PJSC VimpelCom and PJSC MegaFon announced a joint project to develop base stations and share 4G/LTE network development and operation across 10 regions of Russia. Expenditures on the development and use of the base stations will be shared by the operators, thus accelerating 4G/LTE coverage penetration at lower costs. Operators of the MegaFon and VimpelCom mobile communications companies have signed an agreement on the joint development and operation of LTE standard communication networks, according to which new base stations with 4G support will be deployed in 10 regions.

Construction and operation costs will be divided between the two companies. The launch of the network is planned for after the second quarter of this year. The deployment of more than 1,300 additional LTE-enabled base stations in the Smolensk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Bryansk and Arkhangelsk regions, the republic of Karelia, and other regions of the joint 4G development programme, will become a big step in eliminating digital inequality by making high-speed mobile Internet accessible to millions of people in Russia.