North-West Telecom has continued this year with its "Programme for Providing Telecommunication Services to St. Petersburg Residents Between 2005-2007". Through implementing the provisions of the Programme the waiting list for telephone installation in St. Petersburg has been reduced 3.5 times over 18 months: As of 1January. In this achievement, OJSC NWT points out that its St. Petersburg branch received over 36,000 applications during 2005 and more that 17,000 in 1H 2006 alone.

Only for 6 months of 2006 (from 01.01.06 till 01.07.06) the St. Petersburg branch of OJSC NWT satisfied almost 10,000 applications for telephone installation, received by the communication operator before 1st January 2006, and 11,400 applications filed in 2006.

One of the priorities in the operation of OJSC NWT is the preferential telephone installation for veterans of the Great Patriotic War and equal categories of citizens. 209 telephone connections were installed for the first six months of 2006 for the disabled and participants of the Great Patriotic War, equal privileged categories of citizens and residents of the sieged Leningrad. As a result, by 1st July 2006 there were no unsatisfied applications for telephone installation from the said category of citizens in the St. Petersburg branch.

The purpose of the Programme of Providing Telecommunication Services to Residents of St. Petersburg is both to eliminate the queue for telephone installation and to provide telephone communication for remote territories and districts of the megapolis, as well as to improve the quality of provided services through upgrading the telecommunication networks of the city.

By 1st July 2006 North-West Telecom switched over all decade-step exchanges and several crossbar offices of St. Petersburg to digital equipment. The total number capacity that has been replaced by digital equipment is about 88,000 numbers. One of the large-scale projects and an important event for the communication workers has been the replacement of the last decade-step exchange in St. Petersburg, ATS N262-267 Shchemilovskaya, by a digital one in May 2006.

The development of the city telephone network of the Northern Capital is one of the basic investment projects of OJSC NWT in the Northwestern Federal District, for which up to 35% of the total volume of Company's investment is expected to be spent. Over 13,000 new telephone numbers were commissioned by the St. Petersburg branch of OJSC North-West Telecom in the framework of the investment programme for 6 months. The installed capacity of the St. Petersburg branch grew to 2,100,000 numbers, while the operating capacity was 1,970,000 numbers.

North-West Telecom is a company, which fulfils the undertaken obligations. Provided the Programme is successfully implemented, by the year 1998 the queue for telephone installation in St. Petersburg will be eliminated, and all newly filed applications will be satisfied within 6 months.

About North-West Telecom

OAO North-West Telecom is one of Russia’s major telecommunication companies, and the leading operator in the North-West Federal District, providing traditional telephone services, as well as internet and advanced data services. NWT originated from the merger of 10 regional fixed line operators and is ranked among the Financial Times’ Top 100 major Eastern European companies. NWT ranks eighth in Standard & Poor`s Transparency Index of the 50 largest MICEX-listed companies and fifth in the S & P Corporate governance rating. NWT international debt is rated by S&P B+ with stable outlook and domestic debt ruA+.

News source: russianewswire.com
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