At the XIII International conference "Türkmentel-2020", Maxim Akinin, Director of the Department for work with international Telecom operators of “Rostelecom”, made a presentation " Trends in the Telecom market development. History and features. Rostelecom and Turkmenistan". In his speech, in particular, he highlighted the history of “Rostelecom's” cooperation with Turkmenistan, as well as opportunities for our country to use the Internet more effectively.

Today, Maxim Akinin gave an exclusive interview for readers of "Turkmenportal".

- Hello, Maxim! Tell me, “Rostelecom” participated in exhibitions and conference "TurkmenTel"?

"Of course! I personally came to Ashgabat for the exhibition three years in a row. We have been working with “Turkmentelecom” since 2006, when we signed an Agreement with the Center for international settlements (CMRD). Since then, we have been actively cooperating.

- The current “TurkmenTel” conference is one of our first experiences in conducting online conferences of this scale. What do you think of the conference as a whole? How do you assess the organizational level?

- The significance of the conference is very important for the region. This is a good opportunity to meet with partners. “TurkmenTel” has always been a good reason for me to come to Ashgabat. The reality conditions have changed, and now everyone has switched to an online format. I am very impressed with the hybrid format, when there is a hall, a sense of audience presence. Today was just like that, and it's great when people have the opportunity to personally attend. The conference itself was organized at a professional level and the program was well planned. I am very pleased that in the context of the global pandemic, Turkmenistan has remained committed to the traditional “TurkmenTel” forum, and this year it was held in an online format, especially since the digital format attracted many more interested people to the forum. In any case, I had a sense of presence, as I saw many familiar faces among the participants in the hall and even took the opportunity to send greetings.

- What are the future prospects of cooperation with the Turkmen side, are there any specific plans?

- We have a very stable cooperation over the years, which we will only strengthen. As for the plans, we expect to jointly develop transit routes through the territory of Turkmenistan. I hope this will be a new direction for our cooperation. In General, we have a solid Foundation, very good relations at a high level, both human and professional, so we will continue our partnership.

- How has this year been for “Rostelecom”, what challenges have we faced, what opportunities have we opened up?

- The year, like everyone else, was not easy. Since April, the entire company has been working remotely, which does not affect the quality of work, and the results of the year are expected to be good. There has been a big increase in traffic, which is not falling yet. In my opinion, this year as a whole is a good exercise in implementing digitalization in various spheres of life.

- How do you handle this influx of traffic?

"Where do we go?" We are the largest operator in Russia, this is a well-known fact. We have many communication channels all over the world. Yes, in the spring we worked very hard to provide high-quality communication, so that people do not experience difficulties. At the same time, I can say that we have large losses in roaming traffic, as people have stopped traveling. International traffic has fallen significantly, but it is offset by Internet connections and other services.

- Thank you for your time, and I wish you and the company as a whole prosperity and prosperity!

- Thank you, likewise!