Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- KPMG has been recognized as the winner of an international tender to attract a consultant for the privatization of Universal Mobile System LLC (mobile operator Mobiuz), the State Assets Management Agency said in a statement.

It should be noted that the Government of Uzbekistan plans to privatize 100% of the state share in the authorized capital of Universal Mobile System.

Some 10 local and international professional consulting companies took part in this international tender.

Professional consulting companies are selected on the basis of their experience in M&A projects in the field of telecommunications, qualifications, approach to the implementation of tasks and price offer.

According to the results of the international tender, the international consulting company KPMG was recognized as the winner.

The State Assets Agency, together with the international company KPMG, will take all necessary measures to ensure transparent and successful implementation of this project based on the principles of competition, including telecommunications market analysis, market sounding, and comprehensive financial, tax, legal and technical analysis (due diligence) of the Asset, as well as the adoption of appropriate measures to increase the investment attractiveness of the Asset.

Based on the results of the initial analysis of the asset and the proposals of the consultant on the organization of the sale process, a call for proposals and a deadline for expressing interest will be announced shortly.

Universal Mobile System is a company that occupies a significant share in the domestic telecommunications market and provides modern mobile voice and mobile Internet services under the Mobiuz brand.

By the end of 2021, the number of UMS customers amounted to 6.6 million, the share of the mobile services market was about 20 percent, revenue - 1.1 trillion soums, net assets - 1.4 trillion soums and net profit - 97 billion soums.

This project is expected to be the first privatization process of a state-owned mobile communications company based on a competitive environment in Uzbekistan's privatization history.