On April 19-21 narrow specialty training was organized at VivaCell-MTS Headquarters for 54 students of technical departments of Armenian universities. Students of the 3rd year and higher from the faculties of Radio & Telecommunication and Information Technologies took part in the Technical school sessions. The course provided an introduction to the technologies of the telecommunications by providing crucial insights into the fast-changing and dynamic world of wireless networks. The students passed a special tour of the telecommunications technologies currently in use at VivaCell-MTS, including the GSM, GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA/UMTS, HSPA+, 4G/LTE. In particular, the students benefited from the overview of HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) technologies, as well as HSPA+ enhancements and evolution to 4G. VivaCell-MTS' respective specialists also presented the key components of the mobile telecommunication system such as Radio Access Network and Network Switching Subsystem. In addition, the students were exposed to Site Implementation and Maintenance techniques and tools. On the last day of the school the participants visited one of the VivaCell-MTS BTS sites. This theory-based telecommunication training was customized to the students’ preliminary needs assessment. Students from the following institutions took part in the training: Goris State University, Ijevan branch of the Yerevan State University, Kapan branch of the State Engineering University, State Engineering University, Vanadzor State Pedagogical University, Yerevan State University, Moscow State University of Statistics and Information, St. Petersburg University of Law and Economics, American University of Armenia and European Regional Academy. “We put our knowledge and expertise in the palm of your hands, make the best out of it,” said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian to the students. “We believe, there is a huge unrealized potential among our young people and we are ready to help them get a hands-on experience at our company,” added Yirikian. At the end of the forth day, at a special ceremony, the students received certificates of completion. During the same event, VivaCell-MTS corporate gifts as well as Merit Certificates were officially awarded to the winners of the Legal Essay competition announced on November 1, 2010, in frames of VivaCell-MTS Career Development Program among the students of law and related disciplines from all universities of Armenia. The winning 3 students will receive HTC Wildfire smartphones, as well as an opportunity to pass practicum at VivaCell-MTS. The works of the winners will be posted on the VivaCell-MTS Career Development Program webpage and will be available in the VivaCell-MTS library.

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