License No. 23785



 Exhibit 4.18 
  
 MINISTRY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
 FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 
  
 LICENSE 
  

			
	A 023340	 	No. 23785

  
 In accordance with
the applicable laws of the Russian Federation 
 this permission is given to 
  
 Open Joint Stock Company 
 “Vimpel-Communications” 
  

  
 Legal Address: 
  
 10, 8 Marta street, bldg. 14, Moscow 127083 
  
 Type of Operations: 
  
 Lease of Telecommunications Channels 
  
 Conditions for carrying out this type of activity and the territory 
 are set forth in the attachment which is an integral part hereof 
  

					
	Term of validity of the License:	    	 	    	until October 4, 2007
			
	 Services to be rendered as of
 (no
later than):
	    	 	    	October 4, 2003
			
	 Date of registration of the License
 in the Unified
Register of
 Telecommunications Licenses:
	    	 	    	October 4, 2002
			
	 First Deputy
 Minister of the
Russian
 Federation for
 Telecommunications
and
	    	[Signature]	    	B.D. Antonyuk
	Information Technologies	    	[Seal]	    	 









 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies

  

 CONDITIONS FOR CARRYING OUT ACTIVITIES 
 UNDER LICENSE NO. 23785 
  
 1. OJSC “Vimpel-Communications” (the Licensee) is hereby authorized to provide local, intra-zone, inter-city communications channels and paths, physical links for transmission of telecommunications channels
to the users in the territory designated in clause 32. 
  
 The total number of
tone frequency channels (main digital channels) organized by the Licensee, including as part of digital paths, shall be at least 10,000. 
  
 (Clause 32 enumerates the regions of the Russian Federation between which inter-city telecommunications channels and paths are organized.) 
  
 2. Licensee shall by the end of the third year of operations have capacity to
organize at least 70% of the telecommunications channels of the number specified in clause 1 hereof. 
  
 3. Communications channels and paths and physical links may be provided for the purposes of organization of telecommunications network provided the their
owners hold the relevant licenses of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications, State Committee of the Russian Federation for
Telecommunications and Information Technologies, State Committee of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications) for internal production networks which do not provide telecommunications services for a fee, including those which have a connection
to the general access telecommunications network, and for organization of subscriber lines with a view to gain access to various telecommunications networks pursuant to the construction rules of same. 
  
 Communications channels and paths and physical links may be provided for the purposes of
organization of subscriber and connection lines of local telephone networks only within the territory of the relevant geographical numbering zones. 
  
 4. Telecommunications services with the use of radio electronic devices may be provided only after a permission of the State Radio Frequencies Service of
the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies to use operating frequencies is obtained. 
  
 5. The use of communications channels and physical links of the general access telephone network for transmission of telecommunications signals shall be
effected under agreements with operators of the relevant networks and subject to tariffs applicable to the given category of users. 
  
 6. The Licensee shall provide telecommunication services provided for in this license 24 hours a day on a daily basis, except for interruptions for
necessary maintenance and repairs to be scheduled so as to minimize damage caused to the users. 
  

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 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies

  

 7. The Licensee is required to provide users with telecommunication services which comply with the
quality standards, technical parameters, certificates, and terms of the agreement for provision of telecommunication services. 
  
 8. The Licensee shall be liable to the users for failure to perform or improper performance of its obligations pursuant to the procedure and to the extent
specified by the applicable laws of the Russian Federation. 
  
 9.
The Licensee shall comply with the requirements of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies concerning the procedure of use of telecommunications equipment in the Integrated Telecommunications
Network of the Russian Federation. 
  
 10. The Licensee shall
comply with the requirements of the Agency of Telecommunications of the Russian Federation with respect to the traffic priority and provision of services. 
  
 In situations set forth by the laws of the Russian Federation the centralized management of Licensee’s telecommunication networks shall be effected directly by the
Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies. 
  
 11. At the request of the Ministry of the Russia Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, the Licensee shall provide information on the technical condition and development prospects of the
network, conditions for the provision of telecommunication services and existing tariffs. 
  
 12. In case of Acts of God, quarantine or any other natural or industrial force majeure events, the governmental authorities authorized thereto shall have the right of priority utilization and suspension of the
operation of the Licensee’s network and telecommunication means. 
  
 13. The Licensee shall provide an absolute priority for all emergency messages related to personal safety at sea, or land, in the air or space, carrying out of emergency measures in the area of defense, security and law and order
enforcement in the Russian Federation, as well as for messages on significant accidents, catastrophes, epidemics, epizootic and acts of God. 
  
 14. The Licensee shall give priority to the use of telecommunication means manufactured in the Russian Federation pursuant to the Federal Law “On
Communications”. 
  
 15. Licensee’s technical facilities
can be constructed only upon availability of design documents prepared in compliance with Construction Norms and Rules and Industrial Technological Design Norms (SniP, VNTP) effective in the Russian Federation, and duly obtained approval of such
design documents. 
  
 16. The Licensee’s technical devices
shall be operated pursuant to the applicable operating norms and rules. 
  
 17. The tariffs for communications services shall be established on the contractual basis. 
  

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 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies

  

 In cases stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation with regard to specific types of
communications services provided by communications enterprises, the tariffs may be regulated by the state. 
  
 18. Expenses associated with design and construction of Licensee’s technical devices shall be at Licensee’s cost. 
  
 19. Specific categories of state officers, diplomatic and consulate
representatives of foreign states, representatives of international organizations, as well as specific groups of individuals may have certain privileges and priorities while using telecommunications in terms of the order of priority, procedure of
use and the amount of payment for communication services. 
  
 The
list of privileges as well as categories of officers and individuals who are entitled to such privileges and priorities shall be determined by the legislation of the Russian Federation and normative legal acts of the political subdivisions of the
Russian Federation, as well as by international treaties and agreements of the Russian Federation. 
  
 20. Use of technical means of communication owned by the Licensee or users shall be allowed subject to availability of compliance certificate of
“Svyaz” Compulsory Certification System. 
  
 Provision
of services using the communications facilities hereunder may be commenced only subject to availability of telecommunication network operating permission issued by the Russian state communications and information technologies control authority.

  
 21. The Licensee shall provide for strict confidentiality of
communications. 
  
 Any information on messages being transmitted
through the communication network of the Licensee, as well as the messages themselves may be disclosed only to the senders and addressees or their legal representatives. 
  
 Any tapping of telecommunications messages or any other limitation of communication confidentiality shall be permitted only
on the basis of the applicable legislation of the Russian Federation. 
  
 22. The Licensee shall not prevent any reviews of the technical parameters of the network by the State Telecommunications and Information Technologies Control agencies of the Russian Federation, and, if necessary, must provide such agencies
with access to its measuring devices to be used for such work. 
  
 23. During development, creation and operation of the communication network, the Licensee shall, pursuant to the legislation of the Russian Federation, render assistance and provide the criminal investigation agencies with the possibility
of carrying out such investigations using the communication network, and shall take measures to keep confidential all organizational and tactic methods of carrying out of the mentioned activities. 
  
 Should communication means be used for criminal purposes harmful for
interests of individuals, society and the state, operation of the networks and communications equipment of the Licensee may be suspended by the state bodies authorized thereto in accordance with legislation of the Russian Federation. 
  

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 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies

  

 Provision of communication channels to the users shall be effected after requirements of the Law of
the Russian Federation “On Investigation Activities in the Russian Federation” are met. 
  
 24. The Licensee shall be obliged to take measures to prevent any unauthorized access to management of the network and any unauthorized control over its
operations. 
  
 25. This License shall be governed, construed and
performed in accordance with the applicable legislation of the Russian Federation. 
  
 26. The Licensee shall operate in accordance with the regulatory acts and applicable legislation of the Russian Federation. 
  
 27. The Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies reserves the right to introduce any amendments or
supplements to this license due to any changes in the applicable legislation of the Russian Federation. 
  
 28. The Licensee shall submit to local statistical agencies and to the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information
Technologies periodic and annual state statistical reports on communications in accordance with the procedure established by the State Committee for Statistics of the Russian Federation. 
  
 Violation of the procedure for submitting of statistical reports shall result in administrative liability in accordance with
the applicable legislation. 
  
 29. This License is not assignable
to any other entity. 
  
 30. The Licensee shall effect payments
out of revenues received for the rendered communications and information technologies services to the account of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, pursuant to the standards established under
Decree No. 380 of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 28, 2000. 
  
 Such transfers shall be effected on a monthly basis subject to the actual revenues received for the telecommunications and information technologies services rendered in the preceding calendar month, no later than the
20th day of the subsequent month. The amount to be transferred shall be adjusted on a quarterly basis upon the
provision of accounting reports to the tax agencies. 
  
 With a
view to effecting control over the adequacy of cash transfers to the account of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, the Licensee shall, upon written request of the management of the department
for control over telecommunications and information technologies in the relevant political subdivision of the Russian Federation, provide the corresponding accounting report form which reflects the revenues from the provided telecommunications and
information technologies services. 
  

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 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications and Information Technologies

  

 31. The License shall be registered upon its issuance with the relevant state communications and
information technologies control agency of the Russian Federation. 
  
 In case of any changes in the mailing or banking requisites or the telephone numbers, or in case of reorganization or liquidation of the legal entity, the Licensee shall inform the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Telecommunications
and Information Technologies and the territorial department of the state communications and information technologies control service thereof. 
  
 32. The licensed area includes: 
  

					
	 Republics:
	  	Adygeya, Altai, Buryatiya, Ingushetia, Kalmykia-Khalmg Tangch, Karachaevo-Cherkesskaya, Mordovia, Sakha (Yakutija), Northern Osetia-Alania, Tyva, Udmurtskaya, Khakasia,
Chechenskaya;
		
	 Oblasts:
	  	Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kaliningradskaya, Kostromskaya, Kurganskaya, Magadanskaya, Novgorodskaya, Orlovskaya, Permskaya, Pskovskaya, Sakhalinskaya, Ulyanovskaya,
Chitinskaya.
		
	 Aut. Oblasts:
	  	Yevreiskaya
		
	 Aut. Okrugs:
	  	Aginsky, Buryatsky, Komi-Permyatsky, Koryaksky, Nenetsky, Taimyrskiy (Dolgano-Nenets), Ust-Ordynsky Buryatsky, Khanty-Masiisky, Chukotsky, Evenkijsky,
Yamalo-Nenetsky.
		
	 Cities:
	  	Saint-Petersburg.

  

					
			
	 First Deputy Minister
 of the Russian
Federation for
 Telecommunications and
 Information
Technologies
	    	 [Signature]
	    	B.D. Antonyuk
			
	 Deputy Head of the Department
 of the
Organization
	    	 [Signature]
	    	V.N. Ugryumova
	of Licensing Activity	    	 [Seal]
	    	 

  

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