Mobile operator Tele2 Russia, owned by VTB Group and Rostelecom, has announced on its website the latest expansion of its 3G network to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, switching on commercial W-CDMA/HSPA+ network services in Kaliningrad city and the surrounding Kaliningrad Region on 22 April. Kaliningrad is the seventh region where Tele2 Russia subscribers are offered high speed mobile internet/data services; Tele2 launched 3G in November 2014 in St. Petersburg, before expanding the network to Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Tambov and Nizhniy Novgorod, whilst in December 2014 the cellco launched its first 4G LTE network section in Tula. Tele2 Russia also offers 2G services in 60 Russian regions.

Roman Volodin, COO at Tele2 Russia, explained the current strategy: ‘The Tele2 policy is to provide services that are really in high demand. According to the forecasts, the 3G standard will remain the most massive technology of high speed wireless internet. The number of devices supporting 3G on the Tele2 network accounts for 33% of the overall number of devices. At the same time, around 40% of Tele2 subscribers constantly use mobile internet.’