UK-Russian joint venture Comstar has launched a publicity campaign to promote its ISDN service – now available over the Comstar overlay network. Comstar is offering two ISDN service options – which it terms Basic and Primary Rate Access. Basic is accessed via a standard telephone line and offers two 64Kbps channels, Primary is delivered via a 2Mbps link and provides 30 64Kbps channels. The company is charging $150 for a new line, a $50 monthly rental fee, $0.40 per minute Moscow calls. The international transit carrier for Comstar is British Telecommunications Plc. Connection to the UK ISDN network is $3.0 per minute for one 64Kbps channel. As of mid-May only one customer was actually connected and using the service – Moscow-based Ergo Bank. Comstar says around 100 other customers are waiting for connections. The take-up will be a very useful indication of the extent to which advanced digital services are in demand in Moscow. Comstar was formed in 1989 between the Moscow City Telephone Network and UK telecomm unications manufacturer GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd.
