Veon revealed it entered into discussions regarding a sale of its Armenian unit to rival Ucom, a move the latter stated would boost efforts to transform itself into a digital company.

While noting talks are underway, in a statement Veon emphasised the discussions may not result in a sale. The company operates its service in the country under the Beeline brand.

Ucom said in its own statement a potential transaction would lead to more services for customers and improve its infrastructure: “As the global mobile market is transformed from voice services to data service providers, and the Armenian mobile market is no exception to global trends, Ucom is constantly transforming into a digital company, aiming to provide a wider range of services to maximise its network coverage and quality”.

The Armenian unit is one of Veon’s smaller arms. It also has operations in Russia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Georgia and Bangladesh

Veon reported its combined subscriber base as 211.7 million at end Q3 2019.