March 29, 2009, Moscow. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (JSC COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), the leading supplier of integrated telecommunication solutions in Russia and the CIS, announces the creation of a point of presence in one of the largest European centers of voice traffic exchange Telehouse North in London.

In Telehouse North, COMSTAR-UTS has installed a media gateway and connected it to the COMSTAR-UTS international telecommunication network using the COMSTAR-Direct European transport network. The center capacity is 80 Ĺ1 streams.

Thus, London has become the third city after Frankfurt and Kiev where COMSTAR international telecom network centers are located.

Earlier, COMSTAR-UTS completed an upgrade of the equipment for organization of domestic long distance and international communication in the ancotel GmbH interconnectivity center in Frankfurt am Main. This center has become the first foreign point of presence of the COMSTAR-UTS domestic long distance and international communication network. Over this period of time, the company established its internetworking with 15 carriers, including Telia Sonera, Telecom Italia Sparkle Deutsche Telekom, and Verizon.

“Due to the arrangement of the point of presence in London, COMSTAR-UTS will be able to connect carriers who traditionally passed their voice traffic via London. We are looking forward to find new partners in this point of presence, and we are already holding negotiations with a number of carriers concerning network connections.

Interconnectivity with telecom companies enables a direct access to their subscribers all over the world without a need to engage third carriers”, – said Aleksey Goncharuk, First Vice President of JSC COMSTAR-UTS.

In Russia as a whole, COMSTAR-UTS shows a continuous growth of the long-distance communications traffic. In the second quarter of 2009 this figure for the COMSTAR-UTS own network has increased by 50% as compared to the first quarter of 2009; in the third quarter – by 59% as compared to the second one, and in the fourth quarter – by 28% as compared to the third quarter.

In February 2008, COMSTAR-UTS finished the establishment of a long-distance communication network. The telecom network is based on a new-generation solution (NGN) allowing provision of voice services and implementation of new multimedia services. In August 2008, COMSTAR-UTS got codes to choose a telecom operator for providing a user access to services of intercity and international telephone communication provided by the company – 23 for intercity calls and 28 for international ones. In the fall, the Company began to provide long-haul communication services.