18 November 2008, Leatherhead, UK; Mobile Asia Congress, Macau; Moscow, Russia - GTEL- Mobile, Vietnam’s newest GSM operator, backed by Russia’s VimpelCom, has signed a deal with independent network planning and optimisation consultancy AIRCOM International, that allow GTEL-Mobile to meet its ambitious rollout plans.

GTEL-Mobile has awarded the contract to AIRCOM after a competitive tender.  It will see AIRCOM provide network management services for the Phase 1 of GSM network rollout, including technical support for site acquisition activities, radio network planning and modeling, and associated training services. 

Commenting on the news Alexey Blyumin, Chief Executive Officer at GTEL-Mobile said, “As the newest operator in this highly competitive market, we need to focus all our efforts on a rapid and efficient rollout to ensure we build strong customer relationships from the first day of commercial service.  We will leverage AIRCOM’s worldwide expertise in mobile networks planning and the organisation’s experience.

 “Vietnam is an incredibly vibrant market and we are delighted to be working closely with GTEL-Mobile to help achieve their business objectives,” said Nick Brown, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at AIRCOM International.  “Our range of services is designed to help mobile operators make the most efficient use of the both their capital and operational expenditure. Working with GTEL-Mobile from the beginning of their network design is a terrific opportunity to ensure the new network is designed to maximise return on investment from day one.”

GTEL-Mobile is scheduled to launch commercial GSM services at 1800 Mhz in the first half of next year.