Viva-MTS issues clarification on misinformation disseminated by a newspaper

YEREVAN, February7. /ARKA/. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Armenian telecom operator Viva-MTS denied a story spread by one of the local newspapers, calling it ‘untrue and groundless.’ 

"Today one of the newspapers has spread through its partner websites a story about Viva-MTS that does not correspond to reality and is groundless, and which can be more accurately called a rumor," the company's press service said.

The company decided not to look into what could have been the motive for spreading misinformation for the time being, focusing on the taxes it paid, its performance and the quality of its services,  ‘highlighted’ in the newspaper piece.

"The quality of communication has clear criteria for evaluation and quoting anonymous sources is not credible. Viva-MTS deems it necessary to note that it is constantly expanding the mobile coverage area, as well as strengthening the already operating base stations, introducing advanced technologies. For example, in Armenia's telecom sector, the year of 2023 was marked by the first commercial deployment of a 5G network in the small centers of Yerevan and Gyumri. Also during 2023, Viva-MTS carried out a major re-equipment aimed at modernizing its 4G/LTE network. By the end of 2023, Viva-MTS has built more than 170 base stations operating on 4G/4G+ technology across Armenia. As a result, 4G/4G+ coverage became available to 99.6% of the population. In 2023, Viva-MTS launched innovative VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling services, which are used by half of the subscriber base actively using voice services," the company said.

The company noted that the newspaper also published misinformation regarding the difference between the taxes it paid in 2022 and 2023. The difference is not 300 million drams, as the newspaper claims, but 185 million drams. This is mainly due to the 1% reduction of the income tax rate on salaries stipulated by the legislation, starting from 2023.  VAT payments increased by 4% along with the growth of the company’s income.

"The newspaper  for some reason did not mention that Viva-MTS, which always ranks first among all operators in the list of the 1000 largest corporate taxpayers, topped the list for 2023 as well, taking 13th position. In the published list, the nearest competitor - is 6 positions lower coming 19t, having paid AMD 3.3 billion less taxes than Viva-MTS. And the other competitor is 13 positions lower being on the 26th place, having paid AMD 6.6 billion less. Viva-MTS paid 21% and 42% more taxes, respectively, compared to its competitors.

The company also noted that in terms of taxes paid, Viva-MTS has been showing a stable trend year after year, which indicates its steady growth. The company also urged everyone to utilize official sources available at https://src.am/am/getMenusContents/120 in future.

'Viva-MTS employees receive competitive high salaries, and the annual performance bonus for 2023 exceeded the bonus paid for 2022. This in itself speaks to the company's performance," the statement said. -0-

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10:53 02/07/2024