Professionals of the future" program initiates "New marketing technologies" educational project, which involves a series of master classes for marketing department students of leading Ukrainian universities on the basis of the first Ukrainian adapted edition of "Marketing Management" by Philip Kotler.

October 2008 – MTS entered into an exclusive strategic non-stock partnership with the leading global mobile operator Vodafone, aimed at enhancing marketing and technological capabilities of both companies. Four-year partnership agreement covers the territories of Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Armenia.

December 2008 – MTS was the first in Ukraine and CIS to introduce an innovative system of automated process of selection and recruitment "E-Recruitment".

December 2008 – by the end of the year the high-speed wireless access to Internet based on "MTS Connect" service on the CDMA technology is available in more than 90 locations throughout Ukraine.

NEW REALITY – YEAR 2009

February 2009 – Launch of "Compass" service based on LBS technology of location.

March 2009 – MTS Ukraine mobile operator and "PORTMONE" company introduced a new service Portmone.Mobile, allowing subscribers to refill their mobile account comfortably and easily from wherever.

March 2009 – MTS Ukraine starts deploying a national Wi-Fi network.

April 2009 – MTS was for second consecutive year declared one of the most expensive brands in the annual ranking of the world's hundred leading brands BRANDZ ™. During 2008 MTS brand has significantly strengthened its position and moved 18 positions up in the rating to 71 place, brand was valued for $ 9.2 billion.

June 2009 – Launch of new "Locator" service, which allows MTS Ukraine subscribers to always know the location of their family and friends and even to see it on a city map.

June 2009 – MTS Ukraine together with Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine, Kiev Investment Group and Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science have created the Intercorporate University. The project focuses on long-term perspective and involves integration of unique practical knowledge and companies' experience in the training of future professionals.

October 2009 – MTS Ukraine together with the Ministry of Health with the participation of the UN Office in Ukraine implemented the "Mobile Medicine" project aimed at improving the provision of health care services through the introduction of modern telecommunication technologies.

October 2009 – MTS became the first operator in Ukraine who launched the project on using alternative energy sources to supply the elements of mobile network, thus reducing power consumption. The first wind generator on the MTS network was mounted in Malorechenskoye village (Alushta district, Autonomous Republic of Crimea).

November 2009 – MTS launched the first unique project in Ukraine and CIS countries – Club PRESTIGE, in the frameworks of which MTS subscribers got the possibility of purchasing goods of famous brands at club prices.

November 2009 – MTS was the only company among CIS telecommunications companies to reaffirm the compliance of company grouping's business with the requirements of international quality management standard ISO 9001:2008. Certification covers company units in Ukraine, Russia and Uzbekistan.

December 2009 – by the end of the year "MTS Connect 3G" service was launched in all regional centers as well as in many other locations throughout Ukraine. In total, CDMA network covers about 200 settlements.

SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE YEAR 2010

January 2010 – Beginning of performance testing of the telemedicine network within the frames of implementation of the social project “Mobile Medicine” aimed at introduction of telecommunication technologies in the health care system of Ukraine. The telemedicine network connects four main nodes: Donetska and Zakarpatska Oblasts (Uzhgorod) hospitals, the State Clinical Scientific-Practical Center of Telemedicine in Kyiv and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

April 2010 – Launch of MTS Connect 3G service for private subscribers without entering into a contract and free of subscriber fee.

April 2010 – MTS founded the literary prize for the best work in miniature, the first of such kind in Ukraine. Kharkiv became the first Ukrainian city which residents got a chance to try hand at the SMS literature genre.

May 2010 – MTS and the Odesa National Academy of Telecommunications (ONAT) named after O.S. Popov launched the joint project purposed to ensure child Internet security. The software developed by ONAT was implemented within the frames of the project “Mobile Internet from MTS to schools”.

July 2010 – MTS, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Representative Office of the United Nations presented the first telemedicine network in Ukraine.

September 2010 – MTS web-site launched on-line support for its subscribers. This innovation on the basis of web-chat technologies made the company even more open for its clients. Now they have the possibility to get answers to their questions by contacting MTS Call Center operators on-line.

October 2010 – MTS Ukraine presented the first МТS 236 telephone, the most affordable offer among low-end terminals on the market.

October 2010 – MTS and the Ministry of Health of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea connected the Republican Clinical Hospital named after N. A. Semashko (Simferopol, Crimea) to the telemedicine network built within the frames of the “Mobile Medicine” project.

November 2010 – MTS Ukraine launches the news portal MTS Today, an Internet edition covering development of information technologies and telecommunications in Ukraine and worldwide.

December 2010 – MTS corporate tariffs recognized the best ones in THE BEST OF 2010 rating according to the version of Ad-World publishing house.

December 2010 – Educational project “Intercorporate University” in which MTS takes part was ranked number one among Ukrainian companies in the National Corporate Social Responsibility Business Case Contest organized by the CSR Development Center.

December 2010 – MTS launched Unlimited Internet with Opera Mini service enabling subscribers to view web-pages through Opera Mini browser directly in a mobile phone without traffic charges and for only UAH 2 a day.

December 2010 – During 2010 MTS expanded the number of participants in the project “Mobile Internet from MTS to schools” to 100 educational institutions. Thanks to the operator all these institutions obtained the possibility to use modern wireless technologies for data transfer and access to World Wide Web resources.

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