MTS

Mobile TeleSystems or MTS is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 91.33 million subscribers as of July 31, 2008. The company's wireless network operates using the GSM standard. It currently holds licenses to provide mobile services in 81 out of 83 regions in Russia and the entire territories of Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. This in turn makes MTS the biggest mobile operator in Central and Eastern Europe. MTS was founded by Moscow City Telephone Network, Deutsсhe Telekom, Siemens AG and still several shareholders as the closed joint-stock company in October 1993. Four Russian companies owned 53% of the stock, whereas two German companies had 47%. At the end of 1996 JSFC Sistema has got a stock pack from the Russian holders of stocks, and DeTeMobil has redeemed stocks from Siemens.