Photo: ITAR-TASS

In order to encourage operators to build broadband access networks (BBA) in remote cities of Russia, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications decided to take part in financing these projects. The department plans to allocate 28 billion rubles for these purposes. Of these, 12 billion rubles. will come from the Universal Communications Service Fund and 16 billion rubles. - from funds received from fees for the use of radio frequencies. Telecom operators surveyed by RBC daily are potentially ready to bring the Internet to the outback under such conditions.

According to the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, Nikolai Nikiforov, the department is going to allocate 28 billion rubles. to solve the problem of digital inequality between Russian regions. “There is a stratification when in the Far East in small settlements there is no access to the Internet or it is insufficient. There are 35 cities in Russia with a population of more than 10 thousand people that are not connected to the Global Network by fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL),” the minister explained.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications has long set itself the goal of eliminating the digital divide by 2018. By this date, 80% of the country's residents should be able to connect to cable Internet at a speed of 100 Mbit/s, and 4G networks should be available throughout the Russian territory.

The development of wired broadband access in remote regions is one of the important social problems that should be solved with government support, MTS representative Irina Agarkova told RBC daily. According to the company’s calculations, laying 1 km of fiber-optic trunk lines costs an average of 300-600 thousand rubles, but complex terrain increases costs several times.

The development of broadband access in hard-to-reach areas requires higher costs for operators to build and operate communication networks, Rostelecom confirmed. “Mountains, water barriers, swamps, permafrost, low temperatures. The population density there is low, which means there is little demand for communication services there,” noted Valery Kostarev, head of the company’s external communications department. He added that the length of fiber-optic lines that need to be laid to such territories amounts to thousands of kilometers and requires non-standard approaches, including laying lines along the bottom of seas and rivers.

Nevertheless, Rostelecom positively responded to the idea of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications to finance the development of broadband access in the outback. “This will speed up the elimination of the digital divide and ensure access of all citizens of the country to communication services of the established quality,” says Mr. Kostarev. Rostelecom has expressed its readiness to participate in this project, but the final decision will be made when the conditions for providing state support appear. “A list of settlements, technical requirements for data transmission speed, criteria for the distribution of funds, and so on,” explained the interlocutor of RBC daily.

VimpelCom is also ready to discuss this topic with the regulator, but only after the details of the proposed initiative are clear.

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“The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications cannot build anything on its own, so it allocates money for those who will build it,” says ikS analyst Alexander Shatikov. But at the same time, in his opinion, the ministry may dictate its own conditions to operators.

According to Aforex FC analyst Narek Avakyan, if the allocated funds are used effectively, it is quite possible to implement the project in 12 regions of the country. “28 billion rubles. “This is serious money, and taking into account the social significance of the development of broadband access in the outback and support from the state, this can certainly be of interest to operators,” he is sure.

There is already a positive example of government participation in co-financing projects for the construction of communication networks. This is to ensure cellular coverage of the Amur highway and other federal highways. According to the agreements, the Big Three and Rostelecom operators divided the costs for the construction of antenna mast structures on a parity basis. The costs of organizing power supply to the communication infrastructure were borne by the state.

The Internet leads to the outback