On August 24, a regional remote education center was opened in Archangel as part of the implementation of the federal target program “Development of a Unified Computerized Education Environment for the Years 2001-2005”. During the event, the Education and Science Department of Archangel Oblast Administration and OJSC North-West Telecom signed a Letter of Intent for implementation of the “Oblast Educational Network Generation” project for 2005-2010. 

The regional remote education center will function on the base of Archangel Oblast Institute for Education Workers Retraining and Skill Upgrading. The center’s goal will be continued computerization of the Oblast’s educational process, and mass upgrading of the Oblast’s teachers in information technologies. 

The ceremonial opening of the Center was attended by Mikhail Sitkin, Vice Governor (Social Issues) of Archangel Oblast, Vladimir Migunov, Director, Education and Science Department of Archangel Oblast Administration, and Vladimir Belokaminsky, Regional Manager, Artelecom subsidiary of OJSC North-West Telecom.

The Artelecom subsidiary of OJSC North-West Telecom, providing its high-bit-rate communication channels, agreed to ensure most favored conditions in implementation, maintenance, and trouble-free operation of the Oblast’s computerized education network. This will enable the regional remote education center to provide its services in the remotest corners of Archangel Oblast. In addition, OJSC North-West Telecom provides the services of continuous xDSL and switched access to the Artelecom-Internet network and to Oblast’s education network to municipal authorities and educational institutions at a discount on the effective rates for all one-off and monthly payments.