An official ceremony marking the 125th anniversary of telephone communications celebrated by all workers of Russian communications industry took place on 21-22 June 2007 in St.-Petersburg*.

On 21 June 2007 St.-Petersburg branch of the OJSC North-West Telecom presented awards to the best employees of the branch. Seven workers received the highest communications award – the honorary title “Master of Communications”, one was awarded a badge “Honorary Signaller”. Ten employees received commendations and merit certificates of the Governor of St.-Petersburg for their contribution to the upgrade of communications industry, development and improvement of communications and new information technologies. Eight professionals received merit certificates of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation; seven were awarded merit certificates of the OJSC “Svyazinvest”. Twenty two branch employees received commendation of the CEO of OJSC NWT for personal contribution to the development and improvement of means and quality of telecommunications services.

The highlight of the celebrations was the anniversary concert “There is just one moment…” which took place on 22 June in the Grand Hall of the St.-Petersburg Academic Philharmonic named after D.D. Shostakovich.  

Among the audience were representatives of the St.-Petersburg government, our colleagues and partners from telecommunications industry from St.-Petersburg, Moscow and other Russian cities, management of the OJSC “Svyazinvest” and the Russian Trade Union of Communication Workers, directors of regional branches of the OJSC NWT, employees and veterans of the St.-Petersburg branch.

In his address the CEO of the Alexander Kiselev, OJSC Svyazinvest, congratulated all communications workers of North-Western Russia on the anniversary and emphasized that despite the changes that have taken place in the communications industry over the past 125 years, the main goal of communications is still connecting people wherever they are, under all circumstances, at any time.

Galina Izotova, Deputy Representative of the President at the North-Western Federal District, congratulated the communication workers in St.-Petersburg and North-Western Russia on behalf of I. Klebanov and expressed her gratitude for their "invisible, but very important and responsible work, which brings the feeling of security and stability, because telecommunications networks   function every minute of every day, ensuring business information exchange and emergency calls, providing access to global network and simple everyday communication between people".  

The program of the anniversary concert featured Elena Obraztsova, the People’s Artist of the Soviet Union, and Tamara Gverdtsiteli, the People's Artist of Georgia and the People’s Artist of Russia, who performed to the accompaniment of the Governor’s Jazz and Symphony Orchestra, conductor Stanislav Gorovenko.

The value of human communications and respect to traditions and history along with high importance of telecommunications and technological developments, which every century, every decade, every year expand the limits of human capacities and contribute to social development, were the main topics of the official addresses and the literary part of the concert for the 125th anniversary of the telephone communications.  

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*The telephone network was first established in St.-Petersburg in late 1870s, few years after Alexander Graham Bell invented telephone in 1876. The first experiments of long distance voice communications by wire took place already in 1879 between St.-Petersburg and Malaya Vishera. Active development of phone communications in Russia started after on 25 September 1881 Alexander III issued a decree which allowed establishment of phone networks for general use in St.-Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Riga and Odessa.

The first telephone exchange in St.-Petersburg with capacity of 200 numbers started its operation on 1 July 1882 in Hansen House at 26, Nevsky prospect. The access to the network was given to 128 subscribers.

On 1 January 1886 the fitted capacity of St.-Petersburg main phone exchange was 950 numbers, by 1890 this number reached 1320. In 1883 first public call office opened in the premises of the phone exchange at 26, Nevsky Prospect. In 1903 the building of the underground phone communications started in St.-Petersburg which allowed replacing overhead wire lines with underground cables.   On 1 May 1995 a new phone exchange for 12 000 subscribers opened at 22, Bolshaya Morskaya. By 1 January 1914 the total number of phones in St.-Petersburg reached 49 860. This was the beginning of telephone communications in the Northern Capital.

Today St.-Petersburg has about 2 millions phone subscribers served by the St.-Petersburg Branch of the OJSC North-West Telecom. St.-Petersburg residents and businesses have access to both traditional phone networks and modern data transmission networks, including broadband internet access and other multi-service communications.