JSC North-West Telecom is the largest telecommunication services operator providing a wide range of telecommunications services all over the territory of the Northwestern Federal District.

JSC North-West Telecom places emphasis on developing and upgrading telephone networks, it is expanding the installed capacity of telephone exchanges, decommissioning outdated telephone exchanges and renovating communication networks and facilities. As of the end of the 1st six months of 2006, the total installed capacity of JSC North-West Telecom's network amounted to 4,733,000 lines, including 4,311,000 lines of the city telephone network and 422,000 lines of the rural network. Digitalization of the installed telephone capacity of the company increased to 54.9% by the end of the half-year period (as of 01.07.2005 this figure was 48.6%, and as of 01.01.2006 it was 53.8%). In some cities digitalization has already reached 100%. The percentage of the operating number capacity of the company is 93.4%. There are almost no outdated decade-step exchanges on the network, they have been replaced by up-to-date digital telephone exchanges. 

The high rate of introducing a new number capacity has resulted in a considerable reduction of the queue for telephone installation in all regions of the North-West. The number of applications for telephone installation filed with JSC North-West Telecom as of 01.07.06 amounted to 78,800, taking into account new applications that were constantly received (in the respective period of the year 2005 this figure was 164,200 applications, and as of 01.01.06 it was 109,300).

One of JSC N.W.Telecom's major projects of the year 2006 is providing the services of broadband Internet access. ?DSL equipment with a capacity over 90,000 lines has been installed at telephone exchanges of JSC NWT in all branches of the company, and 34,000 of them (37%) have been put into operation. As of 1st July 2006 the number of dedicated Internet access users (including those using the ADSL technology) was about 33,000, which is several times higher than the same figure as of 1st July 2005, which was about 4,000 users. The growth of ADSL subscribers for the six months (from 01.01.06 till 01.07.06) has exceeded 24,000.

All in all, in 2006 JSC North-West Telecom is planning to provide ADSL Internet access to over 70,000 subscribers, including 50,000 in St. Petersburg. To promote the ADSL Internet access service, North-West Telecom has developed and presented to consumers a new trademark, Avangard.