The Ministry of Digital Development is discussing the issue of providing telecom operators with the frequencies they need to implement 5G services without charging a fee, said the Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev.

 
 “Since we use the 4.8-4.9 GHz band, which requires a much higher base station installation frequency than in the classic 3.4-3.5 GHz band, we have now come up with the initiative to cancel the spectrum fee,” Shadayev said.

 
 In December, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-regulator-to-expand-the-range-for-5g-networks-in-million-plus-cities/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported </a>that the State Commission on Radio Frequencies intends to expand the range for 5G networks in million-plus cities. Separate 4.4-4.8 GHz bands were added for testing.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-rassmatrivaet-vopros-o-besplatnom-predostavlenii-operatoram-chastot-dlia-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

Ministry of Digital Development Considers Free Provision of Frequencies for 5G to Operators

Rostelecom has submitted two applications to the State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GRFC) for the allocation of frequencies for testing 5G in the metro.

 
 To test the technology at underground metro stations in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan, the company asks for a range of 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.8-4.1 GHz. For testing at underground metro stations of the same cities (in Moscow, an experiment is planned to be carried out on the Circle Line), Rostelecom wants to use the 3.4–3.8 GHz band.

 
 The Ministry of Digital Development, which oversees the work of the GRFC, clarifies that the application will be considered at the next meeting of the state commission. The company itself says that they are ready to test all radio frequency resources suitable for use in fifth-generation networks - testing in the metro cannot interfere with ground-based electronic equipment.

 
 Experts note that the band, which can be summarized as 3.6 GHz, is optimal for 5G deployment. And the appeal of Rostelecom to the SCRF indicates that the issue of using 3.6 GHz by 5G operators is not closed.

 
 In 2021, Freshtel, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, has already <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/ru/documents/7973/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">applied</a> for 3.4-3.8 GHz frequencies to test 5G in the Moscow and Kazan metros. However, then the company was denied.

 
 Last May, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sergei-sobyanin-5g-will-be-tested-in-the-moscow-metro/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> the start of testing 5G in the metro, but the details of the project were not disclosed then. In December, the head of the capital <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/5g-to-be-launched-in-moscow-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> that the creation of a fifth-generation network in the capital could begin in 2022.

 
 In June 2021, Tele2 (a subsidiary of Rostelecom), together with Nokia, <a href="https://www.interfax.ru/russia/771477" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">launched</a> a test zone for 5G in the millimeter band (24.25-29.5 GHz) in the Kazan metro.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostelekom-planiruet-protestirovat-5g-v-metro-moskvy-sankt-peterburga-i-kazani/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Izvestia

Rostelecom to Test 5G in the Metro of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan

Beeline asked to extend the lease of capacities on foreign satellites for certain communication channels that the operator has been using since 2017. The application should be considered on January 31 at a meeting of the State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GRFC).

 
 The beeline clarified that they had not fully completed the transition to domestic satellites, so the operator still has separate channels operating through foreign spacecraft. For this, the technology of communication of two satellite earth stations with each other (Single Channel Per Carrier) is used.

 
 The company also clarified that the extension of the lease will have a positive impact on all operators using this type of communication. “Currently, Russian satellites are not provided with an additional reserve, and if one of them fails, there is a high risk of a communication break,” the beeline said.

 
 Earlier it was reported about the plans of the SCRF to consider the issue of extending the permission to use frequencies for satellite communications through foreign devices. The last decision was made in 2017. According to Izvestia, the FSB opposed the extension. At the same time, during the preliminary discussions, it was decided to create a working group to resolve the issue.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bilain-obratilsia-k-gkrch-s-prosboi-prodlit-arendu-moshchnostei-na-zarubezhnykh-sputnikakh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Beeline Asks GRFC to Extend the Lease on Foreign Satellites

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation issued a negative review of the project of the Ministry of Economy on the introduction of an <a href="https://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=121390" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">experimental legal regime</a> in the Russian Federation in the field of telemedicine.

 
 Thus, the project allowing commercial medical organizations to provide remote services to patients for three months may be postponed.

 
 The solution is related to minimizing the risk of providing poor-quality medical services in the case of remote interaction between a doctor and a patient. The EPR is aimed at expanding the possibilities of telemedicine consultations. It allows remote diagnosis (primary and final) without face-to-face reception, the provision of telemedicine services for planned, urgent and emergency medical care. At the same time, at this stage, using telemedicine, doctors can adjust the course of treatment that was prescribed during a face-to-face visit to a specialist.

 
 The Ministry of Economy believes that "the introduction of EPR will increase the availability of medical care in our country using telemedicine, which is relevant given the current sanitary and epidemiological restrictions." The agency also proposed the use of neurotechnologies, artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G wireless technologies, and secure telecommunications.

 
 It is assumed that the EPR should improve the overall regulation and development of technologies in health care. This requires the approval of the project by the Ministry of Health, government and business. The term for consideration of the EPR project expires in February.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-mogut-otlozhit-vvedenie-eksperimentalnogo-pravovogo-rezhima-dlia-razvitiia-telemeditsiny/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Authorities May Abandon Idea of Introducing Experimental Legal Regime to Telemedicine

MTS has launched the Digital Vodokanal IoT solution, which allows collecting and analyzing data from pressure sensors and metering devices for water supply systems, the company's press service reports.

 
 Digital Vodokanal is a software package that allows you to identify illegal tie-ins and unaccounted for consumption on water supply lines, as well as to record pressure drops in pipes. “Device for collecting and transmitting data (DUCD) from existing meters and pressure sensors are installed at end consumers and at control points,” MTS specified.

 
 Control over indicators and transfer of values ​​occurs automatically. The data is transmitted over the NB-IoT network and then analyzed by the system using big data. This allows you to compare meter readings for different periods and identify emergency situations.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-zapustila-iot-reshenie-dlia-analiza-sistem-vodosnabzheniia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

MTS Launches an IoT Solution for Analyzing Water Supply Systems

The authorities consider refusing to involve banks, whose participation was previously assumed, in the development of the Unified Biometric System (UBS). They came to such actions for security reasons. The decision on the composition of the joint venture (JV) has been made; its formation may be completed by the summer.

 
 The office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko clarified that the creation of the joint venture "is at the stage of development." Questions about the parameters, as well as the details of the JV's functioning, "it is too early to comment."

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/ubs/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Unified Biometric System</a>

<hr />
 
 The UBS began work on July 1, 2018. The system is used by banks to identify customers when opening accounts. In this case, several parameters are involved: a voice profile and digital facial impressions.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-sovmestnoe-predpriiatie-dlia-razvitiia-edinoi-biometricheskoi-sistemy-voidut-rostelekom-tsb-i-pravitelstvo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

JV for the Development of the Unified Biometric System to Include Rostelecom, the Central Bank, and the Government

The number of access points to city Wi-Fi in Moscow exceeded 22 thousand. Of these, more than three thousand appeared last year.

 
 About 2.4 thousand hot spots were installed in new places, 675 points were installed to improve the signal where the network was available.

 
 Among the most popular places for using free Wi-Fi are Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya and Pushkinskaya Squares, Arbat, as well as Sokolniki and Muzeon parks.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bolee-22-tys-tochek-dostupa-k-gorodskomu-wi-fi-rabotaet-v-moskve/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

mos.ru

More than 22 Thousand Access Points to City Wi-Fi Operate in Moscow

Qiwi Technologies LLC (subsidiary of Qiwi) bought 80% of Taxiaggregator platform for taxi companies. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of this year. It has become part of Qiwi's strategy to develop a proposal in the payment segment for the self-employed.

 
 The remaining 20% ​​of the platform belongs to its founder Alexander Merzlikin. He will continue to develop the project, and will also launch products in the taxi market within the QIWI team.

 
 According to the company itself, today Taxiaggregator serves about 2.8 thousand taxi companies and more than 308 thousand drivers.

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 Product cards

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

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/qiwi-priobrela-80-saas-platformy-taksiagregator/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

QIWI

Qiwi Acquires 80% of Taxiaggregator SaaS Platform

According to App Annie, Russian users downloaded mobile apps 5.5 billion times last year. This is the sixth indicator in the world. Leadership belongs to China (98 billion downloads per year), in second place is India (more than 26.5 billion), in third is the United States (more than 12.1 billion).

 
 In addition, the Russians spent more than $1.5 billion, of which $1 billion was spent on mobile games. In total, developers released 2 million new applications and games in the world last year, their total number reached 21 million.

 
 Earlier, App Annie <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/aliexpress-app-becames-the-leader-in-the-number-of-downloads-in-2021-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">calculated</a> that the AliExpress app became the leader in terms of the number of downloads in Russia in 2021. Telegram also entered the top 10 in terms of the number of downloads.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/84db050b-9def-52f6-ac9c-c2f53a04a3db.jpeg">
</div>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/app-annie-rossiia-zaniala-shestoe-mesto-sredi-stran-po-kolichestvu-skachivanii-prilozhenii-v-2021-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

VC.ru

App Annie: Russia Ranked World's 6th Country by of the Number of App Downloads in 2021

A pilot project of metro construction based on a new methodology of information modeling (BIM) has begun in Moscow. It will be used at the construction site of the Krasny Stroitel depot of the future Biryulyovskaya Moscow metro.

 
 The technology is being implemented by Mosinzhproekt specialists. A trial operation of the shared data environment is currently underway. Its integration with a computer-aided design system allows you to centrally manage information and track the progress of design work.

 
 Another innovation is the technical document management system, which allows you to manage the processes of transfer, approval and change of project documentation at all stages of the life cycle of an object under construction.

 
 Mosinzhproekt was the first to use BIM technology during the reconstruction of the Luzhniki stadium.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-nachali-realizatsiiu-pilotnogo-proekta-po-novoi-bim-metodologii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ria.ru

Pilot Project of Metro Construction Based on BIM Technology Launched in Moscow

Softline has signed an agreement to purchase 85% of IT Academy, a provider of corporate training solutions.

 
 As a result of the deal, Softline plans to expand its technical education and training business and accelerate the company's growth strategy in emerging markets. In particular, in the global educational technology market (EdTech).

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 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Softline" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Softline</a>

<hr />
 
 Earlier, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/softline-buys-squalios-licensing-business/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that Softline acquired the licensing business of the international data processing technology company Squalio.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/softline-priobrela-85-akademii-aiti/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CRN/RE

Softline Acquires 85% of IT Academy

Russia took 11th place in the world ranking of countries in terms of the number of patents in 2021, having registered 54.6 thousand technologies in the United States, according to the data from the IFI Claims Patent Services rating.

 
 The leaders among Russian companies in terms of the number of patents are Kaspersky Lab (43 patents), ABBYY (11), Rusal (8), Skoltech (4), and Rosatom (4), according to <a href="https://www.ificlaims.com/rankings-top-50-2021.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Top 50 US Patent Assignees</a> and <a href="https://www.ificlaims.com/rankings-global-assets-2021.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Global 250: The World's Largest Patent Holders</a>. 

 
 Kaspersky Lab's patents are primarily related to network security and protection against malicious traffic. The activity in the USA of the parent company of the Yandex N.V. Group (registered in the Netherlands) and related entities were analyzed separately. In 2021, they registered more than 120 patents and applications in the United States, and more than 115 in 2020. They are mainly related to machine learning technologies, lidars, speech recognition, and computer systems based on biological models, RBC <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/11/01/2022/61dd8f309a7947bc671e2bb7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">writes</a>.

 
 Some of the fastest-growing technologies in the world over the past four years have included machine learning, quantum computers, and wireless protocols and systems for monitoring or detecting products in conveyors.

 
 The IFI Claims Patent Services Intellectual Property Data Analysis Platform annually publishes a ranking of global innovative companies and countries that have secured intellectual property rights in the United States.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rossiia-zaniala-11-e-mesto-v-reitinge-stran-po-kolichestvu-patentov-na-tekhnologii-v-2021-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russia Named World's 11th Country by the Number of Technology Patents in 2021

As part of the creation of a digital twin of Moscow, the Traffic Management Center of Moscow's Government (CODD) has completed the digitization of 6.8 thousand km of streets with all transport infrastructure facilities.

 
 This will make it possible to better predict the effects of road construction, readjustment of traffic lights and changes in traffic patterns, the Department of Transport of the capital clarifies. It is also reported that:

<ul>
 <li>created 1.5 million passports of transport objects (traffic lights, signs, steles, etc.);</li>
 <li>14 TB is the volume of finished panoramas;</li>
 <li>2.9 million is the number of shooting points, while panoramas are created every three meters.</li>
</ul>

 
 Earlier it was <a href="https://tass.ru/moskva/12951873" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that the creation of a digital model of Moscow streets is planned to be completed in the first half of 2022.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsodd-otsifroval-bolee-6-tys-km-ulits-dlia-sozdaniia-tsifrovogo-dvoinika-moskvy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Moscow Department of Transport

CODD Digitizes More than 6 Thousand km of Moscow Streets

Experts from MTS Electronics (a subsidiary of MTS) tested uplink aggregation in a pilot 5G network built on the basis of virtualization of network functions in a vRAN radio access network.

 
 The tests demonstrated the operation of 5G radio equipment in low (<3 GHz) and medium (<6 GHz) frequency bands (UL CA 5G FDD + TDD) on a fully virtual infrastructure and commercial RAN equipment.

 
 According to Alexey Maslyankin, the Director of the MTS Radio Access Network Department, the company “managed to remove one of the main technological barriers to the commercialization of vRAN - the lack of spectrum aggregation functionality, which in this configuration was demonstrated for the first time in the world.”

 
 Testing took place in the Open RAN laboratory on the territory of the MTS 5G Center at VDNKh in Moscow. VRAN solutions will be widely used in fifth-generation networks and in the Open RAN architecture, the company said in a press release.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alexey.maslyankin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alexey Maslyankin</a>, the Director of the Radio Access Network Department of MTS

<hr />
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-soobshchila-o-provedennykh-testakh-agregatsii-uplink-na-virtualnoi-infrastrukture-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS Announces Conducted Uplink Aggregation Tests on 5G Virtual Infrastructure

At the end of last year, the information security (IS) market, according to various estimates, grew in the range from 10 to 30%.

 
 According to Alexei Pavlov, director for business development of the Solar JSOC countering cyber attacks center at Rostelecom-Solar, the financial, oil and gas and transport sectors turned out to be promising in this regard. In the forecast for 2022, he noted the global staff shortage in the cybersecurity industry, as well as the increased demand for specialists due to the digitalization of almost all sectors of the economy.

 
 Mikhail Pribochiy, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab in Russia and the CIS, believes that the main growth in the information security market has come from non-endpoint solutions, including the protection against complex targeted attacks, specialized solutions for the industrial segment. At the same time, the cybersecurity market, according to him, is likely to develop in the same directions as before. “One of the most pressing topics will remain the protection of critical information infrastructures,” he said.

 
 According to the forecast of Andrey Timoshenko, head of the information security practice of Accenture in Russia, the lack of information security specialists contributes to the growth of the volume of information security services provided and stimulates outsourcing, outstaffing and automation. He also believes that the Russian information security market in 2022 will continue to grow at an average annual rate of 20-25%.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.pribochiy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mikhail Pribochiy</a>, the Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab in Russia and the CIS

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000904550196" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Andrey Timoshenko</a>, the Head of Information Security Practice at Accenture in Russia

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rynok-informbezopasnosti-po-itogam-2021-goda-uvelichilsia-ot-10-do-30/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russia)</a>

ComNews

Russian Information Security Market Increases by 10-30% in 2021

Kodland, an online programming school for children, raised $ 9 million. Redseed Ventures became a key investor. The funds were also invested by Baring Vostok, Kismet, Flyer One Ventures.

 
 Investments are planned to be directed to the creation of new products, expansion in English-speaking countries and entry into Spanish-speaking countries and several countries of Southeast Asia. At the moment, the school's courses are available in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, CIS countries, Malaysia, Indonesia and Argentina.

 
 At the end of 2020, Kodland has already <a href="https://vc.ru/education/188322-rossiyskaya-onlayn-shkola-programmirovaniya-dlya-detey-kodland-privlekla-pervye-vneshnie-investicii-v-1-5-mln" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">attracted</a> $1.5 million in investments. The company's revenue in 2020 amounted to 54.4 million rubles, profit - 2.2 million rubles.

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 Product cards

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

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/onlain-shkola-kodland-privlekla-9-mln-investitsii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Online School Kodland Raises $9 Million in Investment

Rostec and ER-Telecom acquired control over the Internet provider Akado. The package (75% minus one share) was transferred to the M-Kom joint venture. The parties do not disclose the amount of the transaction, but, <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5156897" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">according</a> to Kommersant, it could range from $53.6 million to $67.1 million (3-4 billion rubles).

 
 The partners plan to create a platform for the development of digital technologies, including 5G wireless communications, the Internet of things, smart city systems, video analytics, and data centers. The new owners expect that the services will be in demand by private organizations and the public sector.

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 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/er-telekom/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ER-Telecom</a>

<hr />
 
 It was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/er-telecom-may-buy-56-of-the-akado/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> in September that ER-Telecom might buy Akado. Then it was expected that ER-Telecom will acquire 56% of the shares. It was also assumed that in case of successful closing of the transaction, ER-Telecom will receive 300 thousand new subscribers and existing orders from the operator.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostekh-i-er-telekom-vykupili-kontroliruiushchuiu-doliu-v-akado/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ER-Telecom

Rostec and ER-Telecom Buy out a Controlling Stake in Akado

Interdepartmental differences over the experimental legal regime (ELR) program, under which unmanned vehicles will be tested in Russia, have been resolved. Its release is scheduled for January this year. In this case, the validity period of the ELR is calculated from 20 working days after the date of the issuance of the government act.

 
 Within the framework of the ELR, Yandex may be obliged to transfer data to the state information system indicating the statuses of an unmanned taxi, for example, "busy, with a passenger." The company will also be required to report administrative violations involving their drones. Control over the experiment is entrusted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rostransnadzor and regional authorities.

 
 In Moscow, the experimental area will be limited to 18 streets. The drones will also run on the territory of Skolkovo, Innopolis and the Sirius center (Krasnodar Territory). It will be possible to order such a taxi through the Yandex Go application. Later, other companies will be able to join the EPR project.

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 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/yandex-go/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yandex Go</a>

<hr />
 
 In early September 2021, Yandex <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kirill.daniluk/posts/10227355678097003" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>the start of testing an unmanned taxi in Moscow. Later, ANO Digital Economy <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ano-digital-economy-approved-yandexs-application-for-pilot-driverless-taxi-launch-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">approved </a>Yandex's application for testing drones in Moscow as part of ELR.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/2088/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Oridinal (in Russian) </a>

Vedomosti

Testing of Driverless Cars in Moscow May Start in February

The management of the national program "Digital Economy" can be transferred to the Ministry of Digital Economy, according to the draft government decree.

 
 In turn, ANO "Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation" will be excluded from the management of the national program. A departmental project office will be created in the ministry, to which the powers of the center will be transferred.

 
 The Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation provides information and analytical support and expert support for the government's activities on social and economic development. Since 2018, the center's key area of ​​activity has been the digital transformation of industries, and since 2019, big data analytics.

 
 Earlier it was <a href="https://www.interfax.ru/russia/809237" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported </a>about the approval of two new federal projects of the digital economy national program. It currently includes seven federal projects.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-peredadut-upravlenie-natsionalnoi-programmoi-tsifrovaia-ekonomika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CNews

National Program "Digital Economy" to be Managed by the Ministry of Digital Development

Kismet Capital Group acquired a full share (100%) of the infrastructure operator Russian Towers. The termsof the deal have not been disclosed.

 
 As a result of the deal, Russian Towers will enter into the merged company New Towers, which will be created on the basis of another tower company, Vertical and First Tower Company. The number of new tower facilities of the merged company will exceed 30 thousand.

 
 According to Ivan Tavrin, the owner of Kismet Capital Group, the company is ready for an IPO. There are also plans to enter new markets.

 
 It was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/kismet-capital-group-negotiating-the-acquisition-of-russian-towers/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>in November that Kismet Capital Group is negotiating the acquisition of Russian Towers. At the same time, at the end of October, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/megafon-transferres-its-tower-assets-to-an-independent-operator/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported </a>that MegaFon and Kismet Capital Group had agreed to create an independent federal tower operator.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/kismet-capital-group-priobrela-100-russkikh-bashen/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Interfax

Kismet Capital Group Acquires 100% of Russian Towers

In 2021, Moscow has <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/100021073/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">received</a> several awards in the field of technology and digitalization. So, at the end of 2021, the capital received the Runet Prize. Among the laureates are the digital ecosystem of Moscow and the Russpass travel service.

 
 In November, Moscow <a href="https://www.mos.ru/mayor/themes/16299/7873050/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">took</a> first place in the ESG Governance category of the European Cities of the Future: ESG Innovation Index. The compilers of the rating assessed the city's higher education system, the introduction of innovations in various spheres of life and acceleration programs for startups in Moscow.

 
 In addition, last year the capital also <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/98969073/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">took</a> second place among government agencies at the international competition Global ICT Excellence Awards in the Startup Ecosystem nomination. Then the jury noted the city's programs for technology entrepreneurship.

 
 In the summer, Moscow, thanks to technology development programs, <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/92272073/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">took </a>second place among cities in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranking of European ecosystems for startups. And at the end of June, the Moscow government <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/92511073/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">received </a>an award in the field of information technology to CIPR Digital in three nominations.

 
 At the same time, Moscow <a href="https://www.mos.ru/news/item/92496073/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">took </a>first place in the rating of innovative development of Russian regions in 2021.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/kakikh-nagrad-udostoilas-moskva-v-2021-godu-v-oblasti-tekhnologii-i-tsifrovizatsii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

What Awards Did Moscow Receive in 2021 in the Field of Technology and Digitalization?

Russian Quantum Center and Physics Institute named after Lebedev RAS presented a prototype of a device based on ions, which by 2024 will become the basis of a future quantum computer with cloud access.

 
 Scientists have developed a system of four qubits without increasing the number of ions, but using the technology of scaling quantum processors using multilevel storage media, qudits.

 
 In the course of the experiment, the researchers "captured two ions in a vacuum chamber and, using a laser, performed a set of one-qubit operations on them, a two-qubit operation inside a qubit, and an operation to entangle 2 particles (Mölmer-Sorenson)." Thus, the scientists were able to show that the quality of operations between qubits connected in a quart (qudits capable of simultaneously being in four states) surpasses the quality of operations on independent particles. In the future, this should provide higher quality implementation of quantum algorithms.

 
 The prototype was created as part of the roadmap for quantum computing.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rossiiskie-uchenye-sozdali-prototip-kvantovogo-kompiutera-na-ionakh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Scientists Create a Prototype of a Quantum Computer Based on Ions

Moscow and Seoul will jointly develop startups. The Moscow Innovation Agency, the Korean Innobiz Association and the Korean Institute for Startup and Entrepreneurship Development have signed a memorandum to promote high-tech projects.

 
 The document will be a continuation of "an agreement already signed in September with representatives of the business circles of South Korea," said Alexei Fursin, head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the city of Moscow.

 
 The main points of interaction between the two capitals will be the pilot innovation testing program and the Moscow Accelerator. Within the framework of cooperation, we have already held rounds of pitch sessions, during which Korean and Russian companies presented their developments. Thus, representatives of South Korea were interested in Moscow solutions with artificial intelligence technology. At the same time, the Russian side launched a project on pilot testing in the urban environment of South Korean technological solutions in the field of IT, sports and retail.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/moskva-i-seul-budut-sovmestno-razvivat-vysokotekhnologichnye-startapy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Moscow Agency of Innovations

Moscow and Seoul to Jointly Develop High-Tech Startups

Over the past three years, the Samolet Group has invested $40.7 million (3 billion rubles) in the development of digital technologies. At the same time, more than 60 projects were implemented.

 
 The company operates on several platforms, the first of which is responsible for the automation of production processes - from design to construction control. The Airplane + platform, which will be launched in 2022, is a showcase of real estate across Russia. In turn, Vmeste.ru has become a platform for a digital management company.

 
 Pavel Gushtyuk, the Head of Digital Products of the Samolet Group, specified that in the next two years the economic effect from the implementation of digital solutions will amount to more than 35 billion rubles.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/gruppa-samolet-investirovala-3-mlrd-rub-v-60-proektov-tsifrovizatsii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

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