Document #1245039
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
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.
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."