Unitel, subsidiary of Russia’s VimpelCom in Uzbekistan, received a license to construct, exploit and render services in IMT–2000/UMTS standard (3G) in Uzbekistan, a press service of the company said.

Unitel is the second largest mobile operator of Uzbekistan in terms of the number of subscribers. It renders services under Beeline trademark.

Evgeniy Ruban, director-general of Unitel, said the company can develop advance technology thanks to new license. The launch of 3G network in Uzbekistan will significantly expand number of clients and provide modern mobile communication services.

3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Typically, they provide service at 5-10 Mb per second.

Unitel became the third company in Uzbekistan, which possesses 3G license. Earlier, MTS-Uzbekistan, largest Uzbek mobile operator, and unnamed firm received 3G licenses from the Uzbek communication authorities.