BeST: Turkcell aims for 30%-plus market share by 2010

Mobile network operator Belarusian Telecommunications Network (BeST), which is now majority-owned by Turkey’s Turkcell, is looking to increase its share of the domestic mobile market to around 33% after 2009, as it looks to close the gap on larger rivals MTS Belarus and Mobile Digital Communications (Velcom). In July this year Turkcell agreed to buy an 80% stake in BeST from the State Committee on Property of the Republic of Belarus for USD500 million, plus a further payment of USD100 million when BeST records its first full-year profit. Turkcell also agreed to invest USD500 million in the company’s development over the next ten years. BeST currently has around 200,000 customers, a market share of less than 5%.