Rostelecom and MegaFon presented a plan for the development of digital economy infrastructure

On November 27, Rostelecom and MegaFon jointly submitted for public discussion an action plan for the development of information infrastructure for the digital economy.

“Unmanned vehicles, virtual reality and biometrics platforms, telemedicine, distance education, a smart city — the development of these digital ecosystems can, according to various estimates, bring additional economic growth from 0.4 to 0.9% of GDP per year. Such ambitious results can only be achieved by creating an ICT infrastructure that can meet the current and future needs of citizens, businesses and the state in the transfer, storage and processing of data,” said Boris Glazkov, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of PJSC Rostelecom, head of the Competence Center. “The plan presented today is the result of the joint work of leading market participants who, despite competitive contradictions, were able to develop a consolidated vision in the main areas of infrastructure development for the digital economy. We are currently completing the process of agreeing the document with interested federal executive authorities, after which the document will be submitted for consideration and approval to the Subcommittee on the Digital Economy under the Government Commission on the Use of Information Technologies to Improve the Quality of Life and the Conditions for Doing Business.”

114 representatives of leading companies in the field of IT and telecommunications took part in the work on the action plan. The plan developed by the expert community contains more than 300 events with specific proposals for the development of fifth generation communication networks (5G), data storage and processing infrastructure, the creation of "digital" infrastructures for transport corridors, ensuring equal access of citizens to digital services in the field of healthcare and education, the formation infrastructure level of a new type - digital infrastructure platforms.

An important feature of the developed plan is that it includes not only measures for the implementation of large state infrastructure projects, but also business initiatives. So, for example, a large-scale development of a network of data centers in regions with a presence in each federal district, including Khabarovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and other cities, is expected as part of a joint project of Rostelecom PJSC and Rosatom State Corporation.

A separate section of the action plan is devoted to measures to support the creation of a new type of infrastructure components - digital infrastructure platforms. A key feature of this type of platform is the possibility of their reuse and application in various sectors of the economy. So, for example, the end-to-end platform of the industrial Internet, on the one hand, will accelerate and simplify the transition of the domestic industry to the "rails" of "Industry 4.0", and on the other hand, stimulate the development of "smart" transport, ensuring the connectivity of vehicles and road infrastructure. In general, the action plan provides for the identification and creation of at least 5 digital infrastructure platforms, as well as the development of measures to support them, including from development institutions.

“We are satisfied with the results of cooperation and the degree of readiness of the action plan. The working group discussed about 50 open questions and found optimal solutions for them. For example, it was proposed to introduce new generation 5G networks not only in million-plus cities, but also in certain sectors of the economy, starting from the most promising application scenarios. Of course, there is still a lot to be done: think over specific steps to implement the plan, update it taking into account the specifics of individual industries, fine-tune management mechanisms,” notes Anna Serebryanikova, COO of MegaFon, head of the Information Infrastructure working group. “I am especially pleased to note that the document was not prepared just for show: the opinions of representatives of the business community were taken into account and, as a result, the provisions of the plan fully comply with the logic of economic feasibility and practical feasibility of implementation.”

The program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" was approved by the order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1632-r dated July 28, 2017. By Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1030 dated August 28, 2017, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation was appointed responsible for the implementation of the Information Infrastructure direction. By the protocol of the Subcommittee on the Digital Economy under the Government Commission on the Use of Information Technologies to Improve the Quality of Life and the Conditions for Doing Business, PJSC Rostelecom was appointed the Information Infrastructure Competence Center, Anna Serebryanikova, Operational director of PJSC MegaFon.

The document is posted on the website regulation.gov.ru.