Information on whether Leningrad has telephones which identify the telephone number of the person calling [RUS11244]

A correspondent of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who researches telecommunications in Russia provided the following information in a telephone interview on 7 October 1992.

On the general phone system in Russia, it is not possible to identify the person or number of the person calling on the telephone, but one can distinguish whether the call is local, long-distance within Russia, or an international call by the tone of the ring. However, Russia has introduced digital lines and therefore if someone has access to these digital lines, and has imported a screen display telephone, he/she would be able to use it.

Please find attached a recent article on telecommunications in Russia, also from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which provides some useful information related to this topic. According to this article, telecommunications services in Russia are generally run by state enterprises although they "face some competition in the areas of international data transmission and cellular services. These services, however, still cater to a relatively select clientele" (RFE/RL 11 Sept. 1992, 62).

Additional and/or corroborating information is not currently available to the DIRB.

References


Correspondent of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Munich. 7 October 1992. Telephone Interview.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 11 September 1992.

Vol. 1, No. 36. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich]. Erik Whitlock. "Russian Telecommunications: A Monopoly in Transition."