Russian group Rostelecom has commenced work on the expansion of its Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) in Zavodoukovsk, in Tyumen region, providing coverage to around 1,000 households by the end of this year, Telegeography.com reports on Oct 16, 2014. The operator has also embarked on GPON upgrades in Kushva in the Yekaterinburg region, with over 4,500 homes set to be passed my mid-2015, while Lobanovo in the Perm region will be covered by the end of next year.