MTS Increases its Position in the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2014 Ranking and Remains Among the Top-10 Leading Telecom Brands in the World

MOSCOW, May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC ("MTS" or "the Company" -NYSE: MBT), the leading telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS, today announced that its brand has been included in the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2014 ranking for the seventh consecutive year. The valuation study was conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, experts in the economics of branding and financial valuations, and shows that MTS increased its brand value by 14.5% to reach $12.18 billion this past year.  

MTS is the only Russian telecommunications brand included in the BrandZ™ 2014 ranking and placed ninth among the Top 10 leading telecommunications brands in the world. MTS increased its position by 2 places relative to last year and now ranks #80 overall among the top 100 global brands.

"MTS outperformed average indicators of telecommunications companies in the rankings as the growth rate for its brand exceeded the average by 11 times. This convincing growth is a result of the Company's brand development not only in the telecom sector, where MTS is a leader in voice, mobile Internet, pay-tv and broadband, but also in other sectors. MTS has become an active player in the financial service market and strengthened its mobile retail network. MTS's extension to complementary lines of business beyond the telecommunications sector and expansion of services has had a positive impact on its brand value growth," remarked the Vice President of Millward Brown Optimor for the Eurasia region, Anastasia Kurovskaya.

"MTS develops unique products and services designed to popularize innovative digital technologies for everyday life. As the leader in mobile Internet access through the sale of budget-friendly smartphones, MTS has created opportunities for millions of people to access work, entertainment, commerce and even philanthropy through its high-speed networks," commented Vasyl Latsanych, Vice President of Marketing, for MTS. "This brings significant benefits to the company. In FY2013, MTS demonstrated record revenue growth of 49% year-over-year in mobile Internet services, while strengthening its leadership in the communication sector and related segments."

In 2008, MTS was the first Russian company to enter the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking with an initial brand value estimated at $8.1 billion.  MTS remains only one of two Russia-based brands to be included in the BrandZ™ Top 100.

BrandZ™ calculates a brand's strength by measuring the emotional loyalty it creates and is the only brand valuation methodology that uses as part of the valuation process consumer data which now covers two million plus consumers and more than 50,000 brands in over 30 countries.

Detailed information about BRANDZ™ can be found on its website http://www.brandz.com

Learn more about MTS. Visit the official blog of the Investor Relations Department at http://www.mtsgsm.com/blog/

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Mobile TeleSystems OJSC ("MTS") is the leading telecommunications group in Russia, Сentral and Eastern Europe, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband and pay TV in one of the world's fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 100 million mobile subscribers. The Group has been awarded GSM licenses in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Belarus, a region that boasts a total population of more than 200 million. Since June 2000, MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at http://www.mtsgsm.com.

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Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of MTS, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might," and the negative of such terms or other similar expressions.  We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not undertake or intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We refer you to the documents MTS files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the Company's most recent Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the severity and duration of current economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets; the impact of Russian, U.S. and other foreign government programs to restore liquidity and stimulate national and global economies, our ability to maintain our current credit rating and the impact on our funding costs and competitive position if we do not do so, strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions and our success in integrating acquired businesses, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, our competitive environment, dependence on new service development and tariff structures, rapid technological and market change, acquisition strategy, risks associated with telecommunications infrastructure, governmental regulation of the telecommunications industries and other risks associated with operating in Russia and the CIS, volatility of stock price, financial risk management and future growth subject to risks.

For further information, please contact in Moscow:

Joshua B. Tulgan
Director, Department of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations
Mobile TeleSystems OJSC
Tel: +7-495-223-2025
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Mobile TeleSystems (MTS)

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