October 2, 2008, Moscow, Saint Petersburg. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS JSC, LSE: CMST), the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in Russia and the CIS, announced that Saint Petersburg branch of JSC COMSTAR-UTS has started building of data transmission network (Virtual Private Network, VPN) for CJSC Petroelectrosbyt, largest network of payment centers for utility services in Saint Petersburg.

Within the frames of the agreement with CJSC Petroelectrosbyt, Saint Petersburg branch of the Operator will integrate into unified network all payment centers and offices of CJSC Petroelectrosbyt by means of data transmission channels — and this is more than 70 sites all over the city. COMSTAR-UTS will also provide broadband Internet access services to the central office of the Company. In order to provide uninterruptible performance of the network channels to be the subject to compulsory backup.

COMSTAR-UTS will organize overlaid protected data transmission channels over IP-protocol using recourses of its own fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL) of new generation network (Next Generation Network, NGN). COMSTAR-UTS solutions make it possible to upgrade network recourses promptly, in accordance with projects being implemented by the partner.

«Key to success in the work of our Company is reliable and convenient communications. Thanks to COMSTAR-UTS NGN network, we are able to provide radically new services, which we were not able to provide before. Such as centralized video surveillance and telephony, - underlines Sergey Prudov, Deputy General Director, CJSC Petroelectrosbyt. – One of the major advantages of COMSTAR-UTS network is its scalability. Due to such scalability the Company has an opportunity to use effectively network recourses, which are essential to client at the very moment ».