A1 CEO wins a prestigious "Best in the Trade 2025" award
This year, A1 CEO, Mr. Helmut Duhs, has become the winner of the annual "Best in the Trade" business contest. The panel of experts underlined his contribution in the development of the company and the Belarusian telecommunications industry and gave him the award in category "For maintaining high standards of a foreign brand on the domestic market in the field of communications".
Nowadays, the telecommunications sector is one of the most rapidly developing industries in Belarus. The top priority of all players in this market—and A1 is not an exception—is to make modern technologies available to the widest audience with maximum benefit both for daily lives and globally, with benefit for the development of various sectors of the country's economy.
Over the years of development of mobile technologies, they have entered lives of all Belarusians and one cannot imagine a modern person without them. There were times when a mobile phone was an attribute of business; now it is an indispensable tool for everyone. Helmut Duhs says: "You can do without a wallet left at home, but if you forget your mobile phone, you will almost certainly immediately return to get it." In Belarus, 99% of the population live on a territory covered by high-quality communications and high-speed Internet from A1. The number of phones far exceeds the number of residents, a very high figure even by international standards.
"When I first came to Belarus in 2007, it was a very ambitious challenge for an executive: to rearrange the company's operations in accordance with the current international standards, make communications accessible to everyone, expand and diversify the company's business. I am so glad that I came to Belarus 18 years ago. I was amazed by the beauty of the country and openness and professionalism of the people. And after years of living together with my wonderful Belarusian wife I consider myself half-Belarusian", remembers Helmut Duhs.
In these years, the company was successfully rebranded from velcom to the vibrant international brand A1, under which 6 more companies of the A1 Group now operate in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. The company's business itself has also changed over these years: А1 is now not only a mobile operator but also (to a greater degree) a provider of telecommunication, ICT and content services, which is a sign that the company aims to be a leader in various areas: from mobile communications and fixed Internet to entertainment content and innovative telecom services and IT infrastructure for business. Now, A1 has assumed a completely new role that also helps people stay in touch: by launching the "A1 Taxi" service, the company has become "mobile" in a broader sense of the word, providing physical mobility as well. This step expands the company's own ecosystem of services and creates alternatives to options already existing on the market for both passengers and carriers with a focus on modern digital technologies.
About the context
"Best in the Trade" is an annual nation-wide contest. It was established in 1996 by the publishing group "Delo (Vostok+Zapad)", which is also the organizer of the contest. The winners get the diplomas of the publishing group and a sculptural composition "Tall in the Saddle" by S. Gumilevsky, which has the reputation of a Belarusian business Oscar. They are the most prestigious awards in the business world of the country.
About A1
A1 was established in 1999: the company became the first operator to offer GSM mobile communications to users in all regional cities of Belarus. In November 2007, the company was acquired by A1 Group, which, in turn, since 2014, has been the European subdivision of the international holding América Móvil, which is among the world's leading telecom providers with its head office in Mexico.
Developing its mobile network and implementing modern communication standards have always been A1's top priorities. Thus, in Belarus, 99% of the population live now on a territory covered by high-quality communications and high-speed Internet from A1.
Today, A1 is one of the recognized leaders in the Belarusian market of cellular mobile telecommunications services. This is confirmed by independent tests of the quality indicators of cellular mobile telecommunications. Thus, based on the aggregate all-time results of measurements, A1 tops the BelGIE rating for the final integral assessment and for the quality of data transmission.