In 2004, the proceeds of the NWT JSC branch Elektrosvyaz of the Republic of Karelia increased by 11.3% as compared to a similar period of the last year and comprised RUR 822 million.

The volume of capital investments of North-West Telecom JSC to the developing of communication facilities in the Republic of Karelia comprised about RUR 290 million. In the framework of the investment programme of the Company, 17 new digital exchanges were put into operation and the number capacity of 22 already operating telephone exchanges was increased. About 21.5 thousands of new numbers were introduced of which 15 thousand were used to replace the obsolete number capacity and 6 thousand – for installation of new numbers. In December 2004, the last of the ten-step telephone exchanges was withdrawn from operation. The level of digitalization in the Republic reached 51%, exceeding 73% in the capital Petrozavodsk. The Prionezhsky district, the district centers Belomorsk, Loukhi, Pudozh, Pryazha and Lakhdenpokhya are completely digitized. The telephone density achieved 74 telephones per 100 families. The installed network capacity of the subsidiary exceeded 221 thousand numbers.

In 2004, a unique project was finished: a radio-relay link Petrozavodsk – Pudozh with a total length of about 150 kilometers with more than 65 kilometers of which pass above the surface of Lake Onega, was assembled and put into operation. The Call-center of the information service was introduced into industrial operation. A high-speed convergent network was created in Petrozavodsk, Medvezhyegorsk, Belomorsk, Loukhi, Kondopoga, Pitkyaranta, Olonets, Sortavala, Suoyarvi, Segezha and Pudozh. The project for creating the corporate network of the Board of the RF Ministry for Taxes and Fees for the Republic of Karelia and the National Bank was implemented.

The branch is the first and so far the only one in the North-West to realize a complex programme for introducing a multii-level system of subscriber access nodes controlled from the central telephone exchange of Petrozavodsk.              

In the branch Elektrosvyaz of the Republic of Karelia, the “Veteran” program is in action for fulfilling a priority access to communication of veterans and disabled participants of the World War II, in the framework of which 149 telephones were installed free of charge in 2004 alone.