February 11, 2010, Moscow, Veliky Novgorod: COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in Russia and the CIS, announces that Novgorod Communication Services Center of COMSTAR-Regions North-West (COMSTAR-Regions is a 100% subsidiary of COMSTAR-UTS) has launched its intercity and international call services for Novgorod’s residents and business entities.

Now individuals and businesses in Veliky Novgorod can subscribe to COMSTAR’s intercity and international call services. When signing contracts for intercity and international calls made via COMSTAR-UTS’ long-haul network whose terms allow to pre-select an operator, subscribers are offered individual price packages. Each time the subscriber makes a call, he/she can also use a hot choice function with COMSTAR-UTS’ operator access codes: 23 – for intercity and 28 – for international calls. The residents who have already subscribed to cable TV or STREAM broadband Internet were the first to use COMSTAR-UTS’ intercity and international call services.

Viktor Shmytinsky, Head of COMSTAR-Regions North-West, explained: “Until recently, Novgorod Communication Services Center has been focused at cable TV services. Today we also offer our existing and prospective clients broadband and COMSTAR-UTS’ intercity and international call services. Thus, having launched the Triple Play services – voice, broadband Internet and TV, we are still executing our plans to introduce multi-service offerings in the North-Western Federal District. Introduction of those offerings for the benefit of Veliky Novgorod’s residents and business entities fully fits in with COMSTAR-UTS’ development strategy for the regional communication markets.”

Today COMSTAR-UTS offers access to its long-haul network in all the regions throughout the North-Western Federal District, with Saint-Petersburg, Vologda and Arkhangelsk Region being the most active markets.

In February 2008, COMSTAR-UTS finished its long-haul communication network. The network is based on a next-generation solution (NGN) enabling the company to provide voice services and launch new multimedia services. In August 2008, COMSTAR-UTS got operator choice codes to provide subscribers with its intercity and international call services (23 – for intercity and 28 – for international calls) and, later that autumn, long-distance calls became available for subscribers.