Russia's VimpelCom Selects Intec Interconnect v7 for Long-Distance and International Telephony Billing in $1M Deal

Business Wire, April 4, 2007

ATLANTA & LONDON -- Intec, a global provider of business and operations support systems (BSS/OSS), announced today that leading Russian telecom operator, VimpelCom, has selected Intec Interconnect v7 to manage intercarrier billing for its fast-growing long-distance and international business. The Russian market for long-distance and international telephony was deregulated in 2006, with new licenses awarded to a number of carriers, including VimpelCom. As a long-established Intec customer, it was natural for VimpelCom to look to the latest generation of the world's most widely installed intercarrier billing and settlements system for its international and long distance traffic.

"We chose Intec Interconnect v7 as a result of our strong relationship with Intec on inter-carrier billing, the track record that Intec Interconnect has built in our domestic business, and because Intec has shown long-term commitment to the Russian market," said Evgeny Saburov, head of inter-carrier traffic and billing at VimpelCom.

The agreement with VimpelCom, which includes Intec Interconnect v7 software licenses and implementation services, is worth in excess of $1 million. VimpelCom, which serves over 53 million customers across Russia, is an existing user of both Intec Interconnect and Intec Trading & Routing in its high-volume domestic business. The implementation of Intec Interconnect v7 at VimpelCom will be managed from Intec's recently opened Moscow office.

"The deregulation of Russia's telecom market and the country's burgeoning economy means that traffic levels are rising rapidly," said Olga Speakes, Intec's business development director for Russia, Ukraine and the CIS. "With the new operators now entering the market a high performance billing system is an absolute necessity for maximizing revenue opportunities from domestic, long distance and international interconnect traffic."

"This further win with VimpelCom highlights our strong position in high-growth markets like Russia," added Intec Chairman John Hughes. "Deregulation is still a major force in the international communications market, and many regions are seeing the arrival of new carriers, with consequent ongoing demand for new systems."

Intec Interconnect is the world's most comprehensive and powerful settlements system, handling every kind of traffic, from simple voice to the most advanced content and data services, in a single, highly integrated, platform. Intec Interconnect is an out-of-the-box system that supports all billing and settlement models from voice, data, SMS/MMS interconnection, and international route-based tariffs (ITU), to new IP and revenue sharing based agreements with multimedia, content, VoIP, WLAN and m-commerce partners. It combines experience with leading-edge component-based technology to give unprecedented performance, scalability, interoperability and reliability. It is currently in use by over 250 carriers across the world, including 50 Tier-1 carriers.

About VimpelCom

The VimpelCom Group (NYSE: VIP) includes cellular companies operating in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and recently acquired companies in Georgia and Armenia. The VimpelCom Group's license portfolio covers approximately 240 million people. Geographically it covers 78 regions of Russia with 136.5 million people, representing 94% of Russia's population as well as the entire territories of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia.

VimpelCom was the first Russian company to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in November 1996. Its ADSs (American Depositary Shares) are traded under the symbol "VIP."

About Intec

Intec supplies solutions to over 60 of the world's top 100 telecoms carriers and is one of the world's fastest growing major BSS/OSS (business and operations support systems) vendors. Intec works closely with its 400 customers to provide the highest standards of performance, flexibility and robustness to help carriers service their customers effectively and profitably using Intec's comprehensive and expanding range of products, solutions and services.

Founded in 1997, Intec is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ITL.L) and has over 1,700 staff and 31 offices in 25 countries. For more information, visit the Intec website at www.intecbilling.com.