September 15, 2009, Moscow: COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (JSC COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), the leading supplier of integrated telecommunication solutions in Russia and the CIS, announces that a 1500th user has joined the Russian segment of the global Wi-Fi Internet access network. On the 14th of September, the number of registered COMSTAR-FON Wi-Fi hotspots in Russia reached 1500, having increased 1.5 times over the last 2.5 months.

COMSTAR-FON service was commercially launched in the end of 2008. COMSTAR-FON is a broadband Wi-Fi-based Internet access network, which is a part of global FON with more than 500,000 active hotspots around the world. COMSTAR-UTS is an exclusive operator of the Russian segment of Wi-Fi FON.

COMSTAR-FON users build and extend the global Wi-Fi network by their own. To become a network member, you should rent a dedicated Wi-Fi router available in one of the STREAM Sales and Service Centers and install it. After hotspot registration at https://www.fon.com/, subscribers will be able to use similar FON hotspots installed by other users all over the world, including all COMSTAR-FON hotspots, for free. The full list of hotspots is available at maps.fon.com.

Only COMSTAR-UTS broadband users (STREAM trademark)¹ in Moscow can become COMSTAR-FON subscribers. The service is provided in cooperation with FON Wireless Limited (Spain).

“We constantly inquire service subscribers and witness that the significance of FON global network access increases depending on the growth of hotspots quantity. The majority of service users plan to use the advantages of the network when going abroad,” Alexander Gorbunov, Vice President for Strategy and Development of COMSTAR-UTS noted. “By the end of the year, we are planning to offer an ADSL modem with integrated FON router to users and thus simplify the connection process to the COMSTAR-FON network.”

“The development of the FON project in Moscow is of strategic importance for both parties. For COMSTAR-UTS, it is an opportunity to gain a significant competitive advantage in the broadband market with rather small investments. For international FON Wireless company, in turn, a cooperation model with such a big telecom market player as COMSTAR-UTS provides an opportunity to use resources and large subscriber base of its partner in order to increase its global presence,” Evgeny Koryagin, head of the Russian division of FON Wireless, said.

The registration procedure of a new user of CONSTAR-FON network is very simple and takes a couple of minutes. At the www.fon.com  site, you have to enter the unique code of your router and the installation address. After that, it will appear on the interactive map. When the router is connected to a home ADSL line, the Internet channel is divided into two Wi-Fi access zones: private – My Place, which is connected by the owner only, and public – COMSTAR-FON, which can be used by all members of the global FON network, located within the active router coverage and having, for example, a notebook with Wi-Fi adapter. Thus, the router owner not only "shares” his wireless Internet access with all members of the “social Wi-Fi network”, but also gains the right to use wireless Internet within the coverage of any other similar hotspot at any time and free of charge. The COMSTAR-FON user shall pay for the usual wire ADSL channel only according to the selected price plan plus router rent – 30 rubles per month.

¹The broadband high-speed Internet and digital interactive TV services under the STREAM brand are provided by COMSTAR-Direct, a 100% subsidiary of COMSTAR-UTS.