OREANDA-NEWS. April 06, 2010. Rostelecom (RTS, MICEX: RTKM, RTKMP; OTCQX: ROSYY) announced that Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has affirmed Rostelecom’s long-term credit rating at BB with a stable outlook.

S&P commented that the major positive factors include Rostelecom’s resilient financial profile, its ongoing leadership position in the long-distance market alongside its state-of-the-art nationwide network, which is considered to be one of the company’s key competitive advantages.

According to S&P, Rostelecom’s current financial position continues to be characterized by minimal debt and ample liquidity.

The stable outlook reflects Standard & Poor’s expectation that Rostelecom will maintain its leading position in the long-distance market, and will continue business diversification.

S&P commented that any possible upgrade of the Company’s rating would be contingent on Rostelecom meaningfully improving diversification by either organic expansion into unregulated segments or the acquisition of businesses with strong business risk profiles. In addition, Rostelecom would need to sustain limited debt leverage and sound creditworthiness.