Our History

2010

  • The creation of VimpelCom Ltd. is finished

2009

  • Telenor and Altimo announce their agreement to combine their assets in Kyivstar and VimpelCom into a new Bermuda-registered company VimpelCom Ltd headquartered in the Netherland
  • VimpelCom starts commercial operations in Cambodia
  • VimpelCom introduces Beeline brand in Vietnam
  • VimpelCom acuires mobile licence in Laos
Beeline launched in Vietnam

2008

  • Integrated Internet services provider Golden Telecom and VimpelCom finalise merger. Telenor increases its stake in VimpelCom to 33.6 per cent of common and 29.9 per cent of voting shares
  • VimpelCom signs an agreement to launch GSM services in Vietnam
  • VimpelCom acquires a 90 per cent stake in Sotelco, a Cambodian GSM licence holder

2007

  • Telenor investment in Russia's telecom sector reaches USD 1.2 billion
  • Golden Telecom buys 51 per cent of Russian operator Corbina Telecom. The acquisition brings the Telenor stake in Golden Telecom down to 18.4 per cent

2006

  • Telenor signs a total return equity swap agreement with ING Bank for 3.5 per cent of VimpelCom equity. The swap agreement gives Telenor economic exposure to VimpelCom’s ADRs, but no ownership rights

2003

  • Telenor exchanges its 100 per cent stake in the Comincom/Combellga telecom operator for a 19.5 per cent stake in Golden Telecom
  • Telenor increases its stake in Golden Telecom to 20.4 per cent by buying shares on the open market
Golden Telecom

2002

  • Telenor invests USD 58.5 million in VimpelCom-Region
  • Telenor sells its 49 per cent stake in regional mobile operator Extel GSM to VimpelCom

2001

  • Telenor buys newly-issued VimpelCom shares worth USD 26 million
  • Telenor sells its 12.74 per cent stake in NorthWest GSM to Sweden’s TeliaSonera

2000

  • Telenor acquires a 75 per cent stake in Comincom for USD120 million

1999

  • Telenor buys new VimpelCom shares worth USD 52 million
  • 50 per cent of KolaTelecom in Russia’s Far North sold to Murmansk Electrosvyaz

1998

  • Telenor makes its first investment in VimpelCom, acquiring a 30 per cent stake for USD 162 million
First investment in VimpelCom

1997

  • Telenor buys 49 per cent of StavTeleSot and Extel GSM respectively

1996

  • Telenor opens its first Russian representative office in St. Petersburg

1994

  • Telenor acquires 12.74 per cent of NorthWest GSM, which is later to become part of Russia’s third-largest mobile operator MegaFon

1992

  • Telenor makes its first investment in the Russian telecom sector, acquiring 50 per cent of corporate communications network operator KolaTelecom, in Murmansk