Kyivstar

Infobox Company
company_name = Kyivstar
company_
company_type = Subsidiary of Telenor & Alfa Group
foundation = 1994
location = flagicon|Ukraine Kyiv, Ukraine
key_people = Igor Lytovchenko - President
Andrew Simmons – CFO
industry = Mobile Telecommunications
products = GSM, EDGE, GPRS
revenue = $1.1 billion (2005)
operating_income = $463 million (2005)
net_income = $322 million (2005)
num_employees =
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.kyivstar.ua/ www.kyivstar.ua]
footnotes =

Kyivstar is the largest mobile phone operator in Ukraine, serving 23 million subscribers as of early October 2007. Kyivstar's wireless network operates using the GSM standard and provides coverage accessible by approximately 99% of the Ukrainian population.

Company background

The company was founded in 1994; the first call within the Kyivstar network was made on 9 December 1997. Norway's Telenor controls 56.51% of the company and Altimo, the telecommunications arm of Russia's Alfa Group, indirectly controls 43.49% stake through Storm company.

From its very beginning, the company has always been believed to be tied with relatives of the former Ukrainian president Kuchma, thus getting preferential attitude from various government agencies in the past.

Kyivstar's network codes are +38067 (postpay and prepaid customers), +38096, +38097 and +38098 (Djuice and prepaid).

The company has enabled its existing network with Push-to-Talk capabilities in January 2007.

Kyivstar's main local competitors are MTS Ukraine and life:).

In 2004, Kyivstar became the official mobile operator of the Ukrainian Olympic team.

External links

* [http://www.kyivstar.ua/en/ Official website]
* [http://www.mobile-ukraine.com Ukrainian mobile operators news]