OJSC North-West Telecom has started providing universal telephone communication services using payphone s in Leningrad Oblast. The first 80 universal servicing payphone s have been installed in the Kingisepp, Lomonosov, Slantsy, Volosovo, Gatchina, Luga, Kirov, Tosno, Vyborg, Priozersk, Lodeinoye Pole, Podporozhye, Boxitogorsk and Tikhvin districts and in the Sosnovy Bor town district .

OJSC N.W. Telecom has become the winner of the tender for the right of providing universal telephone communication services using payphone s in Leningrad Oblast in February 2007. According to the terms of the competition, 1600 payphone s will be installed in 1582 settlement s in Leningrad Oblast in 2007-2008.

Universal servicing payphone s will be   installed in convenient public places according to the requirement s and rules of providing universal communication services . A distinguishing feature of such payphones is that they can be used not only to give a phone call – a free incoming call can be received by them, too.

100 roubles payment cards are used to pay for the telephone communication universal services provided via payphone s. Such cards can be bought at clients servicing centers of the Leningrad Oblast Branch of OJSC N.W.Telecom and at any post office of the region.  

The rates for local telephone connection s via universal servicing payphone s established by the Federal Communication Agency are 48 kopecks per minute in Leningrad Oblast.   Long-distance and international telephone communication services via such payphone s are provided at the rates of telecommunication operators. Calls to emergency services are free of charge .

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A test call from a universal servicing payphone was carried out in the settlement of Voiskovitsy, Gatchina district , on 31st July. The first call from that payphone was made by Alexandr Avner, the manager of the Gatchina telecommunication s centre of the Leningrad Oblast branch of OJSC N.W.Telecom . He gave a phone call to Vitaly Strizhkov, the regional director – director of the Leningrad Oblast branch of OJSC N.W. Telecom, and told him that the universal communication services were ready to be provided.