The telecommunication company Arctel yesterday, June 6 applied to the Russian Ministry for Information Technologies and Communications for telephone network selection codes as a long-distance carrier.

“A year ago few people believed in the seriousness of our intentions to begin operating in that market,” said Arctel Director General Sergei Kuznetsov. “Unlike other carriers, we started building our network from scratch. But in spite of sceptics’ forecasts, Arctel built a modern network within less than a year and is now prepared to provide long-distance service on the whole territory of Russia. All we need to do now is obtain the prefixes within the time prescribed by law.”
Arctel began the construction in April 2006 completing a federal long-distance network in March 2007.

As specified by the network connection rules and the requirements of the long-distance licence Arctel received in December 2005, the network consists of four international transit nodes in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, seven interlinked interurban transit nodes in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnodar, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, and 86 points of interface in each of Russia’s federal subjects.

The nodes are connected by transport links leased from TransTelecom, Start Telecom and RTComm, to form a network. Arctel has complied with each of the Ministry’s technical requirements for network construction and obtained permits to operate communications centres. The company has completed the process of connecting to local telephone companies’ networks. Its investment in development of network infrastructure totalled $30 million.

“Unlike other carriers who received prefixes earlier, we are going to participate most actively in the liberalisation of the Russian telecommunication market,” Sergei Kuznetsov said. “For it is our company’s mission to make telecommunication services simple to use, convenient and affordable.

Pursuant to that mission, we have developed a long-distance services provision plan, tariff policy and a marketing campaign, and all our branches and divisions are ready to provide the new service. Arctel intends to win at least 4 percent of the long-distance communication market – not a tall order with the team we have.”