The consolidated revenue of the MTS Group in 2021 increased by 8% compared to 2020 and amounted to $4.3 billion (534 billion rubles). The indicator grew in all businesses, including telecommunications, fintech and media. Russia accounts for 97% of the Group's revenue.

 
 The company's revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021 increased to $1.1 billion (144 billion rubles), an increase of 7.5% year-on-year.

 
 The number of MTS ecosystem clients reached 8.8 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021. The operator's customer base in Russia grew over the year to 80.4 million subscribers, or 2.5%.

 
 The number of MTS Bank customers at the end of last year reached three million. The number of users of the OTT platform for the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 15.2% compared to the third quarter of 2021, and also 1.6 times year-on-year, up to four million users.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/vyruchka-mts-za-god-prevysila-534-mlrd-rub/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS Revenue for 2021 Grows by 8% to $4.3 Billion 

USM plans to leave the X Holding IT group. As a result of the transaction, Anton Cherepennikov, the founder of the group, will consolidate 100% of the shares in it. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, while legal registration is planned to be completed in the near future.

 
 Prior to the transaction, X Holding was owned by the USM division, Yuesem Telecom. It will retain the assets of Forpost, the provider of BSS solutions Nexign and the developer of the OneFactor data monetization platform. They are used to develop the telecom business and support IT solutions.

 
 X Holding will retain the Yadro IT group, the research company Kryptonite, the developer of solutions in the field of information security, Citadel Group, as well as projects related to the creation of a low-orbit satellite data transmission system.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/usm-vyidet-iz-iks-kholding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

USM will exit X Holding

According to TGStat, the influx of new users in the news channels of the Telegram messenger has increased by 19.5 million people since February 24. Before this period, the total audience of such channels grew by an average of 200-400 thousand subscribers per day, and now it is from 3.5 to 5 million.

 
 According to Similarweb analysts, Telegram ranks second in popularity among messengers in Russia, behind WhatsApp, while Viber is third.

 
 In turn, in VK, views in the news feed have recently increased by 5%, and the average daily number of video views by 15%. VK Group clarified that "as a source of up-to-date information, many use communities and the VK feed, where you can see both news publications and user-generated content."

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/novostnye-kanaly-v-telegram-uvelichili-auditoriiu-na-19-5-mln-novykh-podpischikov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

The Audience of News Channels in Telegram Increases by 19.5 million New Users

According to the company's <a href="https://corp.vkcdn.ru/media/files/vkifrsfy2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">financial results</a>, the total segment revenue of VK Group grew by 18.2% last year and amounted to $1.2 billion (125.7 billion rubles). The net profit of the consolidated subsidiaries increased by 24.7% compared to the previous year and reached $118.7 million (12.4 billion rubles).

 
 Revenue by segments in the fourth quarter include:

<ul>
 <li>advertising — $137.9 million (14.6 billion rubles), up 14.7% year-on-year;</li>
 <li>MMO games — $96.6 million (10.1 billion rubles), an increase of 3.3%;</li>
 <li>user payments for social services (Community IVAS) — $47.8 million (5 billion rubles), an increase of 2.9%;</li>
 <li>educational technologies — $33.5 million (3.5 billion rubles), an increase of 38%;</li>
 <li>other revenue of the company — $35.4 million (3.7 billion rubles), growth of 25%.</li>
</ul>

 
 The total volume of goods turnover of O2O Holding (a joint venture between VK Group and Sberbank) reached $507.6 million (53 billion rubles) in the fourth quarter (growth by 34% year-on-year).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/vyruchka-vk-group-vyrosla-na-18-po-itogam-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

VK Group's Revenue Grows by 18% in 2022

In 2021 the revenue in the non-financial business segment of Sberbank showed a 2.7-fold increase year over year and reached $1.44 billion (193.8 billion rubles).

 
 The trade turnover in the e-commerce segment amounted to $886.5 million (118.2 billion rubles). SberMarket has reached $496.6 million (58.6 billion rubles), while Samokat and SberMegaMarket has grown to $298.9 million (41.1 billion rubles) and $210.9 million (29 billion rubles), respectively.

 
 Last year the FoodTech & Mobility industry’s revenue amounted to $123.6 million (17 billion rubles). The revenue in the Health segment increased to $29 million (4 billion rubles). The main growth was provided by the services for booking a doctor’s appointment online and telemedicine services, the number of which has doubled.

 
 The B2B business revenue has increased to 58.5 billion rubles. The turnover of SberCloud last year grew to 9.1 billion rubles.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-otchitalsia-o-roste-pribyli-na-63-9-v-2021-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank

Sberbank’s Revenue in the Non-Financial Business Segment Grows Threefold in 2021

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media has organized a unit that will monitor the state of Russian IT companies during the introduction of restrictive measures by foreign states and organizations.

 
 It is assumed that the headquarters will identify negative factors affecting the development of IT companies in a timely manner. Its tasks will also include preparing proposals to the government to take measures to eliminate the identified risks or minimize their negative impact on the work of IT companies.

 
 The Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev headed the headquarters. Other representatives of the department, industry organizations and IT companies, including VK Group, Yandex, Russoft, 1C and other companies will also become members of the new structure.

 
 Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Development <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ministry-of-digital-development-proposes-10-measures-to-support-russian-it-industry/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">proposed</a> additional measures to support the IT industry to the government.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-sozdalo-shtab-po-monitoringu-sostoianiia-it-kompanii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TAdviser

Russia Creates a Unit for Monitoring the State of IT Companies

From February 24 to 28, cybersecurity experts recorded an increase in the number of hacker attacks on Russian companies, government agencies, banks, and the media compared to the same period last year.

 
 Kaspersky Lab specialists claimed that in February the company had repelled 4.5 times more DDoS attacks than in the same period in 2021. At the same time, 60% of all attacks were registered from February 24 to February 28.

 
 Rostelecom-Solar’s experts also noted an increase in the number of cyberattacks at the end of February, the capacity of some exceeded 750 Gbps. According to the company, by the middle of the day on February 28, 175 DDoS attacks were recorded, but the largest reached only 63 Gbps, while the longest lasted for almost an hour.

 
 Specialists from Positive Technologies also confirmed the increased number of DDoS attacks on Russian Internet resources. According to Aleksey Novikov, director of the company’s expert security center, “apparently, there are more attacks to come - a lot of publics on social networks call for attacks on public resources”. Qrator Labs noted that attack traffic comes from different countries, including Russia.

 
 According to Alexander Lyamin, CEO of Qrator Labs, the cyberattacks that have been recorded since the end of February can be called amateurish. Alexander Gutnikov, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab, said that, judging by indirect signs, large targets were attacked using advanced techniques that require certain experience and training. But the percentage of such attacks since February 24 is only 32% of the total, which is significantly below average.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-v-kontse-fevralia-zafiksirovali-rekordnoe-chislo-kiberatak/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Information Security Companies Report a Record Number of Cyber Attacks in Russia in Late February 2022

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation proposed to the government a package of 10 measures to support the IT industry in the face of sanctions. The main <a href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/economics/news/2022/02/28/911361-mintsifri-predlozhilo-meri-podderzhki" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">objective</a> of the proposals is to keep software developers in the country and provide IT companies with opportunities for development.

 
 Minister Maksut Shadayev sent a letter with a list of measures to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, asking him to support the proposals. Once approved by the government, the proposals will be implemented “as soon as possible”.

 
 The document includes the following measures:

<ul>
 <li>extend the current tax incentives to IT companies that receive income from advertising, providing additional services in their applications and online services, and from the implementation, installation, testing and maintenance of partner domestic IT products;</li>
 <li>exempt IT companies from paying income tax and from inspections by regulatory authorities, and employees from paying personal income tax for three years;</li>
 <li>enable employees of IT companies to get preferential mortgages at a rate of 5% for the duration of their work;</li>
 <li>provide military deferment to employees of IT companies for the duration of their work in these companies;</li>
 <li>simplify the procedure for obtaining a work permit and a residence permit for foreign citizens hired to work in Russian IT companies;</li>
 <li>provide IT companies with grants for the development of digital products, develop a program with preferential loans for the implementation of domestic solutions at a rate of 1%;</li>
 <li>ensure accelerated import substitution of software at critical information infrastructure facilities with targeted budget financing through the sectoral competence centers that are being created;</li>
 <li>introduce preferential lending to IT companies to ensure uninterrupted operations;</li>
 <li>consolidate and stimulate government orders, including those from state-owned companies, to finance new critical developments (PLM, ERP, etc.) with an option of its execution by large IT companies without tenders and auctions;</li>
 <li>provide targeted financing for the creation of a “mirror” of the GitHub open-source software repository.</li>
</ul>

 
 The Ministry of Digital Development noted that the proposals were developed taking into account the opinion of representatives of the IT industry. In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko <a href="https://tass.ru/ekonomika/13901015" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">instructed</a> the Ministry of Digital Development to speed up and update the preparation of the third package of measures to support the IT industry, based on the current economic situation.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-predlozhilo-pravitelstvu-mery-podderzhki-it-otrasli-v-usloviiakh-sanktsii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Digital Development Proposes 10 Measures to Support Russian IT Industry

The revenue of video streaming platform Ivi in ​​2021 amounted to $110.8 million (12 billion rubles). More than half of the funds (62-63%) comes from subscriptions, the rest comes from advertising and payments for a particular film.

 
 Ivi does not disclose the number of paid subscribers, but in 2020 their proportion increased to 4.4 million users per month. In 2020, the revenue of the streaming service amounted to $77.5 million (8.4 billion rubles).

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/ivi-ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ivi</a>

<hr />
 
 Currently, the biggest stakes in the company belong to Baring Vostok (24.5%), Flashpoint Ventures (16.3%), RTP Global (15%), VTB (8.8%), etc.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/vyruchka-ivi-za-2021-god-uvelichilas-do-12-mlrd-rub/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Forbes

Ivi’s Revenue Increases to $110 Million in 2021

The total revenue of the Veon holding (Beeline’s parent company) grew by 7.7% in Q4 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, according to the company's financial results <a href="https://www.veon.com/media/3232/4q21-earnings-release-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">release</a>.

 
 This was due to an increase in service revenue, revenue from fixed-line communications, and an increase in revenue from sales of equipment and accessories. At the end of 2021, the company’s total revenue amounted to almost $2.6 billion (291 billion rubles).

 
 The company’s experts mentioned that the increased demand for mobile internet was the main driver of mobile data revenue growth (+6.3%) in Q4 2021. Mobile internet consumption increased by 38.6% compared to the previous year. The total revenue from fixed communications in Q4 2021 increased by 6.3%.

 
 Other results include:

<ul>
 <li>B2B business — growth by 20.6%;</li>
 <li>the Big Data segment showed a 4.3-fold increase and reached $15.7 million (1.7 billion rubles);</li>
 <li>the mobile segment decreased by 0.9% to 49.4 million customers;</li>
 <li>the number of 4G customers grew by 12.8% to 25.5 million people.</li>
</ul>

 
 The company’s experts also noted that capital expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased by 27.5%.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/veon-otchitalsia-o-roste-vyruchki-na-7-7-v-chetvertom-kvartale-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

VEON

Veon’s Revenue Grows by 7.7% in Q4 2021

Executive Vice President, CTO, Head of the Sberbank's Technology Block David Rafalovsky left his post. The bank did not comment on the situation.

 
 Rafalovsky was appointed the Head of Technology block of Sber in August 2018. Under his leadership, Christofari supercomputer <a href="https://www.sberbank.ru/ru/press_center/all/article?newsID=97ca04c2-8167-4ebd-983a-e29c3aabb652&blockID=1303&regionID=77" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was created</a> in 2019. In addition, in November 2021, Rafalovsky <a href="https://www.comnews.ru/content/217267/2021-11-08/2021-w45/sber-otkroet-svoy-pervyy-mezhdunarodnyy-nauchno-issledovatelskiy-centr-evrope" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> the opening of the first R&D center of Sber in Berlin, which was supposed to be focused on attracting IT developers, architects and machine learning specialists.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/glava-it-bloka-sbera-david-rafalovskii-pokinul-bank/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Head of the Sberbank's IT Department David Rafalovsky Leaves the Company

Locksystems startup, which is developing the Huse lock smart lock, plans to test a product in the field of remote secure access to adjacent territories in 2022 in Moscow with the participation of residential real estate developers.

 
 During the pilot project, the functioning of the main components of a smart lock will be studied, including a biometric system with remote access rights management functions through a control panel.

 
 Based on the results of the pilot, the team does not rule out upgrading the software underlying the solution, taking into account the feedback from users - residents of residential complexes and utilities.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-2022-godu-v-moskve-budet-protestirovana-otechestvennaia-sistema-umnyi-zamok/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ComNews

Domestic Smart Lock System to be Tested in Moscow in 2022

The archive plans in 2023 to create a state information system for the remote use of archival documents (GIS UIAD), which would allow individuals to work with archival materials via the Internet. Now state archives already use similar, but commercial systems. Rosarkhiv proposes to make GIS UIAD obligatory for federal archives.

 
 As noted in the draft document, GIS UIAD will allow "to search, view and copy to electronic media" digital versions of documents from the Archival Fund of Russia.

 
 It is proposed to make registration in the new GIS free of charge, the fee for access to the documents themselves should be determined by the Federal Archives.

 
 Market participants note that the launch of the system can reduce prices for genealogical research and streamline the work of subordinate institutions of the Russian Archive.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rosarkhiv-sozdast-gis-udalennogo-ispolzovaniia-arkhivnykh-dokumentov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Archive to Create State Information System 

Research.com platform has presented <a href="https://research.com/scientists-rankings/mathematics/ru" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the lis</a>t of the best scientists from around the world, according to its own ranking.

 
 The list of the best mathematicians included 31 representatives of Russia: the 31st place was taken by Professor of the South Ural State University Theodore Simons, the 163rd place was taken by the HSE Professor Boris Feigin, the 312th place was taken by the head of the Department of Applied Cybernetics of St. Petersburg State University Nikolai Kuznetsov, etc.

 
 There are four representatives of Russia in the list of the best scientists in the field of computer science: Andrei Chikhotsky from Skoltech is in 187th place, Giancarlo Succi from Innopolis is at 2880, Viktor Lempitsky from Skoltech is at 3668 and Namiot Dmitry from Moscow State University is at 5637.

 
 The rating is based on the Hirsch index, which takes into account the number of publications of a scientist in relation to their citation. In total, more than 6.3 thousand scientists from all over the world in the field of mathematics, computer science, finance, and management participated in the rating.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bolee-30-rossiiskikh-uchenykh-voshli-v-spisok-luchshikh-v-mire-v-oblasti-matematiki-i-kompiuternykh-nauk/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

RB.ru

More than 30 Russian Computer Scientists and Mathematicians  Ranked World's Best

The selection of ready-made technological developments has begun, which will become part of the infrastructure of the Lomonosov cluster. There are five areas in total, including service infrastructure, engineering maintenance of buildings and landscaping. This includes:

<ul>
 <li>The Building Operation direction involves the participation of start-ups that develop digital models of buildings, equipment and applications for their integrated operation, solutions for the protection of facilities, washing of facades, navigation, air purification and smart lighting.</li>
 <li>The Landscaping direction will include irrigation and watering systems for plants, smart street lighting, technologies for robotic cleaning of the territory and navigation.</li>
 <li>In the Service Infrastructure direction, developers of innovative coffee and vending machines, robotic cafes and self-service checkouts are waiting.</li>
 <li>The Organization and Holding of Events track involves the participation of companies organizing online conferences and webinars, as well as developers of online educational platforms, drones and robots for photo and video shooting at events, and augmented reality projectors.</li>
</ul>

 
 Based on the results of the selection, projects will be tested on the basis of capital pilot sites (technoparks, hospitals, educational and cultural institutions, industrial enterprises), and the most promising ones will receive recommendations for implementation in the Lomonosov cluster. The program operator is the Moscow Innovation Agency.

 
 The Innovation Science and Technology Center (ISTC) of Moscow State University Vorobyovy Gory will include nine specialized clusters. In 2021, the construction of the first infrastructure facility, the Lomonosov cluster, <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-nachalos-stroitelstvo-dvukh-klasterov-innovatsionnogo-tsentra-vorobevy-gory/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">began</a>. During 2021 summer, the construction of two more building started, the educational and the interdisciplinary. In January 2022, the construction of the Nanotech and Engineering clusters was launched

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-startoval-otbor-proektov-dlia-stroiashchegosia-klastera-lomonosov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Selection of Projects for the Lomonosov Cluster Starts in Moscow

MTUCI, together with QRate and Mostkom, conducted an experiment on the wireless transmission of a quantum key in open space at 180 and 3100 meters. The scientists were able to combine quantum information security equipment with laser data transmission technology and evaluate the influence of weather conditions on the quality of their synchronization.

 
 During the experiment, Mostkom atmospheric optical communication terminals were installed on the roof of the MTUCI buildings and pointed at each other, which are designed to exchange data using a laser beam. An industrial installation QRate was connected to this system in order to explore the prospects for the distribution of quantum keys through atmospheric communication channels. The team spent a week working with the equipment in urban operating conditions: under the influence of water vapor, rain, snow, fog, smog, sunlight and artificial lighting.

 
 The scientists plan to organize another test by the end of the year to finalize the technology for commercial use. It is assumed that this will make it possible to make a secure exchange of data - text, graphics, sound - in conditions where the installation of a fiber optic cable is impossible or unprofitable. For example, between high-rise buildings or mobile objects, through water barriers.

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 Quantum key transmission points for research at a distance of 3100 m
 

 
 According to project participants, in the future, the developments will be applicable in the implementation of smart city programs and the creation of unmanned vehicles. They will also help solve the problems of the last mile and the limited amount of radio frequency spectrum in the telecom business, military industry and the public sector.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mtusi-i-kompanii-qrate-i-mostkom-ispytali-besprovodnuiu-kvantovuiu-kriptografiiu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Mostkom

MTUCI, QRate and Mostkom Teste Wireless Quantum Cryptography

The IT Department of the Moscow Government has conducted a survey among 750 respondents living in Moscow and representatively distributed by sex and age. According to its results, Alice, Google Assistant, Marusya, Siri and Salyut are the most famous of the commercial projects.

 
 In terms of experience, Alice, Google Assistant and Siri are in the lead. 31.1% of respondents have heard about the voice assistant of the city application "My Moscow", and 24.4% are its users.

 
 Of the total number of respondents, 66% confirmed that they have experience using these services. Among them, 53.6% use voice assistants at least once a week. 14.8% use voice assistants every day. Most often, these are respondents aged 18 to 24 and 35 to 44 years.

 
 Voice assistants are used when there is no opportunity or time to perform the necessary action (63.3%). Also, 43.9% of respondents turn to a digital assistant if they cannot find the information they need. It is the search for information that is the main purpose of using assistants (76.5%). Somewhat less often, such services are used to perform simple tasks and launch programs (49.9% and 45.5%, respectively)

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/dit-moskvy-alisa-google-assistent-siri-naibolee-populiarnye-golosovye-pomoshchniki-u-moskvichei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

DIT Analytics

Moscow IT Department: Alice, Google Assistant, Siri Amoung Most Popular Voice Assistants for Public Services Users

Sberbank may buy the Vprok.ru Perekrestok online supermarket owned by X5 Group. It is assumed that the operating business of Vprok.ru Perekrestok will be included in the business of Sbermegamarket and become part of a separate e-commerce holding of Sberbank.

 
 According to experts, “the perimeter of the transaction will include the stocks and darkstores of Vprok.ru Perekrestok, but will not include other X5 online assets, such as the express delivery service. The deal will be announced by the end of February."

 
 In turn, Sberbank <a href="https://press.sber.ru/publications/sber-i-x5-group-obsuzhdaiut-rasshirenie-sotrudnichestva-v-sfere-razvitiia-ekosistemnykh-i-tsifrovykh-produktov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">clarifies </a>that the companies are discussing the expansion of cooperation. In particular, the development of joint projects in the field of e-commerce, data architecture management, the development of cloud technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as the creation of virtual assistants.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/sbermegamarket/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SberMegaMarket </a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/vprok-ru-perekrestok/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Vprok.ru Perekrestok</a>

<hr />
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-mozhet-priobresti-onlain-servis-dostavki-vprok-ru-perekrestok/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank May Purchase the Vprok.ru Perekrestok Online Delivery Service

In 2021, Tele2, MTS and MegaFon experienced an increase in the number of eSIM activations and sales.

 
 For example, last year Tele2 customers activated eSIM 5.5 times more often than a year earlier. Most of the activations of eSIM cards (57%) accounted for new connections. The company also recorded an increase in the percentage of eSIM-enabled devices from 3% to 6%. By 2024, according to the operator’s estimates, devices with this module will occupy 25% of the market. Moreover, in January 2022, the proportion of eSIM subscriptions via digital channels grew by 15 p.p. year over year.

 
 MegaFon also observed an increase in the number of smartphones supporting eSIM. “ESIM-enabled smartphones have been the main driver of demand growth: the sales of eSIM-enabled smartphones in our retail network increased by 93% in 2021 compared to the previous year,” the company’s experts said.

 
 MTS recorded an almost 2-fold increase in eSIM sales year over year. The company observed approximately the same dynamics in replacing SIM cards with eSIM.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/operatory-sviazi-zafiksirovali-rost-chisla-aktivatsii-i-prodazh-esim-v-2021-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Telecom Operators Report an Increase in the Number of Activations and Sales of eSIM in 2021

Kaspersky Lab increased its stake in New Cloud Technologies, the developer of the Russian office software MyOffice, from 47% to 61.05% by buying out shares from other shareholders. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

 
 Kaspersky Lab explained that the acquisition of the controlling stake in New Cloud Technologies is in line with the “strategy to diversify the business”.

 
 Andrey Cheglakov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MyOffice, clarified that the transaction will not affect operating activities, “the company will continue to operate in its previous market segments in accordance with the long-term development strategy.”

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 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/mojofis/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MyOffice</a>

<hr />
 
 According to J'son & Partners, the Russian office software market size in 2020 amounted to $386 million (38.85 billion rubles), and until 2026 it will grow by 6-9% per year on average and will reach $599.5 (59 billion rubles).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/laboratoriia-kasperskogo-poluchila-kontrol-nad-razrabotchikom-moiofis/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab Acquires a Controlling Stake in the Developer of MyOffice

Electric scooter rental service URent has raised $23.8 million (2.09 billion rubles) from MTS, VPE Capital , VEB Ventures and VEB.RF Group. The terms of the deal and the company's valuation were not disclosed. According to the unnamed <a href="https://vc.ru/transport/368556-servis-arendy-elektrosamokatov-yurent-privlek-bolee-2-mlrd-rubley-ot-mts-fondov-vpe-capital-i-veb-ventures" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">sources</a>, URent was valued at $89.1 million (7.5 billion rubles).

 
 The funds are planned to be used to double the scooter fleet, develop the rental infrastructure in new cities, open new service centers, and develop B2B products. In addition, as a result of the deal, URent and MTS will cooperate in the field of hardware, IoT and big data to improve travel safety. MTS will develop a controller with a video recorder for URent.

 
 According to MTS, by 2024 the market for per-minute rental of electric scooters will more than triple, up to $478.4 million (40 billion rubles), while scooters will occupy a large niche in the “last mile” transport, combining technologies at the junction of fintech, IoT, BigData and video analytics.

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/urent/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">URent</a>

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/servis-arendy-elektrosamokatov-iurent-privlek-bolee-2-mlrd-rub-na-razvitie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

VEB Ventures

E-Scooter Rental Service URrent Raises $23.8 Million

The Bank of Russia has prepared and sent to the Ministry of Finance its version of the draft law on the ban on the issuance and organization of the circulation of private digital currency in the country.

 
 The draft law provides for a ban on issuing of cryptocurrency, organizing its circulation, as well as the dissemination of information about this. The draft also prohibits banks and other financial market participants from owning private digital currencies. This ban applies to private cryptocurrencies issued using both Russian and foreign infrastructure.

 
 It is also reported that banks will have to block money transfers using payment cards or electronic wallets if the credit institution has information that the recipient of the transfer is engaged in activities that contribute to the organization of the issuance, release and circulation of private cryptocurrencies both in Russia and abroad.

 
 For violation of these requirements, a fine of $3,500-6,000 (300,000-500,000 rubles) for individuals and around $8,300-11,900 (from 700,000 to 1 million rubles) for legal entities will be provided.

 
 Earlier, the government had <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/finances/08/02/2022/62026f5b9a7947818692d273" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">approved</a> the concept by the Ministry of Finance and instructed it, together with the Central Bank, to submit to the government a bill on the regulation of cryptocurrencies by February 18.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-napravil-v-minfin-zakonoproekt-o-zaprete-oborota-i-vypuska-kriptovaliut-v-rossii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Central Bank Creates a Draft Bill to Ban Cryptocurrencies in Russia

Food retailer Magnit prepares for a pilot launch of its own virtual mobile operator Magnit Mobile at the end of the first quarter of 2022.

 
 The first region where testing will be carried out may be the Rostov region. Earlier, the company received a license for the provision of communication services and numbering capacity.

 
 The virtual telecom operator will become part of the development of the Magnit ecosystem project and the mobile application, the superapp. Now it integrates a loyalty card and Magnit Pay payment service.

 
 In June 2020, it <a href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2020/06/22/833170-magnit-tele2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was reported</a> that Magnit was in talks with Tele2 to launch a virtual operator.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/magnit-zapustit-virtualnogo-operatora-magnit-mobile-v-pervom-kvartale/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Magnit to Launch a Virtual Operator Magnit Mobile in Q1 2022

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of the Russian Federation and IT companies, including 1C, Avito, Aliexpress, Wildberries, VK Group, Lamoda, Ozon, Russoft, Sberbank, Cian, Yandex, and Akit, have signed a memorandum that establishes the principles of interaction participants in digital markets.

 
 The document is a self-regulation tool and is aimed at creating non-discriminatory conditions for users.

 
 In particular, according to the document, companies must provide free access to information about the ranking of search results and abandon "opaque rules" in user agreements. This applies to blocking and deleting accounts without warning.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/fas-i-it-kompanii-podpisali-printsipy-vzaimodeistviia-na-tsifrovykh-rynkakh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

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