Beeline and WhatsApp partner to launch free data traffic in Russia

Moscow (October 27, 2015), VimpelCom Ltd. (“VimpelCom” or “Company”) (NASDAQ:VIP), a leading global provider of telecommunications services headquartered in Amsterdam and serving over 218 million customers, announces that its Russian subsidiary operating under the Beeline brand has entered into a partnership to allow its clients unlimited and free access to WhatsApp messaging. This is the first partnership of this kind between a telecom company and WhatsApp in Russia.

According to WhatsApp, Russia, along with Brazil, Mexico and India, is among the top ten countries by the number of WhatsApp users. In Russia, the messenger is used by 30 million people on a monthly basis. From today, Beeline clients in Russia no longer have to pay for their WhatsApp data traffic.

Mikhail Slobodin, CEO of VimpelCom Russia, said: “Messengers are the most popular way of communicating for smartphone owners in Russia, and we are proud that it is Beeline clients who can enjoy the service free of charge. Our partnership with WhatsApp is a significant move for our growing client base.”

Jan Koum, CEO and co-founder of WhatsApp, said: “This is a great communication offer for Beeline clients. Partnering with Beeline means we can help more people to stay in touch with friends and family using WhatsApp. Beeline and WhatsApp share the passion to provide the best communications experience, and introducing the unlimited access to WhatsApp messaging features shows Beeline as a pioneer in Russian mobile industry.”

About WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages and calls. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia. WhatsApp Inc. was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum and was acquired by Facebook Inc. in 2014. The messenger is used by more than 900 million people worldwide and by more than 30 million people in Russia on a monthly basis. Earlier this year WhatsApp has presented its web-version and voice calling feature.