Rostelecom profit in first half-year increased by 53 per cent

The net profit of the Rostelecom joint stock company in the first six months of 2002 amounted to 1.584 billion roubles according to Russian accounting standards, which is 53 per cent higher than during the same period last year, said the company's public relations department on Friday.

The proceeds of the national operator of long-distant and international communications in the first half-year totaled 9.963 billion roubles, 10.4 per cent more compared to the last year.

The intercity traffic grew by 13.3 per cent, amounting to 3,302,400,000 minutes. The income from the long-distant communication services boosted by 43.4 per cent.

The outgoing international traffic went up by 10.4 per cent, equaling 580,800,000 minutes, while Rostelecom income from providing international communication for Russian clients increased by 1.2 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

The main factor that prevented further growth of income from international communication was the lowered outgoing international traffic from Moscow consumers.

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