OREANDA-NEWS. On July 12, 2007 TransTeleCom Ltd. (TTC) started operations on the international and long-distance telephone communications market, reported the press-centre of TTC.

RF Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (Minsvyazi RF) Order No. 71 “On Assigning Carrier Selection Codes and a Network Terminal Category Value for Providing Customers (Users) with Access to Long-Distance and International Telephone Communications Services Supplied by TransTeleCom Ltd” has been registered in the RF Ministry of Justice. TransTeleCom has thus become a national carrier of international and long-distance telephone communications.

TTC customers will be able to call long distance by entering “52” and make calls abroad by entering “57”.

TransTeleCom’s long-distance and international telephone communications network (LITC) is the first nationwide network in Russia based on Next Generation Networks (NGN). Project investments make up 16 mln. USD.

A Next Generation Network is a multiservice network that transmits all forms of media traffic and provides an unlimited range of telecommunications services with the option to add and link them. It allows customers to make use of several dozen additional communications services, broadband Internet access, IP-TV, etc. The customer will be able to subscribe to additional telephony services via the Internet, keep a record of conversation traffic, create a group of business customers, and specify a set package of services (for corporations, firms), etc.
Implementation of TTC’s LITC is based on:

- 11 Softswitches (SS) (7 long-distance and 4 international) combined according to the “each with each” principal;

- resources of the Company’s Backbone Digital Network;

- connection points to the networks of zonal telephone carriers in all Federation Subjects.

TTC’s LITC is the sole completely homogeneous national telephone network built “from scratch” on the basis of single-type equipment and with a centralized control system. A single contractor, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., supplied the equipment and performed installation and startup and adjustment work. This ensures optimum consistency and equilibration of all network elements.

The choice of NGN technology and advanced principles of network implementation gives TTC a number of important competitive advantages: high availability ratio, network quality, and low maintenance costs. TTC’s backbone resources allow voice communication through the LITC without the use of additional compression, which minimizes the level of delays and distortions.
In the first phase of operations on the long-distance and international communications market, the Company’s customers will be large corporations, with the most important clients being companies of the OAO Russian Railways holding and TTC’s current large clients. Long-distance and international service will then be extended to medium and small businesses. In the final phase, the Company will start promoting its services on the mass market. TTC will focus its main efforts on expanding services in the regions.

In future, as it penetrates the mass market TTC will offer various credit and prepaid products based on a public offer and bonus programs, as well as services based on the Smart platform. Servicing will be performed on the basis of the Company’s multimedia Contact Center.
During the following five years TTC expects to get hold of 8 % of the Russian long-distance and international telephone communications market.

“Entering the long-distance and international telephone communications market is an important new phase in our company’s existence,” said TransTeleCom President Sergei Lipatov. “A preparatory phase lasting more than one and a half years has ended. It included obtaining licenses, building the network, and obtaining permits. The Company’s entry into the long-distance communications market is opening up new development horizons for us and will allow us to increase revenue growth rates and diversify our business.”