Webplanet.ru's Aleksandr Rybakov reports today that Comstar-United TeleSystems has announced the launch of Wi-Fi Internet access in the Moscow Metro system.

"At present, Comstar-UTS provides Wi-Fi services in the three heavily trafficked underground stations: Okhotny' Ryad, Teatral'naya and Ploschad' Revolyutsii," Rybakov writes. "There are 21 hotspots covering an area of two square kilometers, which includes waiting halls, passages, escalators and entrance halls. Tunnels in between stations are not yet covered by this network."

"The Metro network has a higher potential concentration of users compared to other hotspots," says Dmitry Dronov, the company's vice president of marketing. "We are certain that the project will be successful, considering the position of the network and the fact that most of the sold portable devices already support Wi-Fi."

More here from Russia-InfoCentre ... and Comstar's press release is here.