On 1st July an amendment to article 54 of the federal law On Communication, abolishing the fee for incoming calls to any phone set, is taking legal effect. At the same time, a fee will be introduced for calls from fixed network phone sets to cellular numbers. In compliance with the resolution of the RF Government No. 310 dated 18th May 2005, all calls from fixed network phone sets to cellular numbers are considered as intraareal calls (call within the boundaries of one entity of the federation – a republic, territory or region) and, consequently, they shall be paid for.  

On 19th June 2006 the RF Federal Rates Service established rates for outgoing connections (calls) of fixed communication subscribers with mobile (cellular) communication subscribers for OJSC North-West Telecom in Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts, the Republics of Karelia and Komi and St. Petersburg. The rate has been established at 1.50 roubles per minute of an outgoing connection.

The changes in the rates will concern only regional (oblast) centers, which have not been paying for connections with cellular communication subscribers registered in the oblast center. For subscribers residing in district centers or in other settlements of the region (oblast), the price of outgoing connections (calls) with cellular communication subscribers will remain unchanged:   the fee will be exacted at the existing rates for intraareal connections, approved for subscribers of OJSC NWT in each region (established on the basis of the Order of the Federal Rates Service No. 732-s/b of 20.12.2005).

In setting rates for calls from fixed communication telephone network to mobile (cellular) communication operators networks, a scheme similar to the rates scheme of intraareal and long-distance and international connections is used (on the basis of the "Rules of Providing Services of Local, Intraareal, Long-Distance and International Telephone Communication"). I.e., a scheme of per-minute rates starting from the fist second of connection is used, calls lasting less than six seconds are not to be paid for. 

If a fixed network subscriber gives a phone call to a phone set of a cellular subscriber in roaming, the former will pay at the established rate for an intraareal connection, while the costs of the roaming service will be borne by the cellular communication subscriber to his/her cellular network operator.

Clients may obtain more detailed information from Clients Servicing Centres at branches of OJSC NWT and in the Internet offices of OJSC North-West Telecom's branches in the Rates section.

The system, under which the calling party pays for calls, is used in most countries of the world. The legislative initiative creates conditions for OJSC NWT and other fixed communication operators equal with cellular companies. To implement the "caller must pay" principle, appropriate inter-operator contracts must be signed by all communication operators.  A significant part of the income gained by OJSC NWT for calls from fixed network phone sets to cellular operator's phone sets will be used for payment for cellular communication operators' services.