Starting from 1st August 2006 OJSC N.W.Telecom is changing the rates for Internet dial-up access services. The new rates for Internet dial-up access services will depend on the region and the time of providing the service.  

The change of the rates will first of all concern the most popular service of Internet dial-up access on credit (Advance trademark). The rates for the Advance service will be equal to the rates for dial-up access under cards and contracts, which makes this service more attractive for users. In most cases the price of the Advance trademark Internet services used to considerably exceed the price of Internet services under cards and contracts.

Besides, in a number of regions JSC North-West Telecom has changed the time rate intervals – abandoned the "barrier" evening rates. Here two basic time intervals have been introduced – day and night, which significantly simplifies the rating and expands the opportunities for a subscriber to work at the most convenient time. Now the night rate starts after 8 p.m. and ends no earlier than 8 a.m. next day**.

The change in the rates has been caused by the introduction of limit prices for the services of traffic connection and passage starting from 1st July 2006, including the service of local call initiation for operators occupying a significant position in the public telecommunications network (Order of Rossvyaznadzor No. 51 of 19.06.2006). Being a significant operator, JSC North-West Telecom set forth economic conditions of connection in compliance with the established limit prices on 30th June 2006.   The said changes in the legislation are aimed at further regulation of relations among the participants of the telecommunications market and at creating equal and understandable rules of interaction. 

O.V. Popov – Deputy General Manager – Commercial Manager, JSC North-West Telecom: "It should be noted that there used to be no fee for call initiation services (a fee for a minute of connection with the modem pool) between operators. Today telecommunication companies are switching to civilized conditions of services provision, fulfilling the requirements of the law, which are equal for everybody. Meanwhile, the call initiation service is not solely the service of JSC North-West Telecom. In the framework of the existing contracts, our company pays for this service to any connected operator, if its subscribers initiate a call to the JSC Nort-West Telecom's network, too.

As a leader in the market of dial-up access, JSC North-West Telecom will continue to develop and promote this service. It is expected that various marketing campaigns will be launched.

Detailed information on JSC Nort-West Telecom's rates for dial-up access services can be found at the regional Internet representative offices of JSC Nort-West Telecom's branches and on the site of the Company at www.nwtelecom.ru. 

* For subscribers of Kaliningrad Oblast and the Republic of Karelia the rates for dial-up Internet access services have not been changed so far.

** Time intervals may differ in different regions.