In 7th February North-West Telecom decommissioned the last decade-step exchange in Novgorod Oblast, which had been operated for more than 36 years in the city of Staraya Russa. During the ceremony of official disconnection of the exchange, Governor of Novgorod Oblast Mikhail Prusak and General Manager of OJSC NWT Vladimir Akulich signed a page of the Chronicle of Novgorod Communication, in which they testified the end of the "Epoch of Decade-Step Exchanges on Novgorod Lands". In the framework of the ceremony, General Manager of OJSC NWT Vladimir Akulich noted that "the shutdown of the last decade-step exchange was an important event both for Novgorod Oblast and for the entire North-West Telecom.

 This is the result of well-directed and painstaking efforts of the company to upgrade the communication networks in order to implement the main principle of work – providing clients with the full range of quality services on the basis of up-to-date technologies. Few regions of Russia can boast today that they have no decade-step exchanges any longer.  Novgorod Oblast is one of the first. And this has been done by the efforts of both the telecommunications operator and the local authorities who have been supporting the development of telecommunications in the region for many years. The old decade-step exchange has been replaced by a new, digital exchange, due to which the complete range of up-to-date telecommunication services is available to clients of the Novgorodtelecom branch of OJSC NWT now.    This is not only the traditional telephone communication and value added services (teleconferencing, alarm clock, call forwarding, automatic redialing, etc.), these are also the services of broadband access to the Internet using the ADSL technology, videotelephone communication and video surveillance services, and, in the future, high quality digital television. A demonstration of the said up-to-date services was held immediately after the ceremony of switching off the decade-step exchange and aroused keen interest of the attending corporate clients, leaders of Staraya Russa District and Novgorod Oblast.

In 2005 OJSC North-West Telecom invested 257.4 million roubles in the development of communication networks and facilities in Novgorod Oblast, having commissioned 26,200 telephone numbers.  9,300 numbers have been used to replace the outdated number capacity. The major objects of the investment plan of the Novgorodtelecom branch commissioned in 2005: 

1. Expanding the data transmission services network – over 2,000 xDSL ports have been commissioned.

2. Expanding the telephone capacity of telephone exchanges in Veliky Novgorod by 8,500 numbers.

3. Expanding the telephone network of the city of Staraya Russa. Digital equipment with the capacity of 6,400 numbers has been put into operation and has completely replaced the outdated decade-step exchange ATS-2, the crossbar office (ATS-24) and ATS SI-2000 with the total capacity of 4960 numbers.

4. Expanding the telephone network of the city of Borovichi by 3,500 numbers.

5. Expanding the telephone network of Novgorod District: the settlement of Pankovka, the village of Bozhonka, the settlement of Yermolino.

6. Expanding and replacing the number capacity of telephone exchanges in the district centers of Soltsy, Malaya Vishera, Chudovo, Khvoynaya, Valday Parfino and Poddorye.

7. Renovation of the telephone network of Okulovsky District with complete replacement of all telephone exchanges by digital ones - all in all 1088 telephone numbers have been put into operation, 909 of them having been used to replace the outdated capacity.     

8. Construction of fiber-optic communication lines on the sections Novgorod-Chudovo and Lyubytino- Malaya Vishera.