MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti commentator Peter Lavelle) - Russia's wireless companies signed up 600,000 cellular subscribers in October, with SIM-card penetration reaching 79.7%, including 129.7% in Moscow and 113.1% in St. Petersburg. Forecasts for year-end expect 89% country penetration.
Market leader Vimpelcom has performed poorly in Moscow, where its share of net new subscribers stood at just 13.7% vs. 59.9% for Mobile TeleSystems (MTS). Vimpelcom has trailed MTS in Moscow this year (28.4% compared with 47% for MTS).
Vimpelcom's October numbers are particularly poor compared its main rival. MTS and Vimpelcom take turns to lead in number of net new subscribers and over longer periods they are roughly equal.
MTS was also slightly ahead in the regions, where it took 34.5% of net new subscribers compared with 33.8% for Vimpelcom. This is partially attributed to Vimpelcom's lack of coverage in the Far East.
