MOSCOW, October 4 - RAPSI, Dmitry Shchitov. A court of appeals set October 26 to hear a major mobile provider's appeal against a lower-court decision to fine the company $1,000 for leaking customers' text messages on the Internet, a court official told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) on Tuesday.

Megafon appealed the Moscow Commercial Court's August 30 decision to fine the provider upon the request of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. The watchdog sued Megafon after Yandex, Russia's leading search engine, provided access to a list of several thousand text messages sent from the Megafon website on July 19, as well as addressees' mobile phone numbers.

After the hearing Megafon's press service told journalists that the company is not yet ready to comment.

The Moscow Commercial Court initiated examination of evidence behind closed doors at its August 24 session.

Assistant head of the service earlier told RIA Novosti that Megafon failed to provide secrecy of communication and, therefore, violated its license obligations to observe applicable laws and regulations.