Asia PR News

AMSTERDAM and MOSCOW, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Investment from Sumitomo Corporation and Baring Vostok Capital Partners

Enforta BV announced today that it will expand its broadband services to
another 12 regional Russian cities by the middle of 2006 and an additional 14
regional cities by 2007. Enforta is currently providing broadband services in
Novosibirsk and Ryazan. In all, Enforta will provide services in at least 28
cities over the next two years.

Enforta’s expansion plans follow the announced recent financing with
investments from Sumitomo Corporation and Baring Vostok Capital Partners.
Sumitomo provided the initial funding for Enforta in early 2005.

During 2005 Russia became one of the top 10 Internet markets in the world
in terms of users. Enforta’s offering is designed to bring a low cost, high
bandwidth service to meet the growing demand for high-speed Internet access by
businesses and consumers throughout Russia. In addition to Internet access,
Enforta is providing telephony (VoIP), email, website hosting, and dedicated
("VPN") services assuring secure communication in a variety of applications
including the interconnection of ATM machines and branch offices. Service
packages start for as little as $39 per month.

Enforta’s initial network will use advanced ‘WiMAX’, a newly developed form
of wireless technology which, together with other state-of-the-art connectivity
solutions will allow for the rapid, cost effective deployment of networks that
will support virtually all advanced communication services. By so doing,
Enforta will bring cutting edge services to areas that are largely under if not
un-served today.

"Enforta will be a ‘first-mover’ in providing broadband services to one of
the fastest growing Internet markets in the world. The economics of the
wireless broadband technology are well suited to provide service to this
market", said Elena Ivashentseva, Partner at Baring Vostok. "The Enforta
business plan is exciting and we are pleased with the results achieved in our
initial trials. Sumitomo is happy to increase its investment to assure that
Enforta remains a leader in the wireless broadband segment", said Katsuya
Kashiki, Sumitomo’s Manager of New Business and Investment in Russia.

"Enforta’s market opportunity is extraordinary, and with the funding and
support of Sumitomo and Baring Vostok, we are assured of the ability to deploy
rapidly a first class affordable network", said Enforta’s Chairman, Theodore
"Ted" Schell. "We are privileged to have attracted such extraordinary partners
as Sumitomo and Baring Vostok - partners with extensive experience in working
with high growth technology based service companies. This will help assure our
success."

Enforta was formed in October, 2003, and today operates in two cities -
Novosibirsk and Ryazan. The Company was founded by Mssrs Lee Sparkman,
President, and Victor Ratnikov, General Director, both with substantial
experience in building advanced telecommunications networks in emerging markets
over the past 20 years; and by Mr. Theodore Schell, Enforta’s Chairman, an
internationally known telecommunications executive and investor.

Enforta is a member of the WiMAX Forum - an industry-led consortium of over
300 members developing and promoting standards for IEEE 802.16 wireless
broadband technology.

For more information on Enforta’s current operations and planned expansion
see www.enforta.com or contact pr@enforta.com

About Sumitomo Corporation
Sumitomo Corporation is amongst the world’s largest integrated trading and
investment enterprises with annual turnover of $88.4 USD billion for the fiscal
year ending March 2005 and not only conducts commodity transactions in all
industries utilizing worldwide networks, but also provides related customers
with various financing, serves as an organizer and a coordinator for various
projects, and invests in businesses from the information industry to the
retailing industry, thus showing great diversification as an Integrated
Business Enterprise. Sumitomo Corporation is headquartered in Japan, and has
offices in 69 other countries around the world. In Russia Sumitomo Corporation
began its activities over 40 years ago and has 5 offices.

www.sumitomocorp.co.jp/english

About Baring Vostok Capital Partners
Baring Vostok Capital Partners is the manager of three private equity
funds. The NIS Fund (1994 with $160 million) was one of the first or largest
shareholders in a number of Russian or CIS companies including: Burren Energy,
Syktyvkar Forestry, Golden Telecom, Vimpelcom, Sladco, Borjomi, and Rogan
Brewery. To date, the NIS Fund has been the number one performing Russian
private equity fund and its results place it in the top quartile of global
private equity funds over the same period. BVCP raised a second fund in 2000
(the Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund) with $205 million in capital and its
third fund in 2004 (the Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund III) with $400
million in capital. Today, BVCP’s funds own significant stakes in Europlan
Leasing, CTC Media, Golden Telecom, Burren Energy, Spassk Cement, PPE Group,
Yandex, Ozon, Rusfinance, and Caspian Gas Corporation. The Funds’ shareholders
are primarily institutional investors from Europe, North America, the Middle
East and Asia. www.bvcp.ru

SOURCE: Enforta (ZAO - Prestige Internet)

CONTACT: Oleg Taynov of Enforta BV,
+7-095-540-4828, or
o.taynov@enforta.com

Web site: http://www.bvcp.ru
http://www.sumitomocorp.co.jp/english
http://www.enforta.com