VimpelCom has overtaken the cable operator Akado in broadband subscriber numbers in the Russian capital, Moscow.
Quoting a report produced by Telecom Daily, Vedomosti reports that as of the beginning of this year, VimpelCom had 770,000 broadband internet customers in Moscow and new areas incorporated into the city since July 1, 2012, whereas Akado claimed 721,000.
Excluding the new areas, the figures were 730,000 and 715,000 respectively.
Just six months earlier, excluding new areas, Akado and VimpelCom had 712,000 and 710,000 subscribers respectively.
Moscow’s broadband market is saturated, with the ‘traditional’ part of the city, which already has a penetration figure of 80%, seeing annual growth of only 4%.
However, the new areas are growing by 23-24%.
Despite VimpelCom’s strong position in Moscow, on a national level it lost its position as the third leading provider of broadband services to MTS in Q3 2013 and had failed to regain it by the end of the year.