In December 2008 OJSC North-West Telecom completed the second stage of the programme for   implementing the universal telephone communication services using payphones in 9 regions of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation. In compliance with the terms of the tenders (see Press Release of 29.12.07), specialists of OJSC N.W.Telecom installed 11,136 universal service payphones during the 2nd stage.

All in all, for the two stages in the period from 2006 till 2008 OJSC N.W. Telecom installed 25,824  universal service payphones in urban and rural settlements of the Northwestern Federal District, including ones that had no telephone communication at all.

OJSC North-West Telecom put into operation all universal service payphones according to the schedule for both the first and the second stages. Installation of payphone s of the second stage was completed in seven regions in June 2008 ( see Press release of 26.06.08 ), while in Vologda Oblast and Pskov Oblast it was completed late at the end of the year.

A key task in implementing this socially significant national programme is to ensure operability of the universal service payphone s network built by the Company – guaranteed provision of the minimum package of telecommunication services included in the concept of the " Universal Communication Service" to residents of the district, and, first of all, to the categories of the population, for whom access to communication services is difficult.

To resolve this task, OJSC North-West Telecom have taken a decision that the universal service payphones will be operated using the methods of standard telecommunication equipment operation, i.e., from the standpoint of operation organization, the universal service payphones have been included in the same class as telephone exchanges and transport network equipment.

Besides, to ensure a more efficient operation of payphone s, the Company has introduced a payphone control system including 9 regional centres and a central inter regional control centre. This system makes it possible to get in fact on-line information on operability of any payphone throughout the Northwestern Federal District and on the volume of provided universal communication services for any time span, and to update payphone software at the minimum cost.

According to V. A. Akulich, General Manager of OJSC N.W.Telecom, "an important stage of a large-scale national programme for implementing universal payphone s has been completed. We have invested over 6.6 billion roubles for connecting remote areas in the region of our presence to telephone networks.   However, this is not the end of our commitments – a thorough daily work of the regular maintenance of this network awaits us. Hopefully, the unique system of payphone s control will facilitate better work in this area. And residents of all, even the remotest corners of the Northwestern Federal District will be always connected ."

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Using the payphones specially designed to provide the universal communication services, one can use the services of local, intraareal (among other things, by reversing the charges), long-distance and international telephone communication, call emergency services free of charge, reply to an incoming call and get reference information.

One can use the communication services from universal service payphones using 50 and 100 roubles (5,000 and 10,000 rate units) Unified Payment Cards for Universal Communication Services, that are sold by sale and clients servicing centres of OJSC N.W. Telecom and by post offices (FGUP "Russian Post").

One may call emergency services, reply to an incoming call and get reference information, including more information on the universal service, without using the payphone card ( payment card).

The rates for local telephone connections using universal payphone s have been established by the RF Federal Communication Agency and make from 48 to 76 kopecks per minute depending on the region of the Northwestern Federal District. A minute of intraareal communication ( telephone connection within an oblast (region) or a republic) costs from 2 roubles 70 kopecks to 3 roubles. Long-distance and international telephone communication services are provided at the rates of long-haul communication operators.