In order to upgrade its payphone network, OJSC MGTS has purchased public telephone stations of new generation, SIEMENS TMI-PC/S and SIEMENS TMI-MM/P modifications. The principal difference of the payphones consists in providing wider-range possibilities of their reprogramming and storing new functions therein. The developer of such payphones provided for remote downloading of parameters into the terminals by a network operator, i.e. without involvement of service maintenance staff of the vendor company. Besides, the new payphones are modern-styled and need no minor repair or painting.

First priority will be given to installing the new-model payphones in the busiest spots of the capital-city: railroad terminals, subway stations transfer passages, large shopping centers, and the like.

One of the OJSC MGTS priority vectors aiming to promote the Company's payphone business is the expansion of roaming area for payphone card users. To date, OJSC MGTS has a well-elaborate and fully integrated hardware components system that is put into industrial operation and needed to effect mutual settlements with other operators. For several years already, OJSC MGTS has been collaborating in a uniform payphone card format with CJSC "Tverskoi Taksofon" ("Tver Payphone"), JSC "MMT", and CJSC "Comstar".

An appropriate agreement was recently signed with the payphone network operators in the cities of Sochi and St. Petersburg.

In the near-term perspective, OJSC MGTS will start a GSM--payphone installation project in the pats of the city not having cable lines, basing on radio access technology. Thereby, a failure-free fixed communication will be provided to the users in the districts of Moscow where it is technically impossible to lay telephone cables. According to the Company's preliminary plans, such payphones will be primarily mounted in small-scale wholesale marketplaces.

Presently, OJSC MGTS considers the possibility of using banker cards as a means of payphone services payment. Such mode of subscriber services settlement, in the view of the Company's experts, will facilitate in a big way OJSC MGTS payphones access procedure, and make all communications services provided through the payphones more fully utilized both by the residents and visitors of Moscow.