"COMSTAR - United TeleSystems" and Multiregional TransitTelecom (MTT), Russia's national operator of domestic long-distance and international telecommunications, today announced that they have signed an agreement to provide wireless access through Comstar's Wi-Fi network to MTT's roaming partners. The service will therefore be provided via WLAN roaming to Russian and foreign mobile operators and Wi-Fi providers, with effect from the third quarter of 2007.

Comstar UTS has a wide network of Wi-Fi hot spots and plans to expand it further. Under the agreement with MTT, Moscow residents and its visitors will be able to have internet access through their Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices (PCs, PDAs and smart phones). Comstar subscribers will be able to use Wi-Fi services on networks operated by third party operators that have roaming agreements with MTT.

Eric Franke, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Within the framework of its broadband strategy, Comstar UTS is exploring new opportunities to promote its wireless access services and increase demand in the market for broadband solutions. The joint WLAN-roaming service will enable us to offer our corporate customers the ability to use wireless Internet while roaming on other carriers' networks, as well as to extend the offering to include mobile users".

Konstantin Solodukhin, General Director of MTT, added: "MTT is the first and only integrated provider of WLAN-roaming services in Russia. Our coverage is growing fast and already includes 10 major Russian cities. Comstar's involvement in the project will ensure the availability of Wi-Fi roaming services to Moscow residents and its visitors in the near future. We expect this service to grow dynamically within Russia and plan to expand the project to include all local Wi-Fi providers. Offering these services internationally is a logical step in the development of the project".