RUSSIA, November 7 - Mikhail Mishustin: “It is important to ensure high-quality and competitive communications services, including high-speed internet access, throughout the country. It is necessary to build a modern, secure telecommunications infrastructure using domestic solutions and ensure the strengthening of both scientific and human resources.”

Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:

Good afternoon, dear colleagues.

The President instructed us to develop and approve a long-term strategy for developing the communications industry. We discussed this issue in detail at the strategic session in June, including the goals and the main tasks that need to be achieved to reach them, and the key initiatives of the Ministry of Digital Development and business representatives.

It is important to ensure high-quality and competitive communications services, including high-speed internet access, throughout the country. It is necessary to build a modern secure telecommunications infrastructure using domestic solutions and ensure the strengthening of both scientific and human resources.

Today, digital technologies are being introduced throughout the world. People more often use electronic services and devices. High-definition content is also gaining popularity. And of course, all this leads to a global increase in data transmission. Thus, over the past five years, global cross-border internet traffic has shown a constant average increase of one third per year. In our country, it has increased by more than 11 times over the past 10 years. In Russia, the average speed of fixed broadband access is 78 Mbit/s, so we rank 55^th in the world.

One of our goals for the future is to develop infrastructure that will make it possible to connect every household to the internet at speeds of at least 1 Gbit/s by the end of this decade.

At the same time, we need to support the traditional means of information distribution – television and radio broadcasting. For many people, these are both familiar and convenient. And of course, it is necessary to preserve these formats.

The basis for the functioning of the entire telecommunications industry is the fibre optic backbone networks. They are used to provide fixed broadband access services and create channels in the mobile and satellite segments. The total length of these lines in Russia is over 1 million kilometres. They carry cross-border traffic, among other things.

We need to modernise the existing infrastructure and rebuild it using domestic equipment. This will largely determine the provision of communications to our citizens.

Another important area is overcoming digital inequality. Modern technologies should be available even in remote areas. The ability to communicate online, read news, exchange information, and use the services of internet sites is an essential element of people's quality of life today.

Over the past nine to ten years, data transmission services have been provided for almost 14,000 communities with a population of 250 to 500. Mobile services are available in about 3,000 communities with a population of 100 to 500. We have further plans to install base stations in 17,000 communities over the next six years.

Socially important organisations, including hospitals and outpatient clinics, paramedic centres, cultural institutions and schools, have received internet access with federal co-funding. We must continue to connect these new facilities to the internet. The development of satellite communications is an important issue. There is no alternative to this communication system in remote areas. Last year, this market grew by 5 percent and reached 150,000 small earth stations. 

In late October, the President chaired a meeting on the space sector’s issues and set a goal to make key satellite-based services more accessible to individuals, businesses and government agencies at all levels. These services pave the way for the more cost-effective development of territories, and they are instrumental in building transport corridors. Their introduction will help spur the development of such promising sectors as robotics, the data economy and autonomous transport.

Of course, it is important to expedite the creation of a national low-orbit satellite cluster and to upgrade available geostationary communications and broadcasting satellites.

Colleagues, the strategy that we are now drafting should reflect all of this. The President instructed us to approve a national project to create a data economy that includes the development of a new generation of communications systems. We must take this into account.