On 24th January 2005 a meeting of V.A. Akulich, General Manager of OJSC North-West Telecom, and V.Ye. Pozgalev, Governor of Vologda Oblast, was held in Vologda. The meeting resulted in signing an Agreement of the Government of Vologda Oblast and the Open Joint-Stock Company North-West Telecom of Mutual Cooperation.

Recognizing the mutual benefits and taking into account the interest in further development and intensification of cooperation on a long-term and stable basis, the most important areas of joint work have been outlined: 

• developing and implementing target development programmes in the field of telecommunication and informatization;
• improving and expanding cooperation in the field of telecommunication and informatization on the basis of equal rights, mutual aid and information exchange;
• creating a system for exchange of scientific and technical information and standard documents; 
• ensuring integration of the operating and newly created telecommunication networks into a single information and telecommunication space of Russia;
• coordinating telecommunication and informatization networks development projects implemented in Vologda Oblast.

In the course of the meeting, V.Ye. Pozgalev noted: “The scale of telephone communication development in Vologda Oblast are impressive. The signing of the Agreement will become a new impulse for telecommunications development. Therefore, we would like to see Vologda Oblast as an important player in the NWT’s rural telephone communication development programme.” V.A. Akulich noticed that the Vologda branch has the largest number of settlements. Nevertheless, by the year 2006 NWT will resolve the problem of rural telecommunication connections by using the wide-band radio access technology. Besides, V.A. Akulich promised that by 1st April 2005 the issue of providing all people disabled during the Great Patriotic War (WW II) with telephone communication will be resolved.

In 2004 the total volume of OJSC North-West Telecom’s investment in the development of communication facilities of Vologda Oblast amounted to RUR 344 million. 14 electronic telephone exchanges were commissioned, which has made it possible to increase the digitalization level in the region to 70% and to cut the queue for provision with telephone communication by 15,000 subscribers.        

This year the construction of the Vologda – Sheksna – Cherepovets fibre-optic line has been completed. A prerequisite for the development of rural telecommunications and provision of the entire range of up-to-date telecommunication services to the population of the region has been created.

At the same time, the work to lay the Vologda – Veliky Ustyug fibre-optic line 550 km in length has been started.

OJSC North-West Telecom is planning to invest RUR 312 million in the development of the telecommunication system of Vologda Oblast in 2005.