Moscow, Russian Federation - Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS”; NYSE: MBT), the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS, announces that Aleksander Popovskiy, Head of Business Unit “MTS Russia”, has joined the GSMA Board, the organisation which represents the worldwide mobile industry. MTS has held a seat on the GSMA Board since 2008 and has been represented by Mr. Mikhail Shamolin, President and CEO of MTS.

In addition to Mr. Popovskiy, the GSMA's Board includes new Chairman Franco Bernabč, CEO of Telecom Italia, Deputy Chairman Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of Telenor Group, Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA, and representatives from América Móvil, AT&T Mobility, Axiata Group Berhad, Bharti Airtel Ltd., China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom-Orange, Hutchison Whampoa Europe, KT Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, Orascom Telecom, Qtel, SK Telecom, Smart Communications, SoftBank Mobile, Tata Teleservices Limited, Telefónica, Telekom Austria Group, Verizon, VimpelCom and Vodafone.

Commenting on his appointment Mr. Popovskiy said: “It is a great honor to join the board of this prestigious association. I look forward to working with the leading industry professionals in shaping the future of mobile communications.”

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.