1 October, 2008, Moscow. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS JSC, LSE: CMST), the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in Russia and the CIS, announced that it has brought into services new node of local telephone communications, based on NGN solutions (Next Generation Networks), in Samara.

Within the frames of the project related to expansion of company’s own communications network in Samara region, COMSTAR-Povolzhye branch has build local telephone communications node in Samara and installed software and hardware complex ComSwitchPro5, developed by Russian company CTI. The new node designed for provision of local telephone communications services over IP-network, and also for provision of telecommunications services of new generation.

Expansion of COMSTAR-UTS network by means of additional switching equipment makes it possible to implement modern subscriber’s services IP-Centrex fast and effectively: not just provision of digital telephony services to clients but also creation of distributed intelligent offices based on “virtual PABX” with a wide range of functional capabilities, such as serial number with different algorithms of calls service, voice portal, inclusive of voice mail, messages mass mailing service, conference calls, video calls and etc. With the help of the present solution, all the distributed offices of a client will be united in a single corporate telephone network with single numbering plan and selected packet of services.

In future, it is planned to install the similar software switch and implement intelligent services IP-Centrex in Togliatti.

Now COMSTAR-UTS render the full range of multi-service telecommunications services to corporate clients in Samara and Togliatti, inclusive of local telephone communications services, broadband Internet access, data transmission, and creation of virtual private networks (IP VPN), organization of allocated communications channels. Operator has allocated numbering capacity of more than 17 ths. numbers.

«Samara’s branch holds an important place among our regional branches, - said Victor Koresh, Vice-president for regional development, JSC COMSTAR-UTS. – The Company started construction of its network in Samara region in H2 2007 and now it has achieved considerable results. Taking into consideration the achieved rates of infrastructure and subscriber base growth and also high economic potential of the region and high demand for telecommunications services we intend to occupy a significant part of local business communications market. Company’s plans include construction of its own trunk channel between Samara and Togliatti. We do not exclude such a fact that in future COMSTAR will enter residential subscribers market».

According to Alexander Kurochkin, Director of COMSTAR-Povolzhye branch, «originally operator’s network in Samara was built on the base of NGN solutions with a high transmission capacity – 1 Gbps. In 2008, the branch has already laid more than 200 km of fiber-optic communications lines in Samara and more than 200 km in Togliatti. Thus, total length of COMSTAR-UTS fiber-optic lines in both cities exceeded 500 km. We intend to increase this figure till the end of the year. In the course of the network development the necessity of switching node enhancement and implementation of value-added services arose, and we did it successfully».

Currently the branch renders services more than 500 corporate clients, such as: Automobile plant, Detskiy Mir chain stores,  automobile dealership Mazda, Mercedes, several trade and office centers in Samara and Togliatti, one of the largest shopping mall of the region – Mega-Ikea, elite villa community and others. In addition to that, several contracts on installation of telephone communication services in several blocks of Samara and Togliatti were signed.