Moscow, Russian Federation – Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS” – NYSE: MBT), the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS, receives the highest grade in the National Purchases Transparency Rating, an annual rating organized by the National Association of Electronic Trade Participants and supported by the Federal Antitrust Agency and State Duma Counter Corruption Commission.

The purpose of the rating is to evaluate the level of transparency and efficiency of the purchasing process of state, municipal, and corporate structures in Russia. This year 100 largest public companies were evaluated as part of the Corporate Purchasers rating. MTS has become one of the seven companies to receive the highest grade – “++ Guaranteed Transparency” – and is the only mobile operator among the rating’s leaders.

“Transparency of purchasing processes at all stages, from planning to control over execution, provides for optimal efficiency of MTS’ purchases – open tenders increase the quality of suppliers’ choice, strict regulation of procedures speeds up the processes, step by step control rules out any possibility of abuse. Ultimately, transparency helps to further strengthen the relationships with our shareholders, clients and partners, thus increasing the investment attractiveness of the Company and providing for a competitive edge in domestic and international markets,” commented Viktor Stankevich, Director for External Resources Control and Management of MTS Group.

Additional information and a full research report can be found at the National Purchases Transparency Rating website https://www.nrpz.ru/RP_07.pdf (Russian language version only, PDF, 16 Mb).