December 4, 2008, Moscow. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (JSC COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), the leading supplier of integrated telecommunication solutions in Russia and the CIS, announced that they had received a notice from Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of telecom and mass communications (Rossvyazcomnadzor) to the effect that a number of licenses has been granted to the operator allowing them to render telematic communication services and data exchange communication services, not inclusive of data exchange communication services aimed at voice data exchange, at the territory of 14 Russian Regions.

COMSTAR-UTS has been granted licenses allowing them to render telematic communication in Tula, Tambov, Smolensk, Orel, Belgorod, Bryansk, Omsk, Kursk, Kostroma, Vologda, Lipetsk regions, Altay District, Udmurdskaya and Kabardino-Balkarskaya Republics, as well as allowing to render data exchange services, not inclusive of data exchange communication services aimed at voice data exchange in the territory of Udmurdskaya Republic, Tula, Tambov, Smolensk, Belgorod, and Vologda Regions, and of Altay District.

The licenses are valid from October 28, 2008 through October 28, 2013.

As of today, COMSTAR-UTS Group of companies, Including affiliate companies and branches, as well as the companies of “STRIM TV" Group, being under authority of COMSTAR-UTS marks its presence in 67 Russian cities, rendering the services of telephony, Internet broadband access, Pay-TV, and other telecommunication services.