Scientists from Samara University have created NetTestBox, a system for monitoring the quality of data transmission. It helps to evaluate the main technical characteristics of the networks that form the Internet.

 
 The system also helps to track data leaks and see the part of the traffic comes through foreign channels. The developers say that if Western Internet connection diagnostic systems become unavailable to Russian users, NetTestBox will be able to replace them.

 
 The system that consists of five devices is being tested at the moment. There are two analogues of the system in the world - one American and one European.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-razrabotali-sistemu-monitoringa-kachestva-peredachi-dannykh-v-internete-nettestbox/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Izvestia

System for Monitoring Data Transmission Quality on Internet NetTestBox Developed in Russia

The fifth package of sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia includes a ban on supplying technologies for civilian communication networks that are the property of an organization controlled by the state or an organization with more than 50% state ownership. The restrictions will affect Rostelecom. The restrictive measures can also affect Tele2 and Transtelecom, which is building backbone networks on the basis of Russian Railways infrastructure.

 
 Rostelecom’s experts did not comment on the impact of the new sanctions on the development of networks. The company’s specialists noted earlier that all “state projects for the development of digital infrastructure are being implemented using Russian equipment.”

 
 According to the Electronics Developers and Manufacturers Association, the annual sales of telecom equipment in Russia, including imported equipment, are estimated at more than $4 billion, while the sales of domestic equipment account for no more than $780 million.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostelekom-iz-za-novykh-sanktsii-ne-smozhet-ispolzovat-oborudovanie-evropeiskikh-vendorov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Rostelecom Can't Use Equipment from European Vendors Due to New Sanctions

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GRFC) has adopted the 5G <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/uploaded/files/plan-rabotyi-gkrch-na-2022-god.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">work plan</a> for 2022 at the last meeting. In particular, in the third quarter of 2022 the commission will discuss the schedule for freeing up the 24.45-27.5 GHz band to enable the operation of 5G radio-electronic equipment and ensure electromagnetic compatibility with other radio services.

 
 The State Commission on Radio Frequencies also allocated the 37-42.5 GHz frequency band to MTS for 2 years to conduct research, experimental and design work using radio-electronic facilities of 5G networks. The pilot zone will be located at VDNKh in Moscow.

 
 Moreover, the applications for the deployment of base stations submitted by <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/uploaded/files/9-823-960-937-1022-prilozhenie-t2-k-resh-22-62-02.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tele2</a>, <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/uploaded/files/7-692-megafon-prilozhenie-k-resh-22-62-02.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MegaFon</a> and <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/uploaded/files/8-790-826-843-1023-1026-1028-51-prilozhenie-mts-k-resh-22-62-02.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS</a> were approved.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/gkrch-priniala-plan-rabot-po-5g-na-2022-god/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Digital Development

State Commission for Radio Frequencies Adopts 5G Work Plan for 2022

Spektr (a subsidiary of Rostec, which will <a href="https://rostec.ru/media/pressrelease/rostekh-predstavil-mikhailu-mishustinu-otechestvennuyu-bazovuyu-stantsiyu-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">become</a> the basis for creating a national vendor of 4G and 5G telecom solutions) attracted the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI, a subordinate to the Ministry of Digital Development) to cooperate and conduct research work in the field of 5G and future generations of communications.

 
 It is planned that educational programs, which will be developed by MTUCI and Spektr, will be mastered by more than 100 students in two years. Employees of the university will improve their skills in the company, and Spektr’s specialists will be involved in seminars and lectures. The rector of MTUCI Sergey Erokhin will join the Science and Technology Council of the company.

 
 The students of MTUCI are already studying such disciplines as ‘Technologies of 5G Wireless Communication Systems’, ‘Mobile Communication Systems and the Internet of Things’, ‘Protocols of 5G Mobile Communication Systems’. The university has also <a href="http://ucmtuci.ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">conducted</a> the Eurasia 5G Trainings educational program together with Huawei. Moreover, the university will <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/research-institute-of-radio-to-conduct-a-study-of-5g-and-6g-implementaion-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">carry out</a> research work for the creation of 5G and 6G networks in Russia with the help of the Radio Research and Development Institute.

 
 This is not the first cooperation of Spektr with universities in the field of 5G. In March, the company agreed on a <a href="https://www.comnews.ru/content/219305/2022-03-17/2022-w11/spektr-i-tgu-dogovorilis-o-sovmestnom-razvitii-tekhnologiy-5g" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">partnership</a> with Tomsk State University and Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/spektr-prodolzhaet-privlekat-vuzy-k-sotrudnichestvu-v-oblasti-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Spektr Attracts Universities to Cooperate in the Field of 5G

T-Kom (an enterprise of the TVEL fuel company of Rosatom) started assembling telecom equipment at the Moscow Polymetal Plant. The company launched a workshop for SKD assembly of products, where they are labeled, packaged, and the software is installed and tested.

 
 According to the company’s information, the planned capacity is 1200 pieces of equipment per month. Currently, the production of more than 70 models of managed switches has been set up. T-Kom also produces equipment with Russian software, which will be included in the register of Russian software.

 
 The company’s experts say that the key consumers of its equipment are industrial companies, enterprises in energy, telecommunications and the nuclear sectors, and also scientific, educational, and medical institutions.

 
 According to the forecast of Freedom Finance analysts, in the near future the launch of new production facilities by the subsidiaries of large companies can become a trend in Russia, especially in areas where the issue of of import substitution is acute.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/t-kom-zapustilo-v-moskve-proizvodstvo-telekommunikatsionnogo-oborudovaniia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ComNews

T-Kom Launches Production of Telecom Equipment in Moscow

Swedish telecom company Tele2 AB will not renew the license for the use of Tele2 brand in Russia, which expires in March 2023. Currently, the company is studying the possibility and consequences of early termination of the licensing agreement for the use of the brand concluded with the Russian company T2 Mobile.

 
 T2 Mobile said that the Tele2 brand was used under the current agreement, “there are no grounds for its termination or change”. The company’s spokespersons also say that at the moment there is “no communication” with Tele2 AB on this issue.

 
 In early March it was reported that Tele2 could <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5260498" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">conduct</a> rebranding due to a refusal to renew the license. About 20 domains with similar names were registered for this purpose.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/telekom-kompaniia-tele2-ab-ne-budet-prodlevat-litsenziiu-rossiiskogo-brenda-tele2/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Tele2 AB Plans Not to Renew the License of the Brand Tele2 in Russia

According to the report prepared by TMT Consulting, in 2021 the number of access points installed by telecom operators (networks of private companies and city free access points) increased by 3.7% to 185.7 thousand, and the revenue of operators increased by 2.8 % and reached $64.5 million (5.3 billion rubles).

 
 The largest players were MaximaTelecom (36% of revenue and 9% of all access points), Rostelecom (25% of revenue and 30% of access points), ER-Telecom (13% and 12% respectively) and Beeline ( 8% and 17%).

 
 According to analysts, the main customers of public Wi-Fi networks among small and medium-sized businesses are hotels and restaurants, retail trade companies and medical centers. Among large businesses, the main customers are retail companies, banks and filling stations.

 
 In 2022, operators plan to develop and strengthen their presence in the regions. For example, MaximaTelecom plans to expand Wi-Fi networks while implementing existing and new infrastructure projects aimed at digitalizing public transport and developing city services (these plans also include the development in Moscow). Rostelecom plans to “focus on cloud solutions that fit into the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure of customers”. MegaFon’s specialists say that they will focus on the development of HoReCa segments (restaurants, catering, hotels) and retail.

 
 Beeline intends to develop public Wi-Fi services, including the services in the regions: “The tourism industry is expanding public areas in anticipation of a large influx of users; these are not only the southern regions, but also recreation centers and resort houses throughout the country”. However, the company’s experts acknowledge that the figures in 2022 can be not as optimistic as experts expected at the beginning of the year.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tmt-konsalting-chislo-publichnykh-wi-fi-tochek-v-rossii-uvelichilos-na-3-7-za-2021-god/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TMT Consulting: Number of Public Wi-Fi Access Points in Russia Increases by 3.7% in 2021

Russian ecosystems saw an increase in the number of users in their super-apps over the past month. The daily active users of the Tinkoff super-app increased by 15% compared to the previous month. Sberbank has also seen an influx in users. The company’s spokesperson clarified that “today, the monthly number of users of the mobile app has reached almost 75 million”.

 
 Nikita Lomov, the head of the analytical department of the Fintech Association, noted that Russian services will be in higher demand due to the withdrawal of a number of foreign companies from the market. At the same time, individual ecosystems have developed together foreign services that no longer work in Russia. In this regard, MTS reported that they were “accelerating the integration of Russian and foreign partners into their own ecosystem”.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rossiiskie-ekosistemy-soobshchili-o-roste-auditorii-za-mesiats/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Ecosystems Announce Growth in the Number of Users in Past Month

MegaFon’s service revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 7.4% and was estimated at $854 million (84 billion rubles). The revenue for the year was $3.21 billion (316 billion rubles). Net profit in the fourth quarter increased by 639.6% to $359.1 million (32.5 billion rubles). At the end of 2021 it was $727.2 million (66 billion rubles).

 
 The main drivers of service revenue growth were mobile data communication (the number of users of services in this area grew by 5.6% over the year), content services (including the services of START), ICT projects, M2M (Machine-to-Machine) services and analytical services based on big data.

 
 The operator’s subscriber base in Russia increased by 5.7% compared to the same period in 2020 and contains 74.4 million subscribers. The growth in LTE segment was 16.1%.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/megafon-uvelichil-servisnuiu-vyruchku-na-7-4-v-chetvertom-kvartale-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Megafon

MegaFon Increases Service Revenue by 7.4% in Q4 2021

The Ministry of Digital Development has approved an order that establishes the procedure for issuing licenses for export of telecom equipment from Russia to the Eurasian Economic Union. The document does not apply to the individuals crossing the border with their electronic devices used for personal needs.

 
 The list of telecom hardware is set out in the <a href="http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202203100025?index=30&rangeSize=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">appendix</a>. The list includes monitors and projectors, telephones, printed circuits, radio equipment, data storage devices, cables, etc.

 
 The Department for Promotion of Radio Electronic Products Demand will issue licenses. The procedure approved by the order is valid until December 31, 2022.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/ustanovlen-poriadok-vydachi-mintsifry-razreshenii-na-vyvoz-iz-rossii-v-eaes-telekom-oborudovaniia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

D-Russia

 Ministry of Digital Development Determines Procedures for Exporting Telecom Equipment from Russia

MegaFon has deployed a private LTE wireless data network at the Lebedinsky GOK (Lebedinsky mining and processing plant). The network covered more than 300 square kilometers of the enterprise. The network upgrade will ensure a data transfer rate of up to 150 Mbps on the territory of the plant.

 
 As part of the project, the operator installed 15 new base stations. They will allow the introduction of digital solutions in the production process (video analytics systems and autonomous vehicles).

 
 The operator has also upgraded five existing LTE base stations. Moreover, communication channels have been created to ensure the option of reserving the transport infrastructure.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/megafon-razvernul-besprovodnuiu-set-peredachi-dannykh-lte-na-lebedinskom-goke/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MegaFon Deploys a Private LTE Wireless Data Network at the Lebedinsky GOK

Mediascope has estimated the changes in the Russian audience (Russians over 12 years old who used a web site or mobile application for at least a minute a day) of the main social networks and services from February 24 to March 15.

 
 After Facebook and Instagram were blocked, users began to switch to other platforms. The most popular platform is Telegram, on which the number of its Russian users grew almost 1.5-fold.

 
 Social networks that saw an increase in the number of users include:

<ul>
 <li>Telegram — from 31.2 to 45.5 million (+14.3 million);</li>
 <li>VKontakte — from 46.5 to 50.3 million (+3.8 million);</li>
 <li>&nbsp;Odnoklassniki — from 19.8 to 20.9 million (+1.1 million);</li>
 <li>TikTok — from 33.1 to 33.4 million (+300 thousand).</li>
</ul>

 
 Social networks where the number of users decreased include:

<ul>
 <li>Instagram — from 39 to 34.2 million (-4.8 million);</li>
 <li>Facebook — from 9.6 to 5.5 million (-4.1 million);</li>
 <li>Twitter — from 2.6 to 1.3 million (-1.3 million);</li>
 <li>&nbsp;Snapchat - from 1.3 to 1.2 million (-100 thousand).</li>
</ul>

 
 Users of WhatsApp (which, like Facebook and Instagram, belongs to the Meta corporation, but is <a href="https://www.interfax.ru/russia/830332" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">not blocked</a> in Russia) are also moving to Telegram. This is indirectly confirmed by the information provided by MegaFon: the company’s experts <a href="https://corp.megafon.ru/press/news/federalnye_novosti/20220321-1047.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">say</a> that the percentage of Telegram in the total traffic of messengers for the first half of March had increased to 63% (a year ago it was 48% during the same period), while the percentage of WhatsApp, on the contrary, had decreased from 48% last year to 32%.

 
 Yota’s experts also <a href="https://vc.ru/yota/382430-yota-kolichestvo-zvonkov-v-rouminge-uvelichilos-bolee-chem-v-4-raza-s-nachala-2022-goda" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">analyzed</a> the Internet traffic of its customers in roaming from January 1 to March 14 of 2022. According to the company, most of the total Internet traffic came from Instagram (35%) and VKontakte (15%), and also Telegram (20%) and WhatsApp (12%).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mediascope-auditoriia-telegram-vkontakte-i-odnoklassniki-vyrosla-za-poslednii-mesiats/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Mediascope: Telegram, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki Grow in Number of Users Over Past Month

The Government of the Russian Federation has approved almost all measures to support the telecom industry, which were prepared by the Ministry of Digital Development together with market participants.

 
 In particular, the approved list included providing preferential loans, a reduction in the income tax rate, the suspension of the execution of the Yarovaya Law for a year, and a proposal for a “fair indexation of tariffs”.

 
 Experts from the ministry explained that the idea of ​​a moratorium on the dismantling of equipment of telecom operators, which was not included in the list of measures taken, would be finalized and included in the next package of measures for supporting the industry.

 
 The fact that the Ministry of Digital Development prepared support measures for the telecom industry <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ministry-of-digital-development-prepares-support-measures-for-telecom-industry/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was reported</a> in early March. The measures will ensure the sustainable operation of the infrastructure and help operators to restrain the growth of prices for their services.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/utverzhdeny-mery-podderzhki-telekom-otrasli/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Measures for Supporting Russian Telecom Industry Approved by the Government

A unified system for blocking spam calls and SMS messages can be created in Russia in the second quarter of 2022. With the help of the system, operators of the Big Four will be able to exchange information, analyze suspicious numbers to block spam calls and unwanted mailings.

 
 Subscribers will be able to leave a complaint about ads received without their consent on the website of the Federal Antimonopoly Service or their operator. Companies that connect to the system will block the specified number within 72 hours, and the subscribers will receive a notification from their operator.

 
 Beeline plans to launch the service for collecting and processing feedback on June 1, if the launch process is not affected by external circumstances.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-novaia-sistema-blokirovki-spama-mozhet-zarabotat-vo-vtorom-kvartale-2022-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

New Spam-Blocking System to be Launched in Russia in Q2 2022

Russian companies began to massively switch to Russian cloud services in the face of restrictions against Russia. Demand for Russian cloud services has grown several times.

 
 Linxdatacenter’s experts noted an increase in the number of applications from both existing and new customers. The company said that “there are many requests for the migration of data and IT systems from various foreign cloud platforms to Russia for the purpose of localization”.

 
 Experts from O2xygen say that the number of requests has tripled last week. VK Group’s specialists said that in recent days the demand for cloud solutions had increased, and the number of users of Cloud Mail.ru had grown by 20%. The company also forecasts an increase in demand for provider solutions developed on the basis of Open Source.

 
 MTS’s specialists said that from February 28 to March 4 the number of requests to move to their cloud had increased 10-fold compared to a usual week in February. MegaFon recorded a 5-fold increase in demand for its cloud services. Experts in Beeline saw a “multiple increases in demand” for connecting cybersecurity solutions and cloud services. Rostelecom’s experts claim that they do not see an increase in the number of requests.

 
 According to iKS-Consulting, in 2021 the size of the Russian cloud market was about 130 billion rubles, the IaaS segment accounts for $386.9 (46.6 billion rubles).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/spros-na-rossiiskie-oblachnye-uslugi-iz-za-sanktsii-uvelichilsia-v-neskolko-raz/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Companies Massively Switch to Russian Cloud Services

The Head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev has sent a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with prepared measures to support the telecom industry in relation to the imposed sanctions against Russia.

 
 The document contains the following measures:

<ul>
 <li>to suspend for a year the requirement of the "Yarovaya Law" to increase the storage capacity of information by 15% and the obligation to store video traffic;</li>
 <li>to introduce a mechanism for fair indexation of telecom operators' tariffs, which will take into account price increases;</li>
 <li>to introduce a moratorium on the enforcement of additional burdens for owners of frequencies for mobile communications in the LTE (4G) standard, including coverage of federal highways and small towns until the situation with the supply of equipment normalizes;</li>
 <li>to ensure the possibility of joint use by operators of the infrastructure of the communication network;</li>
 <li>to establish a tax rate for income tax for telecom operators in the amount of 3% for the period until December 31, 2024;</li>
 <li>to establish a moratorium on the contributions of telecom operators to the universal service reserve until December 31, 2024;</li>
 <li>to provide operators with preferential loans at a rate of no more than 3% for the purchase of telecom equipment, replenishment of working capital and support of communication infrastructure;</li>
 <li>to establish a moratorium on transfers, dismantling of communication facilities and facilities according to the requirements of state and municipal authorities;</li>
 <li>to postpone scheduled inspections of telecom operators from 2022 to 2023.</li>
</ul>

 
 In addition, the Minister ordered to start implementing these measures and provide for their funding. It is assumed that they will allow the telecom infrastructure to function stably, and operators to restrain the rise in prices for their services.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-podgotovilo-mery-podderzhki-dlia-telekom-otrasli/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Digital Development Prepares Support Measures for Telecom Industry

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 

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

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>

TASS

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

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.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

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

<hr />
 
 <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

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

By 2025, sales of smart home devices in Russia will more than double, from $1.2 billion in 2021 to $2.7 billion. Such a forecast is given by the Russian State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GRFC), which relied on data from Statista and PwC analysts.

 
 Experts note that the smart home device market conditionally consists of six segments:

<ul>
 <li>control and communication devices (smart speakers, hubs, consoles and sockets);</li>
 <li>smart home appliances (refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines);</li>
 <li>security systems (video surveillance, motion sensors, programmable locks);</li>
 <li>home entertainment systems;</li>
 <li>lighting and comfort (smart bulbs, garage door control);</li>
 <li>energy management.</li>
</ul>

 
 Retailers also note the growth in demand for smart home devices. In 2021, M.video-Eldorado recorded a 3.5-fold increase in demand in the category. Over the past five years, Svyaznoy has seen a 5-fold increase in sales of such devices.

 
 At the end of 2021, MegaFon <a href="http://Russian%20State%20Commission%20for%20Radio%20Frequencies" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">noted</a> that smart speakers with voice control were in the greatest demand during the year. In Tele2, video surveillance systems, TV set-top boxes and smart speakers turned out to be the most popular. Sockets, light bulbs and home control centers sold best at MTS.

 
 According to the ICT.Moscow <a href="https://t.me/ICT_Moscow/5256" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">survey</a>, which was attended by more than 350 people, users most often choose smart home devices from Xiaomi and Yandex.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/grchts-k-2025-godu-prodazhi-ustroistv-dlia-umnogo-doma-v-rossii-vyrastut-bolee-chem-v-dva-raza/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

GRFC: Sales of Smart Home Devices in Russia to Double by 2025

USM Telecom (part of the USM holding) has acquired 99% of the Forpost Group from X-Holding. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 
 Forpost combines 8 participants of the IT market, which are engaged in system integration, information security, digital transformation of large enterprises, etc. Among them are Talmer, Next Soft, Korvet Development, JSA Group, Cometrica, and NLogic.

 
 In October 2021, Anton Cherepennikov, the founder of X-Holding, announced plans to buy it from USM Telecom. Then it was <a href="https://www.cnews.ru/news/top/2021-10-08_alisher_usmanov_prodast_iks" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that only those assets that were necessary for the development and functioning of the telecom business would remain in USM.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/usm-telecom-stal-vladeltsem-it-gruppy-forpost/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Interfax

USM Telecom Acquires Forpost Group

In mid-February, the Ministry of Economic Development will publish for the first time the White Paper, a summary report on the development of certain high-tech areas. It is expected to be released annually.

 
 In addition to the department, other ministries participated in creating the document, as well as the Higher School of Economics, Sberbank, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Rostec, Rostelecom, Rosatom, Russian Railways (RZD), Rosseti, Roskosmos and Gazprom. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov ordered to prepare such a book in the summer of 2021.

 
 The authors of the White Book specify that Russia, among other countries, ranks from 7th-8th to 19th in terms of publication activity of researchers and from fourth-sixth to the border of the second and third ten in patent activity. The development of technology in Russia is hampered by a strong dependence on the import of components and equipment, sanctions, a lack of qualified specialists, as well as an insufficient number of start-ups and the almost complete absence of unicorns.

 
 In particular, the document states that:

<ul>
 <li>from 2015 to 2019, the global number of patent applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) increased from 22,500 to 63,700. Russian authors filed about 100–140 patent applications per year. In the total volume of scientific papers on AI, the share of Russian authors is 1.5% (2020 data). Among the main AI developers in Russia are Yandex, VisionLabs, NtechLab, Sberbank, VK, MTS, Gazprom Neft, Kaspersky Lab.</li>
 <li>Russia accounted for 0.2% of the total number of patent applications for inventions related to the Internet of things&nbsp;(IoT) in the world (2019 data) and 1.5% of the total number of scientific publications (2020 data). Among the leading Russian companies in this area are MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, Rostelecom, Rostec, etc. The main advantage of Russian players compared to the foreign ones is more functional software, more efficient data processing algorithms, storage solutions data and monitoring, etc. However, the main hardware solutions are made on a foreign element base.</li>
 <li>Russia accounted for 0.1% of the global number of patent applications for inventions related to fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks in 2019 and 1.8% of the total number of scientific publications (2020 data). Already, the penetration rate of 5G in the USA, China and South Korea is 15-20%, while in Russia the technology is implemented only in pilot zones, their full launch has been postponed until 2024. By this date, “the gap can reach critical values ​​both in terms of the level of development of the infrastructure of 5G networks and the degree of readiness of services based on them,” the authors of the document said.</li>
 <li>In 2019, Russia accounted for 1.5% of total patent applications related to quantum computing and 4.7% of scientific publications (2020 data). Rosatom, the Russian Quantum Center and various universities are developing these technologies in the country. The technological gap between Russia and the world leaders in the field of quantum computing is estimated at seven to ten years. In 2025-2030, when quantum computers will be massively introduced, “non-quantum technological leadership of the state will become impossible,” the document says.</li>
 <li>Russian authors occupied 0.2% in the total volume of patents in the field of distributed registry technologies (data of 2019) and 2.1% in scientific publications (according to the results of 2020). The project using this technology is being implemented by the National Settlement Depository, the Federal Tax Service, Dom.RF, Sberbank, Raiffeisenbank, Norilsk Nickel, Gazprom Neft, and others.</li>
</ul>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-rossii-sozdali-beluiu-knigu-tekhnologii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russia Сreates a White Book on Technologies

Articles

Tech in Moscow

exclusive

analytics

Columns

Digest about AI in Russia

interview

ICT.Moscow  — Market in Brief

Top tech stories from Moscow from September 20 to October 1

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

 
 Main news about Moscow's projects, developers, technologies

 
 Moscow Hosts ICPC World Championship 2021 Finals 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/online-conference-for-the-opening-of-the-icpc-international-programming-championship-held-in-moscow/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/306db4a8-e2f5-5bbd-b495-cbc9980f04e4.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source:&nbsp;ICPC
 

 
 

 
 From October 1 to October 6, 2021, for the first time, Moscow holds the finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC).

 
 More than 60,000 student programmers from more than 3,000 universities from up to 115 countries participate in qualifying rounds each year, and only the best of them reach the finals.

 
 The upcoming final will feature 100 teams with 15 from Russian teams, including five from Moscow. These are students of MIPT, Lomonosov Moscow State University, HSE, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, and Moscow Aviation Institute.

 
 The current champion is the Moscow team, which won two consecutive years. Last year, due to the pandemic, the final was not held, and in 2019 it was held in Porto (Portugal), 10 Russian teams took part in it, including three from Moscow.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/online-conference-for-the-opening-of-the-icpc-international-programming-championship-held-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read more →</a>

<hr />
 
 Other stories:

<ul>
 <li>Face Pay <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/face-pay-launched-on-all-moscow-metro-stations/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Implemented</a> on All Moscow Metro Stations</li>
 <li>Skoltech <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/skoltech-joins-the-international-consortium-3gpp/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Joins</a> the International Consortium 3GPP</li>
 <li>Research Institute of Radio to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/research-institute-of-radio-to-conduct-a-study-of-5g-and-6g-implementaion-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Conduct</a> a Study of 5G and 6G Implementation in Russia</li>
 <li>Yandex to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-to-invest-30-million-in-its-cloud-service-in-germany/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Enter</a> German Market with Cloud Service</li>
 <li>BelkaCar <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/belkacar-heads-for-business-expansion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Heads</a> for Business Expansion</li>
 <li>NTI to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/nti-to-test-computer-vision-system-for-autonomous-vehicles-by-the-end-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Test</a> Computer Vision System for Autonomous Vehicles by the End of 2021</li>
 <li>Tinkoff Bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/tinkoff-bank-tests-neural-network-on-customer-behavior-using-smartphone/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tests</a> Neural Network on Customer Behavior Using  Smartphones</li>
 <li>Russian Post to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-post-to-use-blockchain-for-logistics/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Use</a> Blockchain for Logistics</li>
 <li>Moscow-Based Fintech TalkBank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-based-fintech-talkbank-included-in-top-100-companies-using-ai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Included</a> in World’s Top 100 Companies Using AI</li>
</ul>

 
 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 Ministry of Transport <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-transport-presents-a-bill-defining-the-legal-obligations-of-taxi-aggregators/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Presents</a> a Bill Defining the Legal Obligations of Taxi Aggregators
 Telecoms and the Ministry of Digital Development <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/telecoms-and-the-ministry-of-digital-development-developing-a-standard-for-smart-homes/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Developing</a> a Standard for Smart Homes
 The Central Bank Binds Banks to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/central-bank-binds-banks-to-implement-fps-for-individual-payments-with-qr-codes/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Implement</a> FPS for Individual Payments with QR Codes
 Ministry of Economic Development <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ministry-of-economic-development-names-the-key-criteria-for-the-development-of-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Names</a> the Key Criteria for the Development of Ecosystems
 </div>
 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" style="" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 VC, IPO AND OTHER DEALS&nbsp;
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Mail.ru Group <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mail-ru-group-sees-aliexpress-russia-going-public-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sees</a> AliExpress Russia Going Public in 2022</li>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-announces-a-possible-ipo-of-samokat-and-delivery-club-in-2022-2023/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Announces</a> a Possible IPO of Samokat and Delivery Club in 2022–2023</li>
 <li>Softline to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/softline-to-conduct-a-double-listing-to-raise-500-million/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Conduct</a> a Double Listing to Raise $500 Million</li>
 <li>Startup Brandquad <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/startup-brandquad-raises-2-5-million-euros-for-r-d-center/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raises</a> 2.5 Million Euros for R&amp;D Center</li>
 <li>Mail.ru Group <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mail-ru-group-invests-over-82-million-in-game-development-in-four-years/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Invests</a> Over $82 Million in Game Development in Four Years and <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mail-ru-group-buys-controlling-stake-at-belarusian-gaming-company-mamboo-games/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Buys</a> Mamboo Games</li>
</ul>

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/conversational-ai-market-in-russia-2020-2025/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">JUST AI</a>: Conversational AI market in Russia 2020-2025 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Comprehensive research and a forecast of Russian conversational AI market through 2025. 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/attitude-of-russians-to-biometric-authentication-methods/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">NAFI</a>: Attitude of Russians to biometric authentication methods →</li>
</ul>

 
 The awareness and perception of authentication using biometric data. 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/the-russian-market-for-legal-online-video-services-first-half-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TELECOMDAILY</a>: Russian market for legal online video services. The first half of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Financial results of Russian video streaming services. 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/russian-e-commerce-ecosystem-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">DATA INSIGHT</a>: Russian e-commerce ecosystem 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 The study presents an ecosystem of more than 1300 services. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/" target="_blank">More analytics →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 KEY ACTORS
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Vladimir Urbansky, Director for Digital Products of the Russian Post | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vurbanskiy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook </a>

 
 Dmitry Lakontsev, Head of NTI Center of Excellence in Wireless and IoT в Skoltech | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dmitry.lakontsev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook </a>

 
 Elena Muradova, Managing Partner at BelkaCar| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/elena.muradova.9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

 
 Philipp Denisov, Co-Founder and CEO of Brandquad | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/philipp.denisov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

 
 Mikhail Popov, Founder and CEO of TalkBank | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/popovmb/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 MORE
</h2>

 
 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moNDlIoGXrU" style="" target="_blank">Video</a> from the Opening Ceremony of the International Collegiate Programming Contest In Moscow held on October 1-6, 2021. 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moNDlIoGXrU">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/78e86b62-ae6b-5454-b9bd-c0ce2bec0514.png">
 </a>
 </div>

 
 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moNDlIoGXrU" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Watch video →</a>

 
 

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow newsletters</a>

Top tech stories from Moscow from September 20 to October 1

ICT.Moscow

Tech in Moscow #30

Top tech stories from Moscow from September 6 – 17

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

 
 Main news about Moscow's projects, developers, technologies

 
 The first 5G Polygon in Russia to Appear on the Basis of Botkin Hospital in Moscow 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-first-5g-polygon-in-russia-to-appear-on-the-basis-of-botkin-hospital-in-moscow/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/5f6e991f-310c-5514-917d-5e92b90730c0.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source:&nbsp;Press Service of the Moscow Government
 

 
 

 
 Starting from September 15, Moscow city authorities plan to double the number of Moscow Metro stations with Face Pay system and by October 15 the system should work on all stations.

 
 As for the beginning of September, 15 thousand people have already submitted their biometric data. The system allows writing off funds from a bank card account, as well as from the Troika electronic card. The turnstiles that support the new technology are marked with a round black sticker on the floor.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-first-5g-polygon-in-russia-to-appear-on-the-basis-of-botkin-hospital-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read more →</a>

<hr />
 
 Other stories:

<ul>
 <li>Yandex <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-repels-the-largest-ddos-attack-in-history/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Repels</a> the Largest DDoS Attack in History</li>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-starts-building-a-55-thousand-sq-m-data-processing-center/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Starts</a> Building a 55 Thousand sq.m. Data Processing Center</li>
 <li>Sensors for Solid Waste Control <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sensors-for-solid-waste-control-installed-on-trash-bins-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Installed </a>on Trash Bins in Moscow</li>
 <li>Yandex <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-launches-the-first-driverless-taxis-in-south-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Launch</a> the First Driverless Taxis in South Moscow as part of the Pilot Project by the Ministry of Economic Development</li>
 <li>A Technology Park for Healthcare Startups <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/a-technology-park-for-healthcare-startups-created-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Created</a> in Moscow</li>
 <li>Moscow <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-names-top-ai-services-used-in-the-citys-healthcare-system/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Names</a> Top AI Services Used in the City's Healthcare System</li>
 <li>Startup BaseTrack <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/startup-basetrack-plans-to-launch-commercial-driverless-cargo-transportation-in-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Plans </a>to Launch Commercial Driverless Cargo Transportation in 2021</li>
</ul>

 
 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 Russian Citizens<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-citizens-to-get-mortgages-through-blockchain-based-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> to Get</a> Mortgages through Blockchain-based Platform 
 Bank of Russia <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/bank-of-russia-to-test-digital-ruble-from-january-2022/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Test </a>Digital Ruble from January 2022
 Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-finance-and-the-central-bank-present-strategy-for-financial-market-development-through-2030/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Present </a>Strategy for Financial Market Development through 2030
 Russia <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russia-approves-a-standard-in-the-field-of-digital-twins/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Approves </a>a Standard in the Field of Digital Twins
 IT Companies<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-it-companies-to-develop-an-open-source-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> to Develop</a> An Open Source Strategy
 </div>
 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" style="" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT DEALS&nbsp;
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>CIAN <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/cian-heads-for-an-ipo-this-fall/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Heads </a>for an IPO this Fall</li>
 <li>MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mts-buys-out-sistema-capital-management-company/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Buys</a> Out Sistema Capital Management Company</li>
 <li>Delivery Service Chefmarket <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/delivery-service-chefmarket-attracted-investments-from-hellofresh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raises </a>Investments from HelloFresh</li>
 <li>Softline <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/softline-buys-squalios-licensing-business" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Buys </a>Squalio's Licensing Business</li>
 <li>Veon <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/veon-sells-tower-assets-in-russia-to-service-telecom-for-1-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sells </a>Tower Assets in Russia to Service-Telecom for $1 Billion</li>
</ul>

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 LONGREAD
</h2>

 
 ML with a Human Face: Can Interfaces Make Machine Learning Accessible? 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mlgui/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/4e71c327-fde7-566f-91be-5fdae8abefcd.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source: Unsplash
 

 
 

 
 Recently, the popularity and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into various business processes has been actively growing. However, the use of AI in business processes is accompanied by a rather significant stop factor: in order to effectively use ML algorithms to solve problems, you need to be a specialist in ML and AI.

 
 Is the field of AI on the verge of a tipping point, when, thanks to such specialized interfaces, ML will in fact become a publicly available tool that does not require deep specialized knowledge? ICT.Moscow discussed this issue with the lead author of a scientific article on transfer learning from Cornell University Swati Mishra, with Russian ML-developers from Yandex, Sberbank, consulting company GlowByte, among others.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mlgui/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read the full article →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/overview-of-virus-activity-in-july-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">DR.WEB</a>: Overview of virus activity in July 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 In Q2 of 2021, after a prolonged decline, the share of spam in global mail traffic started to grow again and averaged 46.56%. 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/russian-online-cinema-market-results-of-the-first-half-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TMT CONSULTING</a>: Russian online cinema market. The first half of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 A study of the Russian VoD market 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/top-15-digital-industrial-technologies/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">HSE</a>: Top 15 digital industrial technologies  →</li>
</ul>

 
 Based on big data analyses, researchers identified the most significant digital technologies that are already used in Russian and global manufacturing industry. 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/deeptech-outlook-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">PSYTECH VENTURES</a>: DeepTech Outlook 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Top 10 sectors for investment in deeptech 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/attitudes-of-russians-towards-ai-in-medicine/" style="" target="_blank">SUPERJOB:</a> Attitudes of Russians towards AI in medicine →</li>
</ul>

 
 According to the recent study, 44% of Russians don’t trust AI in medical diagnosis and treatment 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/" target="_blank">More analytics →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 KEY ACTORS
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Evgeny Novikov, Adviser to the Deputy Head of Moscow Department of Information Technologies | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeny.novikov.142" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook </a>

 
 Vyacheslav Shulenin, CEO of ANO "Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Health Care" | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vvshulenin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook </a>

 
 Andrey Vavilin, CEO of BaseTrack | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrey-vavilin-8228ab7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn </a>

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 MORE
</h2>

 
 <a href="https://www.mobileworldlive.com/mobile360eurasia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Video</a> from the GSMA’s International conference Mobile 360 Eurasia, held on September 14-15, 2021. Eurasia’s brightest thinkers to explore the region’s most pressing challenges across FinTech, Value Creation, 5G, and Digital Resilience. Below is the video recording of the live stream, where lead experts discuss such topics as data-driven society, AI, UrbanTech, and others.

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://www.mobileworldlive.com/mobile360eurasia">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/6dee4dc5-0874-5adb-80cf-24a866eb0f2d.png">
 </a>
 </div>

 
 <a href="https://www.mobileworldlive.com/mobile360eurasia" style="" target="_blank">Watch video →</a>

 
 

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow newsletters</a>

Tech in Moscow #29

ML developers on the role of machine learning interfaces in technology accessibility to non-specialists

ML with a Human Face: Can Interfaces Make Machine Learning Accessible?

Top tech stories from August 23 – September 3

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

 
 Main news about Moscow's projects, developers, technologies

 
 

 
 Face Pay to be Implemented on all Moscow Metro Stations on October 15 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-citizens-can-submit-their-biometric-data-directly-via-app-from-october-1/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/1c0bac15-894f-5d2b-81c2-9474db9c94b2.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source: Moscow Transport Department&nbsp;
 

 
 

 
 Starting from September 15, Moscow city authorities plan to double the number of Moscow Metro stations with Face Pay system and by October 15 the system should work on all stations.

 
 As for the beginning of September, 15 thousand people have already submitted their biometric data. The system allows writing off funds from a bank card account, as well as from the Troika electronic card. The turnstiles that support the new technology are marked with a round black sticker on the floor.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-citizens-can-submit-their-biometric-data-directly-via-app-from-october-1/" target="_blank">Read more →</a>

<hr />
 
 Other stories:

<ul>
 <li>NtechLab’s Facial Recognition System <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-facial-recognition-system-launched-on-indian-railways/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Launched </a>on Indian Railways</li>
 <li>Moscow Biometric System Face Pay <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-face-pay-biometric-system-reaches-techfest-finals/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Reaches </a>TechFest Finals</li>
 <li>Avant Space <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/avant-space-to-launch-a-solution-for-adverising-from-satellites/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Launch</a> a Solution for Advertising from Satellites</li>
 <li>MTUCI <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mtuci-to-launch-a-research-project-on-implementing-6g-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Preparing </a>a Research Project on Implementing 6G in Russia</li>
 <li>Moscow <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-department-of-transport-introduces-samsung-pay-to-troika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Integrates </a>Samsung Pay with Troika Virtual Fare Card</li>
</ul>

 
 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 Russia <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russia-to-create-a-unified-digital-platform-for-science/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Create</a> a Unified Digital Platform for Science
 Market Players <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/market-players-speak-on-the-upcoming-roadmap-for-digital-platforms-and-ecosystems-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Speak </a>on the Upcoming Regulatory Document for Digital Platforms and Ecosystems
 Government <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/government-approves-a-roadmap-for-electric-transport-development-in-russia-through-2030/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Presents </a>a Roadmap for the Development of Electric Transport and End-to-End Technologies
 </div>
 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" style="" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT DEALS&nbsp;
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Yandex <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-to-acquire-ubers-interest-in-foodtech-delivery-and-self-driving-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Acquire</a> Uber’s Interest in FoodTech, Delivery and Self-Driving Businesses</li>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-might-bring-part-of-its-ecosystem-to-ipo-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Might Bring</a> Part of its Ecosystem to IPO in 2023</li>
 <li>Delivery Service Dostavista <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/delivery-service-dostavista-raises-35-million-rebrands-to-borzo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raises </a>$35 Million, Rebrands to Borzo</li>
 <li>MegaFon <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/megafon-estimates-its-share-in-aliexpress-at-1-6-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Estimates </a>its Share in AliExpress Russia at $1.6 Billion</li>
</ul>

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 OPINION
</h2>

 
 What Russian AI industry has to offer the world?

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/what-russian-ai-industry-has-to-offer-the-world/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/8a027778-682c-5d0f-92a4-c9ac4a7500cb.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source: Yandex
 

 
 

 
 Despite the industry’s heavy reliance on government support, Russian AI-based companies manage to come up with some of the leading solutions on a global scale. The problem is, oftentimes those solutions are not visible on the world AI map.

 
 ICT.Moscow discussed the specifics of the industry with a lead expert, a chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence Igor Pivovarov. He shared some of his insights on how foreign actors view AI in Russia, talked about the problems of the industry, the impact of the pandemic on the demand for technologies, and Russia’s entry into international markets. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/what-russian-ai-industry-has-to-offer-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read the full article →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/spam-and-phishing-in-q2-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">KASPERSKY LAB</a>: Spam and phishing in Q2 of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 in Q2 of 2021, after a prolonged decline, the share of spam in global mail traffic started to grow again and averaged 46.56%.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/the-largest-integrators-of-industrial-robots-in-russia-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TADVISER</a>: The largest integrators of industrial robots in Russia 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Data from 72 Russian integrators were obtained and assessed for the survey of the largest Russian integrators of industrial robots.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/map-of-the-russian-arttech-market/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">RUSBASE</a>: Map of the Russian ArtTech-market →</li>
</ul>

 
 Based on big data analyses, researchers identified the most significant digital technologies that are already used in Russian and global manufacturing industry.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/russian-public-opinion-research-center-vtsiom-popularity-of-online-medicine-purchases-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">VCIOM</a>: Online medicine purchases in Russia →</li>
</ul>

 
 The study is designed to analyze transport systems in 25 cities of the world and to benchmark critical aspects of their performance that have the most effect on city residents’ transport needs and quality of life.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/ranking-of-edtech-companies-in-russia-at-the-end-of-q2-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SMART RANKING</a>: Top EdTech companies in Russia at the end of Q2 of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Smart Ranking has compiled a ranking of the largest EdTech companies in Russia.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/" target="_blank">More analytics →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FROM MOSCOW
</h2>

 
 a showcase of some AI-based solutions using biometric data 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/face-pay/" target="_blank">Face Pay</a></li>
</ul>

 
 Metro fare payment service.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/luna-platform/" target="_blank">LUNA Platform</a></li>
</ul>

 
 System of data management and person verification and indentification.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/findface-multi/" target="_blank">FindFace Multi</a></li>
</ul>

 
 A multi-object video analytics platform that allows recognizing faces and silhouettes of people, cars, and license plates in the video stream.

 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/search/?searchText=blockchain&category=card" target="_blank">More solutions →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 KEY ACTORS
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Igor Pivovarov, chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorpivovarov/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Daniil Shuleyko, head of E-Commerce and Ridetech group of Yandex | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniil-syleiko-b183b254/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Mike Alexandrovski, founder and CEO of Borzo (fromer Dostavista) | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-alexandrovski-ab37551/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Alexander Malinin, Technical Director of Avant Space | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005029988267" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow newsletters</a>

Top tech stories from August 23 – September 3

Tech in Moscow #28

In May, the American organization CNA (Center For Naval Analyses) <a href="https://www.cna.org/CNA_files/centers/CNA/sppp/rsp/russia-ai/Russia-Artificial-Intelligence-Autonomy-Putin-Military.pdf" target="_blank">published </a>a report "Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy in Russia", which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of civilian and military artificial intelligence in Russia.

 
 ICT.Moscow discussed the report and the specifics of the industry with a lead expert <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorpivovarov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Igor Pivovarov</a>, chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence, creator of analytical report "<a href="https://aireport.ru/en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Almanac Artificial Intelligence</a>", organizer of the OpenTalks.AI conference, researcher and entrepreneur. He shared his insight on how foreign actors view AI in Russia, talked about the problems of this industry and possible ways to overcome them, the impact of the pandemic on the demand for technologies and the entry of Russian AI into foreign markets. Full interview in Russian is <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/interview-pivovarov/" target="_blank">available </a>at ICT.Moscow.

 
 

 
 WHAT THE CNA REPORT OVERLOOKED

 
 The study more or less clearly and accurately describes the state of affairs in Russia. Among the essential factors, the authors point out insufficient funding. They also note that in Russia the state is a major actor in the field of AI. I disagree with this point in particular, but they are right that some state-owned companies play a big role. Globally, the market is a driving force for AI technologies, because it is a matter of competition between companies, as well as their survival and business profitability. In Russia, the market is much less competitive.

 
 On the other hand, they did not write at all about Yandex, which in my opinion is the number one company in AI, a trendsetter and a global leader in certain technological areas. The authors conclude that the main dynamics and vectors of development in AI are set by large state-owned companies, primarily Sberbank. Yes, Sberbank is a key driver in AI regulation, but we also have a lot of private companies that are engaged in and apply these technologies. All that was largely overlooked. AI EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

 
 Another roadblock that the report touches upon is the brain drain. Russia holds high standards for education, but we don't know how to keep specialists from leaving the country. I was involved in the development of the national AI strategy and If I were to decide where to spend all the money, I would spend everything on education. I realized that education is Russia's key strategic advantage, but its potential hasn’t been achieved yet.

 
 In Russia, we have a fundamentally different educational system as compared to those in the West. Ours was built this way because of the state-planned economy we had in the past, which distributed a specific number of physicists, engineers, nuclear scientists, etc., annually. It turns out that we are initially stronger in fundamental education, but we lose in terms of the speed of adjusting today's educational programs to present-day needs

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 According to the new<a href="https://pages.coursera-for-business.org/rs/748-MIV-116/images/coursera-global-skills-report-2021.pdf" target="_blank"> Global Skills Report 2021</a> made by the educational online platform Coursera, Russia ranks 9th in the world in terms of competencies in business, technology and data science. Russian specialists demonstrate exceptionally high results in the field of computer programming, working with databases and web development. Last year, Russia was the country with the highest level of technology skills.  
 </div>
 
 

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/35bc769e-fd3b-5627-bfb9-bab89b29b6aa.png">
</div>
 
 Coursera
 

 
 

 
 RUSSIA ON THE AI WORLD MAP

 
 I'm afraid there are two reasons why Russian AI startups aren't considerably visible abroad. First of all, objectively, Russia isn’t up front in this field. The AI ​​market here in 2019 was estimated at 291.5 billion rubles ($3.8 billion), which is approximately 2% of the world market. There are around 500 companies on the Russian AI map, and about 250 of them are startups, compared to about 5,000 AI startups in the world.

 
 There is one more thing. Historically, Russian science mostly dealt with fundamental things, which often don’t even have any applied value. One of the most cited Russians in AI is Dmitry Vetrov. His <a href="https://bayesgroup.ru/about/" target="_blank">team </a>is engaged in deep mathematics in the field of neural networks. They make Bayesian ensembles, and they are broadly cited in academia. The media won’t cover their accomplishments, because they are doing something that lies much deeper than practical application. In the future, based on their results, developers will make neural networks with practical applications. In this sense, I have high hopes for our businesses. Yandex can offer a lot of great things for the media to write about.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 AI Venture Labs 2020 map with AI solutions against COVID-19 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/top-100-ai-startups-companies-at-war-against-covid-19/" target="_blank">shows </a>three startups out of 100 having Russian roots.  
 </div>
<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/4d2ac114-acff-5e6a-88d2-b5bd0b67d3ca.png">
</div>
 
 AI Venture Labs
 

 
 

 
 WHAT CHANGED AFTER THE PANDEMIC

 
 We have not yet published the data on the growth of the AI market in 2020, but over the year the market has grown significantly, both in Russia and abroad, precisely because of COVID-19. The pandemic has pushed mainly online services, and AI was a key factor. It has had an impact on healthcare, diagnostics as machine learning helps to classify images and react to them faster, predict what will happen next and shape the situation. In this sense, AI turned out to be in great demand, although it seems to me that it still has difficulties finding its way into healthcare. The medical community is too cautious and has very tough regulators.

 
 

 
 AI IN HEALTHCARE 

 
 There are three big problems with AI in healthcare in Russia. One of them is data, which is complex, unstructured, erroneous, and personal. Everything is complicated there. Another big problem is certification. It is not very clear how to certify something that does not have a clear order of action or an algorithm. In Covid times, everyone simply had to close their eyes on this in order to get the result. In peacetime, the problem takes years to be solved.

 
 The third problem is specific to Russia and generally very complex, which most of our companies have not even reached yet, but will soon: the payment problem. In this country, as in the rest of the world, everything is paid for through healthcare insurance, or compulsory medical insurance, in particular. The introduction of a new product for healthcare payment is always a difficult thing. The rest of the world at least knows how to deal with it, but in Russia, no one really knows. In this regard, I would say that the market is, in fact, too dependent on state policies. Something needs to be done to enable private companies to develop, while the state should become a transparent, fast and reliable buyer of services.

 
 

 
 GLOBAL THINKING

 
 Many Russian companies understand the need to become international, but selling abroad is not easy. To do this, you need to make a product that is competitive internationally, and for this, you need a general understanding of how to make such products. Overall, we have cases, we know that it’s possible. For example, we have the Prisma app that became quite popular globally. So, Russians are able to make good world-class products.

 
 There’s also a certain psychological factor, not only in Russia but all over the world. The Chinese look at China first, the Americans look at America. Only rare countries such as Israel understand that there is no one to sell to domestically. In Russia, people look at the Russian market primarily.

 
 

 
 MAKING RUSSIAN STARTUPS VISIBLE

 
 I do not see any particular difficulties for Russian companies to enter the international market. On the other hand, today's world is highly politicized, and, conventionally, when Huawei sells its cloud all over the world, people view it politically. I know for a fact that some of the biggest, high-profile international companies use Russian solutions, but they don't really want to be public about it, since, apparently, this carries certain political risks for them. It’s quite possible that there are much more of such cases than we know of.

 
 Grigory Sapunov's company Intento is a good example of an international company. It’s an American startup made by Russians, an aggregator of cloud APIs. It offers customers its API and internally mounts it on the API of different clouds. Intento shows exceptional growth in America, and its service is popular among big companies. So we can see positive cases and let's hope there will be more of them every year.

<hr />
 
 See ICT.Moscow's special project <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/ai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AI IN RUSSIA</a> to get more information on the topic: cases of implementation, market overview, open datasets.

An interview with a lead AI expert in Russia Igor Pivovarov 

What Russian AI industry has to offer the world?

Past week’s top tech stories from Moscow

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/bfee9cae-9018-5505-93cf-2552fbc5d0d6.png">
</div>
 
 Source:&nbsp;Wikipedia
 

 
 

<ul>
 <li>McKinsey <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mckinsey-names-moscows-transport-system-worlds-most-efficient/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Names </a>Moscow’s Transport System World’s Most Efficient</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Moscow Metro App to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-transport-app-to-add-payment-with-facial-recognition/" target="_blank">Add</a> Payment with Facial Recognition</li>
 <li>Goldman Sachs <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/goldman-sachs-values-sberbanks-non-financial-ecosystem-at-17-6-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Values </a>Sberbank’s Non-Financial Ecosystem at $17.6 billion</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Russian Radio Research Institute (NIIR) to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russia-to-test-5g-on-6-7-6-8-ghz-band/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Test</a> 5G on 6.7-6.8 GHz Band</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>T1 Group, VTB and Huawei to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/t1-group-vtb-and-huawei-to-launch-a-fintech-jv-in-moscow/" target="_blank">Launch</a> a FinTech JV in Moscow</li>
 <li>New IT Platform for Telemedicine to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/new-it-platform-for-telemedicine-to-launch-in-moscow/" target="_blank">Launch</a> in Moscow </li>
</ul>

 
 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 Russian Regulator <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-regulator-proposes-collecting-biometric-data-from-taxi-drivers-and-car-sharing-users/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Proposes </a>Collecting Biometric Data from Taxi Drivers and Car-Sharing Users
 Russian Supplier Portal <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-supplier-portal-added-to-g20s-list-of-innovative-procurement-practices/" target="_blank">Added</a> to G20’s List of Innovative Procurement Practices
 </div>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT DEALS&nbsp;
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>15 Moscow Startups <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/15-moscow-startups-raise-7-9-ml-for-scaling/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raise</a> $7.9 ml for Scaling</li>
 <li>Mail.ru Group to <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mail-ru-group-to-invest-60-ml-in-aliexpress-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Invest</a> $60 ml in AliExpress Russia</li>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-buys-jivo-communication-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Buys </a>Customer Service Platform Jivo</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>AI Startup ZeBrains <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ai-startup-zebrains-raises-1-ml/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raises </a>$1 ml</li>
</ul>

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/voice-ai-in-russia-2020-2025/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">JUST AI</a>: Voice AI in Russia 2020-2025 →</li>
</ul>

 
 An overview of voice AI market in Russia, which is expected to reach $120 million in 2021.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/top-russian-federation-predictive-analytics-startups/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">STARTUP PILL</a>: Russia’s 11 Best Predictive Analytics Startups of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Best startups that take a variety of approaches to innovating the Predictive Analytics industry.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/top-15-digital-solutions-in-manufacturing-industry/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">HSE</a>: Top 15 Digital Solutions in Manufacturing Industry →</li>
</ul>

 
 Based on big data analyses, researchers identified the most significant digital technologies that are already used in Russian and global manufacturing industry.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/urban-transportation-systems-of-25-global-cities/" target="_blank">MCKINSEY: Urban transportation systems of 25 global cities →</a></li>
</ul>

 
 The study is designed to analyze transport systems in 25 cities of the world and to benchmark critical aspects of their performance that have the most effect on city residents’ transport needs and quality of life.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/" target="_blank">More analytics →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FROM MOSCOW
</h2>

 
 a showcase of some Moscow-based emerging startups 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/intelligent-university/" target="_blank">Intelligent University</a>

 
 Online learning platform for up-to-date fields of study: environment, new media, entrepreneurship, soft skills, science and technology, art and culture

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/icowork/" target="_blank">ICowork</a>

 
 An online service that allows to choose, book and pay for the rental of a workplace in Moscow

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/saleschain/" target="_blank">SalesChain</a>

 
 A cryptocurrency platform for working with banks and leasing companies

 
 

 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/search/?searchText=blockchain&category=card" target="_blank">More solutions →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 MOSCOW IT: KEY ACTORS
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Sergey Solovyov, CEO of T1 Group | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergey-solovyev-67146b1b/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Ruslan Fazlyev, founder and CEO of Ecwid | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aznakai" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

 
 Timur Valishev, CEO of Jivo | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/timur.valishev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

 
 Denis Shvetsov, CEO of Doctor Ryadom | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.shvetsov.56/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow newsletters</a>

The weekly observer of Moscow's tech stories

Tech in Moscow #27 (9 August - 13 August 2021)

According to McKinsey’s “Urban Transportation Systems of 25 Global Cities” report, Moscow is ranked first for its transport efficiency, with Shenzhen, and Singapore behind. Russia’s capital city has high public-transport efficiency, ranking first in the subcategory as well.

 
 Analysts highly regarded the level of electronic transport services in Moscow, including the development of transport mobile applications and the availability of Wi-Fi. According to this indicator, the Russian capital ranks third, behind only Madrid and Hong Kong.

 
 The Russian capital has secured a top ranking in improvement in several subgroups, including rail transport (where it ranks fifth), shared transport (sixth), and external connectivity (first). In addition, the city was ranked sixth in transport availability index and the second among the leading cities with top improvements in transport availability.

 
 Since 2018, Moscow has implemented several large-scale projects designed to upgrade its airport infrastructure. For example, Domodedovo has become Russia’s first airport to deploy baggage storage robotization systems and automated turnstiles; the air haven is currently testing a face recognition system.

 
 McKinsey’s “Urban Transportation Systems of 25 global cities” selected 25 cities for global ranking using five separate metrics: "availability", "affordability", "efficiency", "convenience", as well as "safety and sustainable development". In order to be included in the report, the population of the city must exceed five million people, with GRP per capita more than $10,000 and the number of cars more than 150 per 1,000 people.

<hr />
 
 Read McKinsey’s “<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/operations/our%20insights/building%20a%20transport%20system%20that%20works%20new%20charts%20five%20insights%20from%20our%2025%20city%20report%20new/elements-of-success-urban-transportation-systems-of-25-global-cities-july-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Urban Transportation Systems of 25 Global Cities</a>” report online

<hr />
 
 In November 2020, Moscow authorities <a href="https://transport.mos.ru/en/news/104216" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> plans to launch a MaaS-platform (Mobility-as-a-Service) in the city. It will combine all city and several private transport services. To learn more, read ICT.Moscow's <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/maas-in-global/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">insight</a> on the prospects of MaaS in global cities.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/de73b8f9-9d61-5c0c-9d31-2e3ef42e0712.png">
</div>
 
 McKinsey&nbsp;
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/ru/news/mckinsey-nazvala-transportnuiu-sistemu-moskvy-samoi-effektivnoi-v-mire" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>