Press release
Tele2 Group
Feb 23 2006, 9:30 AM CET
TELE2 INCREASES ITS HOLDING IN FIVE RUSSIAN OPERATIONS
Tele2 AB, Europe's leading alternative telecoms operator, today announced that, in line with its long-term strategy for Russia, it has increased its holding in five of its Russian operations. After these transactions, 11 of Tele2's 14 regional Russian operations are now wholly-owned by Tele2.
Tele2 has acquired the below stakes from Center Telecom, North West Telecom and Sibir Telecom, all of which are subsidiaries of Svayzinvest:
| Company | Region | Acquired stake | Tele2's ownership prior to /post acquisition | Tele2's status in the region |
| Belgorod Cellular Communications | Belgorod | 35% | 65% / 100% | GSM network operation since April 2004 |
| Smolensk Cellular Communications | Smolensk | 40% | 60% / 100% | GSM network operation since September 2003 |
| Lipetsk Mobile | Lipetsk | 5.9% | 94,1% / 100% | GSM network deployment |
| Oblcom | St Petersburg | 2.76% | 97.24% / 100% | GSM network operation since July 2003 |
| Siberian Cellular Communications | Omsk | 10% | 60% / 70% | GSM network operation since August 2003 |
Tele2's costs for the above-mentioned acquisitions are non significant.
CONTACTS
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, Telephone: + 46 8 5626 4000
President and CEO, Tele2 AB
Håkan Zadler, Telephone: +46 8 5626 4000
CFO, Tele2 AB
Dwayne Taylor, Telephone: + 44 20 7321 5038
Lena Krauss, Telephone: + 46 8 5620 0045
Investor enquiries
Visit our web site at www.tele2.com
Tele2 is Europe's leading alternative telecom operator. Tele2's mission is to provide cheap and simple telecom for everyone in Europe. Tele2 always strives to offer the market's best prices. We have more than 30 million customers in 23 countries. Tele2 offers fixed and mobile telephony, broadband, data network services, cable TV and content services. Ever since Jan Stenbeck founded the company in 1993, it has been a tough challenger to the former government monopolies. Tele2 has been listed on Stockholmsbörsen since 1996. In 2005 we had operating revenue of SEK 50 billion and reported a profit (EBITDA) of SEK 6.6 billion.