Beeline Logo

Established in Russia in 1993 as an extension of VimpelCom PJSC, now called Veon, Beeline has become a prominent telecommunications player. VimpelCom itself was born a year earlier, in 1992, thanks to the joint efforts of Dmitry Zimin and Ogi K. Fabela II, and became one of the first Russian mobile operators. The brand name “Beeline” was chosen to capture the essence of the “direct route,” mirroring the English term for the shortest route between two settlements.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Beeline’s influence expanded significantly, and it became the third-largest mobile operator in Russia. In a highly competitive environment, Beeline was up against giants such as Mobile TeleSystems, MegaFon, and Tele2. In 2009, a watershed change occurred when VimpelCom merged with Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor. The merged company, now headquartered in Amsterdam, was named VimpelCom Ltd.

In 2010, the company expanded beyond its Russian roots by acquiring telecom assets from companies such as Orascom and Wind, expanding its international reach. In 2017, in an effort to expand beyond telecoms, VimpelCom transformed and rebranded itself as VEON, positioning itself as a global technology company. However, Beeline remained the flagship brand, representing the company’s Russian division.

In 2022, VEON unexpectedly announced its intention to transfer ownership of its Russian businesses, including the Beeline brand, to the local administration. Currently, the move is still under regulatory scrutiny and awaiting official authorization.