On December 1 through 3, 2009 N.W.Telecom provided technical support to the “Hot Line” with V. V. Putin, Chairman of the Russian Government, ensuring high-quality trouble-free operation of communication facilities in all of the regions of the North-Western Federal District. Anyone could call the “Hot Line” both from home telephones and from universal service payphones located in all inhabited places of the NWFD.

In all, over 60,000 calls from residents of the North-West of Russia were received on the “Hot Line” telephone (No. 8-800-200-40-40) from December 1 through 3 (of these, about 1% were made from universal service payphones.) Most of the calls were received from St. Petersburg residents – over 20 thousand, and from Leningrad Oblast – over 7,500. The activity of residents of other NWFD regions was actually equal, being on the average four thousand calls from the subscribers of each Branch.

N.W.Telecom also contributed to providing channels for the link-up TV program “Talking with Vladimir Putin” on December 3, 2009. The company provided transmission of audio TV signals for the Russian TV & Radio Company from the shooting site on the grounds of the Basel Cement factory in Pikalevo, Leningrad Oblast, one of several points in the Russian Federation where citizens could communicate with the Chairman of the Russian Government in a live broadcast.

The residents of the North-West were most active during the TV link-up, for it was on December 3 that nearly 70% of the total telephone calls from the NWFD were received by the “Hot Line.”