Two years in a row Kcell has been the company to win the first prize in Assyl Alma Contest in the nomination for "Making a contribution to formation of a healthy lifestyle among the community". The Company has been recognized as the best employer in this contest 3 times for the last 5 years.

The judges highly evaluated Kcell's contribution due to a range of projects brought to life in 2014. Last year Kcell became the partner for providing communication to Kazakhstan Paralympic National Team at XI Winter Paralympics in Sochi. The company also acted as technical partner at III Almaty Marathon "Courage to be the first", which was attended by about 10 thousand Almaty residents, including the Company's employees. The company continues to support Special Olympics Kazakhstan* in formation of a healthy lifestyle among children and adults with disabilities. The Company also focuses on the health of their employees. Kcell offices in Almaty have table tennis facilities and a free-of-charge gym. The Company has provided funding to their corporate football team in order to enable them to participate in the city tournament; they have also held in-company basketball and table-tennis tournaments.

Assyl Alma Contest to choose "The best employer providing conditions for keeping a healthy lifestyle at their enterprise" has been held in Almaty since 2009. Companies compete in four nominations for: "Making a contribution to protection and security of company's employees' health", "Making a contribution to formation of a healthy lifestyle among the community", "Making a contribution to the struggle with socially significant diseases", "Encouraging a healthy lifestyle inspired by a personal example". Kcell first became the winner of this award in 2009 in the nomination for "Making a contribution to protection and security of employees' health". In 2014 and 2015 the Company was acknowledged as the best one in the nomination for "Making a contribution to formation of a healthy lifestyle among the community".

Anna Tustikbayeva, Communications Head in Kcell JSC, says "As a socially-responsible company, we believe that one of our top priorities is concern about health of community which we live and work in. Sustainable business development is impossible without creating a sustainable environment, which primarily depends on health and well-being of society. This is why, as a part of our program for corporate social responsibility, Kcell pays a great deal of attention to formation and support of a healthy lifestyle among the community and our staff".

Assyl Alma Contest is organized by the Department for Healthcare with support of Akimat of Almaty city. Over 5 years of this competition being held more than 250 enterprises of the city have competed in the contest and became its nominees.

* Special Olympics is the world's largest program for sports training and competitions among children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Kcell has been working with this public organization since 2000. Over this time more than 5,000 athletes with special needs from Kazakhstan took part in international competitions and won 13 gold, 14 silver and 7 bronze medals.

Information for editorial staff

Kcell is the leading provider of mobile telecommunications services in Kazakhstan by market share in terms of revenue and the number of subscribers. It has operated since 1998, and as at 31 December 2013 it had approximately 14.3 million subscribers, representing a market share of 46.2%, as estimated by the Company. Its estimated market share in terms of revenue was 54% for the year ended 31 December 2013.

Kcell provides mobile voice telecommunications services, messaging services, value-added services such as multimedia and mobile content services, as well as data transmission services including internet access. It has two brands: the Kcell brand, which is targeted primarily at corporate subscribers (including government subscribers), and the Activ brand, which is targeted primarily at mass market subscribers. The Company offers its services through its extensive, high quality network which covers substantially all of the populated territory of Kazakhstan.

In December 2012, Kcell successfully completed its offering of GDR's on the London Stock Exchange and common shares on KASE. The price was set at USD 10.50 per GDR and KZT 1,578.68 per share with each GDR representing one share.  The offering consisted of a sale by TeliaSonera of 50 million shares, which represent 25 percent of Kcell's share capital. TeliaSonera holds directly and indirectly 61.9% of the Company's common shares.

Kcell plans to benefit from the significant growth potential for mobile data services in Kazakhstan. The Company intends to continue to invest in the deployment of its 3G network to expand coverage. Kcell aims to maintain its market leadership in terms of revenue and the number of subscribers by offering its products and services at competitive prices, expanding its offering of products and services, maintaining the high quality of its network and enhancing its brand value.

For further information contact:

Natalya Eskova, Head of Press Office: +7 701 211 0672, 8 /7272/582-755, 1902

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