Tashkent, Uzbekistan – VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that its digital operator Beeline Uzbekistan has completed the first phase of its network upgrades which will support the 4G experience on its network, enabling the company to take the benefits of its digital operator strategy to all corners of the country.

The project encompasses all 14 regions of Uzbekistan, covering 4G  across 54 cities and 137 districts. It will support Beeline Uzbekistan in expanding its 4G population coverage from 78% at the end of 2022 to 85% at the end of 2023, and in enhancing the mobile internet experience for the company’s growing number of 4G users. Beeline Uzbekistan has more than 6 million 4G customers as of July 2023, which represents 69.3% of its customer base and has added 1.1 million 4G users year-on-year.

This first phase of the network upgrades, completed in August 2023, serves some of the country’s more distant areas, including the Fergana Valley and Karakalpakstan.  The second phase, to be finalised in October, will see Beeline Uzbekistan strengthen the 4G experience in major urban areas including Tashkent, Samarkand and other densely populated regions.

"We are determined to provide superior digital experiences  throughout Uzbekistan with our ‘4G for All’ focus and digital operator strategy. With high quality mobile internet and the digital services, we can better serve the country’s young and ambitious population. We are investing in this vision not only with our network enhancement projects, but also by educating and developing the local talent who will create the locally relevant digital products and services in Uzbekistan.” explains Andrzej Malinowski, CEO of Beeline Uzbekistan.

In the remote village of Porlok, home to 280 residents, the arrival of Beeline’s 4G network means stronger connection with the world. "Communication in our village was of seriously low quality. For us, the people living in Porlok village, Beeline Uzbekistan’s 4G coverage this turned into a holiday gift for this summer. " said Porlok village resident Berik Khudzhanazarov.

VEON have invested more than 1.4 billion US dollars in the telecommunications industry of the country since 2006 through Beeline Uzbekistan, and have about 1,600 employees in the country. Beeline Labs, the operator’s software development centre in Tashkent, and VEON AdTech, the Group’s digital marketing arm, are among the entities operating in Uzbekistan to support the development of digital services and products.