Who is the owner of Beeline: the history of the creation and development of the corporation, logo and slogan

Beeline - brand history

Creation of the BeeLine brand

In the summer of 1993, it was decided to create the BeeLine trademark.
On August 6, 1993, the first advertisement using this trademark appeared on the streets of Moscow. In October 1993, at a reception at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the BeeLine network was officially announced. During the same period, AFK Sistema acquired a controlling stake in VimpelCom. Georgy Vasiliev becomes the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

On June 1-2, 1994, an act of acceptance of the system for operation of a new network for 10,000 subscribers was signed. The official start of commercial activities under the BeeLine trademark.

In 2005, the company was rebranded, changing the brand name to “Beeline”.

In 2010, the company adopted an updated corporate anthem, the author of the words was Oraz Abdurazakov.

Entering the mass market

October 18, 1999 - a new stage in the development of the mass market: the launch of the “box”. For the first time in the history of cellular communications in Russia, a set of a DAMPS phone and a payment card with a nominal value of $10 could be purchased for $49.

At the end of 1999, VimpelCom became the leader of the Moscow cellular market, serving 352 thousand subscribers and having a market share of 47%. In March 2001, the Bee Line network began to operate underground in the metro: at the Tagansky hub of the Moscow metro (Taganskaya-circular, Taganskaya-radial and Marksistskaya stations).

In May 2001, he became one of the shareholders of VimpelCom JSC. Dmitry Zimin leaves the post of general director and becomes honorary president of OJSC VimpelCom. Joe Lunder takes over as CEO. The company's board of directors included representatives of Alpha - Mikhail Fridman himself, Gleb Fetisov, Stanislav Sheksnya.

In June 2001, VimpelCom was the first among Russian companies to launch pilot commercial operation of data transmission via a cellular network - a full-scale GPRS network and the first GPRS roaming in Russia. From now on, you can not only make calls using your Bee Line phone, but also access the Internet at low speed. A universal bill payment system, BeePay, appears. In May 2002, MMS technology was launched in the Bee Line GSM network for the first time in Russia.

In October 2003, Alexander Izosimov became CEO, Joe Lunder was appointed chairman of the board of directors.

In August 2004, Bee Line GSM was the first Russian cellular GSM operator to test and then launch (in December) EDGE technology in the Vologda region.

Launch of 4G/LTE

In 2010, LTE technology was demonstrated for the first time. VimpelCom was the first to launch a partnership program for sharing 4G/LTE networks, becoming a pioneer in infrastructure and frequency RAN-sharing:

In 2014, VimpelCom entered into an agreement with MTS on the joint construction and operation of LTE networks in 36 regions of Russia.

In 2021, a joint RAN-sharing program was launched with MegaFon PJSC, within the framework of which more than 1,300 LTE base stations were built in 10 regions of Russia.

In 2021, Beeline is increasing the number of 4G base stations. Thus, in the Moscow region their number was increased by 1.5 times, which made it possible to increase the total capacity of the LTE network by 50%. In February, it launches a 4G network in Kurgan and Shadrinsk.

5G technology

VimpelCom PJSC and Huawei sign agreements to jointly study and test technologies underlying 5G networks.

Mergers and acquisitions

• At the end of October 2006, information appeared in the press that VimpelCom was negotiating the purchase of the largest cellular operator in Kyrgyzstan - (Sky Mobile). The transaction amount could range from $400 to $500 million. At the same time, Sky Mobile itself in the summer of 2006 received all the assets of the largest mobile operator in Kyrgyzstan at that time - (Bitel). The progress of the transaction for VimpelCom is complicated by the fact that the right to own Bitel is being disputed by other Russian companies and MTS.

• On December 21, 2007, the purchase of 100% of the shares of the operator Golden Telecom for $4.3 billion was officially announced.

Striped Operator

In April 2005, the company carried out a rebranding, which was marked not only by a new visual design of the company. The operator’s lineup includes the first tariff package with prices in rubles, “Simply put,” and one of the company’s most popular offers today, “Welcome.”

A year later, a new striped brand appears outside of Russia. Networks are being launched in Ukraine, Georgia, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Uzbekistan. The new development strategy has brought results. In 2009, the company entered the top ten most valuable brands in the world. A year later, the Russian owner of the company resolved a long-standing dispute with its main shareholder, the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor. The cause of many years of disagreement was the Ukrainian operator Kyivstar, controlled by the Norwegians. As a result, the company became part of the united company VimpelCom and simultaneously merged with the Ukrainian Beeline. This event was named by experts as the deal of 2010. However, in its homeland the company suffered another defeat this year, becoming the third operator in Russia, losing second place to MegaFon. The reason for this was MegaFon’s aggressive tariff policy based on dumping, and MegaFon’s wide network of retail sales points. 3G services for Beeline subscribers became available in 2008, and in the spring of 2013 a fourth generation network appeared in the capital. Already in the fall, the operator begins wide expansion of high-speed Internet in the regions. We would like to add that the first call via VoLTE was made in Russia on the operator’s network in 2015. An important stage in development was the launch of broadband Internet by Beeline in 2011. Currently, more than two million subscribers in more than a hundred Russian cities use home Internet from the company.

However, the operator did not limit itself to simply launching services for the home, and in 2021 the first converged “All in One” offer appeared on the market. Its essence is that using the operator’s cell number you could get home tariffs for one ruble, and now it’s completely free. The first converged offering surpassed one million users in October this year.

Notes

1. Dzyadko, Timofey.
   [www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article/260766 “We do everything softly and quietly,” - Igor Litovchenko, President of Kyivstar]. // Vedomosti, 05.25.2011, No. 93 (2859). Retrieved May 25, 2011. [www.webcitation.org/67DkqHW21 Archived from the original on April 27, 2012].
2. [press.beeline.ru/releases/index.wbp?id=c10ddaad-621d-4d8b-b313-5a0e94cd3118&yr=2005&m=3&mode=ymd On April 4, Bee Line will part with GSM] (Russian), Beeline (March 17, 2005 ). Retrieved November 26, 2015. “On April 4, consumers will see the new corporate identity and get acquainted with the new concept of the Beeline brand.”
3. [press.beeline.ru/releases/index.wbp?id=a169be13-df88-45ec-93d0-fc056950f5b7&yr=2014&m=2&mode=ymd Beeline launches a new client strategy and announces a new policy for monitoring the provision of services by content providers] (Russian), Beeline (February 19, 2014). Retrieved November 26, 2015.
4. [interbrand.com/images/studies/Best_Russian_Brands_2008.pdf 40 most expensive brands in Russia according to Interbrand]
5. [www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article.shtml?2009/04/28/193323 Mikhail Overchenko, Elena Vinogradova
   . More expensive than oil] // Vedomosti, No. 76 (2346), April 28, 2009
6. ↑ 12
   [kommersant.ru/doc/1634482 Beeline exchanged a hundred]

What is VimpelCom

OJSC VimpelCom is a Russian company that offers the population cellular communications and cable TV services. It has been on this market for about ten years. Recently, Vympel Communications has been actively developing the Internet connection sector.

The company conducts all its activities under the Beeline brand, and it is already a well-known brand, especially in the CIS countries.

Holding owner

, which owns the Beeline brand, is part of the VEON group of companies, which is its owner. VEON Holdings BV (Netherlands) owns 99.9% of the holding's shares. In turn, VEON Holdings BV is indirectly owned by VEON Ltd. (Bermuda), whose chairman of the board of directors is Muhterem Kaan Tercioglu.

Rice. 1. Beeline owner

The final owners of the business are revealed on the official websites of international corporations:

• 47.85% is the share of LetterOne, an investment corporation whose founders are: Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, Andrey Kosogov, Alexey Kuzmichev, German Khan.
  The most significant person for the LetterOne investment corporation is its co-founder Mikhail Maratovich Fridman. In addition to his share in LetterOne, he is also a co-founder of the Alfa Group consortium (commercial Alfa Bank, Alfa Insurance and one of the country's largest retailers X5 Retail Group, Rosvodokanal Group of Companies). The entrepreneur is in 7th place among the richest businessmen in Russia in 2021 according to the Forbes rating.
• 14.6% – share of the Norwegian company Telenor.
• 8.3% – Dutch fund Stichting.
• 29.2% of shares in free float on the stock market.

Cost in other countries

Here are the prices for other countries in which this service is available.

Find out in which other countries the service is available: Here

Presence outside Russia

VimpelCom provides cellular communication services in 6 CIS countries.

Kazakhstan

In August 2004, VimpelCom acquired the second largest cellular operator in Kazakhstan, KaR-Tel LLP. The transaction amount was $350 million, in addition, VimpelCom assumed the debt obligations of KaR-Tel in the amount of about $75 million. On April 26, 2005, the Beeline brand was officially launched in Kazakhstan.

As of February 7, 2007, KaR-Tel's subscriber base reached 4 million people.

Until July 2007, KaR-Tel LLP also provided services under the K-Mobile and Excess brands.

Ukraine

On November 11, 2005, VimpelCom signed an agreement to purchase 100% of Ukrainian Radio Systems CJSC. The transaction amount was $231 million. The Norwegian shareholder of VimpelCom, Telenor, planned to enter the Ukrainian market through another cellular operator, Kyivstar, as Ukrainian Radio Systems, but at the moment they were not satisfied.

On April 11, 2006, the official launch of the Beeline brand took place, under which VimpelCom began providing mobile communication services in Ukraine. As of August 2007, the subscriber base of the Beeline operator in Ukraine amounted to more than 2.8 million subscribers.

Tajikistan

On December 29, 2005, VimpelCom announced the acquisition of a 60% stake in Tacom LLC, a mobile operator in Tajikistan, for $12 million. Takom holds licenses to provide cellular communication services in Tajikistan in the UMTS, CDMA-450 and IP telephony standards.

On September 11, 2006, it began providing cellular communication services in Tajikistan under the Beeline brand. As of the end of January 2007, the number of Beeline subscribers in Tajikistan reached 100 thousand.

In March 2007, VimpelCom launched a 3.5G network into commercial operation in Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

On January 18, 2006, VimpelCom completed the acquisition of 100% of the stake in Bakri Uzbekistan Telecom LLC (Buztel), the fourth largest cellular operator in Uzbekistan. The transaction amount was $60 million. Previously, Buztel belonged to the company. In addition, on February 9, 2006, VimpelCom announced the completion of the transaction to acquire the second largest cellular operator in Uzbekistan, Unitel LLC. On July 21, 2006, the merger of Buztel LLC was officially announced.

September 12, 2006 “Uzbekistan by the beginning of February 2007 amounted to 901 thousand subscribers.

Georgia

On July 12, 2006, VimpelCom announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in a mobile operator company in Georgia owned by GMC Group for $12.6 million. VimpelCom also acquired an option from GMC Group to purchase the remaining 49% of the shares. Then Alcatel to build a new communication network. As part of this project, a new GPRS/third generation network will be deployed throughout Georgia.

In December 2006, VimpelCom began technical operation of the Georgian network. The capacity of the launched network is designed for 300 thousand subscribers with the possibility of expansion to 1 million subscribers. On March 15, 2007, the network was launched into commercial operation. At the first stage, they became available in Tbilisi and Rustavi, but by the end of 2007 the company plans to provide coverage in all regional centers, and by the end of 2008, according to the license, it should cover the whole of Georgia.

Unlimited Internet "Beeline" in roaming

“Unlimited Internet” is a thematic option from a mobile operator with a fixed subscription fee and unlimited access to the Internet. Operates on the territory of 100 states. The option is activated automatically when accessing the network (the type of source is unimportant - instant messengers, social networks, email - when downloading a couple of kilobytes, 350 rubles are debited from the account).

Beeline company: high technology and youthful spirit

Manufacturers of gadgets The Beeline brand is the property of a well-known company, under which the latter provide telecommunications services to the population. In addition, for some time now mobile devices have been produced under this brand. The Beeline company actually appeared in the summer of 1993, when VimpelCom Ltd. started using the corresponding brand. Initially, it began providing fixed and cellular communications services to the population. In addition, the company offered its clients access to the World Wide Web at high speed and IPTV.

Fun fact: As of 2014, it provides a free Wikipedia connection.

Of course, the history of the brand would be incomplete without the history of the parent organization VimpelCom, based in the Russian capital. It was founded in 1992, and seventeen years later it became part of a group of international importance. The number of its subscribers (as of winter 2014) exceeded two hundred and twenty million people. The founder of the Vimpelcom organization is considered to be domestic businessman Dmitry Zimin, also a famous radio engineer, public figure and philanthropist. Dima was born in the Russian capital in the summer of 1922. As a teenager, I became interested in radio engineering, and even wrote a book together with my physics teacher. At the end of the 50s he graduated from the institute and began working as an engineer in a laboratory. In the first half of the 60s, he was invited to work at a closed research institution. Soon Dima became a laureate of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. In general, it should be noted that for more than three decades he held leadership positions at the same research university where he worked since the early 60s. In 1984 he also defended his doctoral dissertation.

In the early 90s, Dmitry, together with his fellow engineers, was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation. In the spring of 1991, he registered a small enterprise, the first development of which was a satellite TV system, released into mass production. Unfortunately, it brought virtually no income to the entrepreneur. The cable television system, which was released second, was more successful commercially. Also in 1991, Dmitry assembled a special group of engineers to develop cellular communications. The partner of this group was a group from the USA, owned by Augie Fabela II. The following year, JSC VimpelCom appeared. Already in the second half of spring 2001, the number of subscribers of this company exceeded one million people. Augie was born in Chicago in the 60s. From the age of thirteen, he plunged into the world of engineering business, starting to work for his own father. After graduating from high school, he entered the university, where he graduated with two diplomas (master's and bachelor's) from different faculties after just four years. After that, he worked for some time in Tokyo and returned to the USA, where he founded his own business. Over the next few years, he started and led several successful businesses.

Augie first visited Russia in 1991, at the invitation of Russian defense contractor MAK Vimpel (at that time the country was still known as the Soviet Union). It was then that he saw the significant potential for wireless communications, and also met his future partner in Dr. Zimin. Inspired by the desire to do what everyone around them said could not be done, Augie and Dmitry decided to bring their vision of wireless communications to Russia. A young American entrepreneur, who was only 25 years old and did not even speak Russian, and a 63-year-old Russian scientist who did not speak English were determined to found an independent company with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. The result was the creation of VimpelCom in 1992. Already in 1993, the first commercial network was launched with five base stations in Moscow. At the end of the same year, Mr. Fabela created the Beeline company and the corresponding brand. The new brand received a cheerful and youthful image rather than a strict technical one. In the early years, Augie devoted himself entirely to the development of VimpelCom, taking the position of chief operating officer. His experience in marketing, finance and customer service played a major role in the company's early success. The organization focused on transparency, strong corporate governance, quality and innovation.

In 2002, at the age of 36, Mr. Fabela was named chairman emeritus of the company (after his resignation from this post). However, he remained a valuable advisor to management, and his vision continued to define the innovative spirit of the organization. Augie's legacy of excellence is reflected in the work and accomplishments of tens of thousands of dedicated (and highly loyal) executives, managers, employees and partners, and has played a significant role in building a world-class company serving millions of subscribers around the world. Between 1992 and 2014, the Beeline trademark managed to change five logos. Previously, it included a stylized bee, after which only the black and yellow color scheme remained as a reminder of it. Since 2009, the brand has also been the most expensive trademark in the Russian Federation. In addition, it was also included in the Top 100 most valuable brands in the world. The company dropped out of this list only in 2011, giving way to MTS. In addition to cellular communications, the Beeline brand provides mobile and home Internet services, as well as television. In addition, the company is known as a manufacturer of mobile devices. For example, a well-known brand phone is the A105 model. This is a dark gray candy bar with rounded edges and a color screen that works in 2G networks. The company offers to purchase it for only 500 rubles. Despite the fact that the phone was released under the Beeline brand, its real manufacturer was TCT Mobile.

It turned out to be a simple cellular device without a built-in camera, which could not be used to access the Internet or synchronize with a personal computer. The phone only supported the GSM standard. His address book could contain no more than a hundred contacts. A special feature of the device was that it allowed its owner to set up a so-called “black” list. If desired, it was also possible to roll back to factory settings. The A106 phone also had a candy bar design with rounded edges, and was made in a dark gray color scheme. Its cost was 490 rubles. It was also a 2G device with a color screen. The manufacturer equipped it with a voice recorder and player. In addition, he offered a one-year warranty on it. Like its predecessor, the phone did not support synchronization with a home computer, and also did not have a built-in camera. However, this time its owner could access the Internet using the default access point registered in the device. This time the phone manufacturer was Shenzhen Fortune Ship Technology Ltd. The device supported GSM and GPRS networks. If desired, the user could also set up a “black” list. Other well-known phone models were the C100 and the budget device C201 with a bright 2-inch display, designed to work in 2G and 3G networks. Beeline also produces smartphones. For example, the Smart2 model has become a budget “smart” mobile device that supports the 3G standard. It ran Android OS and was offered at a price of more than 2,600 rubles. Its predecessor was the Smart model. Following the first two, the Smart3 Black smartphone appeared. It turned out to be a practical and stylish gadget on the Android platform with a 4-inch capacitive touch screen and a dual-core MediaTek processor with a frequency of 1.3 gigahertz. Using such a smartphone, you could watch movies and listen to music, read e-books, use a navigator, the Internet, and so on.

The device supported a traditional SIM card. The touch screen resolution turned out to be 480 x 800 pixels. The amount of RAM was 512 megabytes, and the amount of internal memory was 4 gigabytes. If desired, the user could also expand the capacity of the latter by installing a memory card up to 32 gigabytes. The device was equipped with a 3.2 megapixel rear camera with flash and a front camera for video calls. It supported Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi. There was also a multimedia player and radio. The body of the mobile device was made of black plastic. The weight of the smartphone was one hundred twenty-two grams. The mobile device had a battery with a capacity of 1400 mAh. It was capable of operating for two hundred hours in standby mode. In addition, the user could talk for eight hours without additional recharging. This smartphone cost just under 4,300 rubles. The Pro model turned out to be a 4G smartphone, also made of black plastic. It was offered at a price of just under 6,500 rubles. Like its predecessors, the model received a bright touch display (this time the diagonal was increased to 4.5 inches) and various advantages of the Android platform.

Internet notification while roaming

Outside your home region, controlling expenses for mobile 3G or 4G Internet using constant USSD requests or authorizations in your personal account is time-consuming and inconvenient. You have to always remember about the limits and often get distracted by collecting and analyzing statistics transmitted by the operator. And if you’re tired of spending your next vacation while roaming checking expenses, it’s worth activating the offer of SMS alerts warning you when your balance exceeds a certain amount.

The option can be activated for free via the combination *110*1471# (to disable it, just dial *110*1470#). The subscription fee is fixed - 0 rubles per month. SMS begin to arrive in different situations, configured in your personal account (the spending threshold is selected by the subscriber on postpaid tariffs; on prepaid tariffs, warnings come when spending more than 2,000 rubles per day on the Internet).

Beeline today

December 10, 2021, Moscow. Beeline introduces a new slogan, beloved by millions of Russians, “Live on the bright side,” the appearance of which completes the almost year-long reboot of Beeline’s brand and positioning.

General Director of PJSC VimpelCom Vasil Latsanich Fr.

IT ALL STARTED WITH BIG DATA

At the beginning of 2021, Beeline conducted a large-scale study, analyzing the current customer consumption profile using the analysis of ultra-large arrays of anonymized data (Big Data). One of the key stages of the research was a customer survey, the purpose of which was to determine their real needs, including those outside of communication services. The majority of respondents want to see modern technologies simple and understandable, the products and services they use useful and not requiring additional actions from them. And devote their free time to what is really important to them: family, work, entertainment and leisure.

NEW VALUES SYSTEM

For the past four years, the brand's core promise has been three simple, functional words - “Simple. Comfortable. For you". During this time, Beeline revolutionized the telecom industry, offering customers truly unique products, services, personalized offers and making once complex technologies simple and convenient. Among them are our first converged “ALL in One” offer in Russia, the “My Beeline” mobile application, “EVERYTHING for the Family” tariffs, “Unlimited Internet in roaming” and much more. Beeline will continue this tradition further.

The basis of the new positioning was an updated value system, in response to people’s desires to receive bright emotions and already used in creating products and “to inspire to try new things” and “to feel special.” Each Beeline product and service, which is now used by more than 56 million customers across the country, already takes into account their changing needs. In 2021, Beeline became the first operator to cancel on-net roaming for its customers. He introduced a tariff with real and honest unlimited Internet “Unlim” and was the first to combine the desires of clients to lead an active lifestyle and receive more Internet traffic for their usual actions as part of the “Gigs for Steps” campaign. In addition, it opened the opportunity for customers to watch content on all devices together with Beeline TV and offered favorable conditions for the purchase of devices, and also placed “Safety Islands” in all its stores.

NEW HERO

In May 2021, Alexander Revva became the main face of Beeline advertising communications. It can be found everywhere: on TV screens, billboards, in cinemas and shopping centers, digital channels and, of course, Beeline stores. In the new advertising campaign, Alexander helps the main characters of the video decide to take the first step and live on the bright side.

BEELINE TODAY Beeline today is the way customers want it to be: it is a brand of emotions, a brand of entertainment, a brand of health and achievements, a brand of the best services, a brand of the future, a brand of goodness, a brand of smart solutions and new technologies, a brand of innovation and big data, a brand of personal approach. .

Several thousand customers across Russia voted with their hearts for the slogan “Live on the bright side.” The new slogan fully meets the current needs of customers and is reflected in all Beeline products and services without exception.

About PJSC VimpelCom PJSC VimpelCom (Beeline brand) is part of the VEON Ltd group of companies.
VEON Ltd. (VEON Ltd. is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam) is a global communications provider with a vision to be the leader in personal Internet services for the more than 240 million customers it currently serves, and many more in the coming years.

How to make profitable calls abroad

Traveling with the product “Beeline's Most Profitable Roaming” will become twice as cheap. The option is suitable for traveling to neighboring countries, Europe and other popular countries:

We recommend: How to use roaming in Russia for free

Connect to Beeline numbers – *110*131#, disconnect – *110*130#. If a person travels to Belize, Burundi, Ghana, Nicaragua, Chad, etc. (60 in total), then the tariff layout is slightly different.

If a Beeline client likes to vacation abroad in exotic countries, then without additional subscriptions, roaming will cost 200 rubles. per minute of communication. Therefore, it is recommended to activate, where minute billing will cost 30 rubles. Activation - *110*201#, deactivation - *110*201#.

The option is adapted for prepaid and postpaid systems.

How to find out who owns the number?

For the comfort of subscribers, the operator has created a specialized option that helps find out all the necessary information. To use it, log into the Beeline portal or use SMS requests. The convenience of using each method is determined by the subscriber individually. The operator portal provides the opportunity to determine which operator services the number you are interested in and its regional affiliation. By going to the official Beeline page you need to : Go to the “Private Individuals” tab;

Log in to the “Help” section;

There go to the item “SIM card and number”;

Click on the “Check that the number belongs to the operator” button;

In the field that opens, enter the number by which you want to find information;

Enter characters from the image;

Click on the “Check” button;

The result will be information regarding the requested number.

Beeline operator telephone numbers start with 903,905,909, as well as 960-976. DEF codes are specific to each region of the Russian Federation.

What is the price where the service is not available

For all countries where this is not available, uniform tariffs are established, and you can find a list of countries here.