Mobile operator

Tasks of the operator include obtaining allowing documents for use of radio frequencies and provision of services, creation of own cellular network and its subsequent operation, development of terms of service, collecting of a service fee, providing technical support. Besides, there is also a number of unevident tasks: marketing efforts for promotion of services in the market, development of the strategic plan of development of network, technology improvement of infrastructure. Many operators also perform trade in cell phones, sale of digital content for phones, provide Internet access through the network.

Process of education of the cellular operator in the country usually begins with obtaining the license on defined radio frequencies at the government. Frequency range, permission for whom needs to be got, depends on type of network which is going to be developed. The operator can provide access in several cellular standards (as, for example, Russian VimpelCom: GSM and DAMPS (in the past), American Verizon: GSM CDMA ¿).

Regulatory state agencies distribute frequency range on the scheme determined by them including using the tender. For example, recent distributions of licenses on 3G in Europe took place in a form of an auction and frequency got made the greatest offers. As a rule, the number of permissions to a certain territory is limited (e.g. in Moscow the number of GSM operators was limited by three) to provide the competition, but to avoid spraying of the capital on too small companies incapable of creation of modern and reliable infrastructure.

Cellular operators in Russia

In the Russian Federation several dozens of operators at the moment act. Three of them (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon) in total occupy 85% of the market, have the status federal and call them "the big three". All of them work in the GSM standard.

The largest federal cellular operators:

• More mobile than Telesistema — MTS
• Beeline — VimpelCom
• MegaFon
• Svyazinvest

Independent cellular operators:

• TELE2 Russia
• Uralsvyazinform — U-Tel
• Sibirtelecom
• SMARTS
• The Nizhny Novgorod Cellular Communication — VolgaTelecom
• Yekaterinburg-2000 is MOTIV
• The new telephone company — NTK
• Sky Link
• CenterTelecom
• Dalsvyaz
• Satel of CoB