A1's revenues in Belarus down 13.6% as political crisis unfolds

A1's revenues have decreased by 13.6% due to the political crisis in Belarus, Telekom Austria Group, the owner of the Belarusian mobile operator, has said in the financial report. The Austrian holding explains the drop in A1's performance by the following circumstances:

- Restrictions on the part of state Internet access providers;

- Order to reduce the bandwidth of its mobile network in Minsk;

- Using the SMS-notification function as a regular state channel to inform citizens about "violations of national security";

The document also says that "authorized state bodies" are to blame for the deterioration of the service quality: "By trying to prevent the protests, they are dealing a serious blow to the telecommunications business in Belarus and undermining investor confidence."