"COMSTAR - United TeleSystems JSC ("Comstar) (LSE:CMST), the leading combined telecommunications operator in Russia and CIS, today announced that it has been awarded licenses to provide data transmission in the Kemerovo, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk and Tumen regions, as well as in the Stavropol and Primorsk territories, and in the Republic of Tatarstan. The licenses are valid until February 9, 2012.
Eric Franke, President of Comstar UTS, commented: "These new licenses further extend our coverage into key regions that are growing in size, spending power and demand for services. We plan to roll out a range of data services, in order to extend our current telephony offering for our growing base of corporate clients by offering a suite of advanced data solutions. This follows our announcement in January that we had obtained licenses for IP Voice and Data transmission, including WiMAX services, in the twenty largest regions in Russia. Both of these steps reflect our strategic focus on expanding Comstar's regional presence by providing telecommunication solutions for corporate and high end residential customers in priority regions. The expansion of our footprint and service offering will further strengthen our market leading position.
For further information, please visit www.comstar-uts.com
Comstar UTS is a leading combined telecommunications operator in Moscow and Moscow region in terms of revenues and subscribers. Comstar UTS provides voice, data and Internet, pay-TV and other value-added services to residential, corporate subscribers and operators, using its extensive backbone network and unique last mile access to 98% of Moscow households. The Company also offers communications services in several Russian regions, CIS and Eastern Europe. Comstar UTS had 3.6 million subscribers in its traditional segment of the business, 509.1 thousand subscribers in its alternative segment in Moscow and 94 thousand subscribers in its alternative segment in the regions as at December 31, 2006. Comstar UTS reported operating revenues of US$ 828.2 million for the nine months of 2006, Comstar UTS' consolidated assets totalled US$ 2.8 billion as at September 30, 2006. Comstar UTS ordinary shares are listed on the Moscow Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMST.
Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Comstar UTS. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect,"believe, "anticipate,"estimate, "intend,"will, "could,"may or "might, the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Comstar UTS wishes to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. Comstar UTS does not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in projections or forward-looking statements of Comstar UTS, including, among others, general economic conditions, the competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in the industries Comstar UTS operates in, as well as many other risks specifically related to Comstar UTS and its operations.
