    <p>
    Russian experts discussed 5G development trends of the Russian market and the improvement of communications infrastructure for the implementation of 5G networks during <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gsmathrive.com/eurasia">GSMA Thrive Eurasia</a> conference held on November 11-12. ICT.Moscow has collected the key points of this discussion in one article.
</p>
<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
            <p>According to <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/research/mobilnaia-ekonomika-rossiia-i-sng-2020/">GSMA</a> forecasts, by 2025 there will be more than 50 million 5G connections in the CIS region, or 13% of the total number of connections. The investments of operators in infrastructure deployment until 2025 are estimated at $25 billion, 57%  of which will be focused on 5G.</p>
    </div>
    <p>
    
</p>
<h2>
    5G is shaping trends<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

    <p>
    During his speech at The Next Stage for Technology opening section, MTS President Alexey Kornya specified several trends which emerged due to a new technological rearrangement - the transition to 5G networks. According to the expert, in the future 5G technologies will have an increasing impact on the development of the country’s economy as a whole, and any lag will lead to a lag in the overall technological development. “2G, 3G, 4G are about the consumer segment, and the transition to 5G and the new rearrangement will have a greater impact on the economy and industry”, - Kornya said.
</p>
    <p>
    The second challenge which the expert mentioned was the chains that appeared with the emergence of 5G and the new technological wave. “From the state to the corporations, there is a completely different level of security and requirements for localization. That is why technologies based on open architecture and open source are becoming more important”, - Kornya explained. The third element concerns the Internet of Things.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    The main consumers will be not people, but devices. These are hundreds of billions of devices in our market alone. All of these things are based on 5G communications. It is much broader than just a communication technology. A huge number of technologies are emerging alongside 5G, but all of them are closely connected, and the speed at which these technologies are deployed is important.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Alexey Kornya" src="https://ict.moscow/static/80247a32-2436-56f9-968d-b38325bbf235.png">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/alexey-kornya" target="_blank">
                                    Alexey Kornya
                                    </a>
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">MTS President</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    New requirements for ethical and responsible business conduct are the fourth area that emerges with the new technological wave. It concerns both security of personal data and security of the services offered, Kornya noted. Gevork Vermishyan, CEO of Megafon, also agreed with the expert and also specified another couple of emerging trends: robotization, which is actively developing in business processes, and Cloud RAN Edge.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    Base stations on tubular masts and roof constructions will be only radio-based: there will only be antennas and a base station controller, and all the computing power will be stored in data centers. This trend will come. This will allow to quickly deploy light RAN solutions, and heavy computing will be done in data centers. This will require significant investments in transport, because the base station will have to be connected to data control centers with optical fiber. There will be a great need for data centers and racks.
        </p>
                        <p>
                    
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Gevork Vermishyan" src="https://ict.moscow/static/2b8d15ab-0771-5890-b033-98a5135a50b2.jpg">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Gevork Vermishyan
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">CEO of Megafon</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    Edge Cloud will indeed be one of the main challenges, agrees Alexey Kornya from MTS.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    For Internet players it is becoming a big challenge how to further implement solutions, as they are developing in Edge. Edge Cloud is one of the key challenges. Either telecom will become the driver, or Internet players will invest in infrastructure, bringing their infrastructure closer to the client. Cloud technologies and their development in Russia are still at an early stage. This is one of the highest potentials.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Alexey Kornya" src="https://ict.moscow/static/b05f65b7-e07b-5aa2-b0d8-c5feae9f5794.png">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/alexey-kornya" target="_blank">
                                    Alexey Kornya
                                    </a>
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">MTS President</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    Gevork Vermishyan from Megafon also mentioned the state’s trend towards localization.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    One of the trends in our state, and I support it, is the localization of 5G equipment. And there is a principle, according to which regulatory restrictions on the products of international vendors will stimulate the development of our own technologies. It is quite possible that we will be ready to buy and test local equipment and base stations made in Russia. But, of course, considering our long-standing reputation, we will do this under two conditions. The first is economic conditions. The second is the quality characteristics.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Gevork Vermishyan" src="https://ict.moscow/static/47d65114-f809-5685-ac0e-bdd3633dce9c.jpg">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Gevork Vermishyan
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">CEO of Megafon</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    The representative of another telecom operator, Beeline, Valery Shorzhin, Executive Vice-President for Technological Development, speaking at Building the Future section, highlighted the need to simplify access to infrastructure and outlined new opportunities for 5G communication.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    If we are talking about 5G, we cannot speak only about a new radio access technology. It is more than that. It is a network built on the Cloud architecture, which (from the consumer’s perspective) provides an opportunity to adapt networks to a specific consumer, slicing and other technological innovations. On the other hand, we, as operators, count on the new categories of consumers that do not exist now.
        </p>
                        <p>
                    
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Valery Shorzhin" src="https://ict.moscow/static/28b949cb-8ed5-56f3-b627-d0f25033357c.jpg">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Valery Shorzhin
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">Executive Vice-President for Technological Development, Beeline</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
<h2>
    5G affects aesthetics<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

    <p>
    5G communications will also have a significant impact on the appearance of Moscow. For about a year and a half Moscow IT department has been working on urban communication aesthetics. According to the Adviser of Deputy Director of the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow Evgeny Novikov, a lot has been achieved during this period.
</p>
<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
            <p>Currently the city has about 90 thousand base stations of all standards. After the introduction of 5G networks this number will increase by 3-5 times.</p>
    </div>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    In particular, a competition was held and a concept for the deployment of communication infrastructure was developed, and the working groups were formed. The concept is aimed at preserving the image of the city while developing the communications infrastructure.
        </p>
                        <p>
                    
        </p>
                        <p>
                    The developed concept includes several key principles. The first is to minimize costs for telecom operators. It is important to take into account CapEx, the requirements for modernization and restructuring of equipment. The second principle is a phased implementation. We took into account the experience of other cities and developed the rules for the implementation of the concept, bearing in mind a phased transition. The provisions of the document may be adjusted. And the third principle is to preserve the quality of communication that is now available in Moscow.
        </p>
                        <p>
                    
        </p>
                        <p>
                    
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Evgeny Novikov" src="https://ict.moscow/static/ede04b0f-3dfc-5d94-9bd4-858f80d5f61a.jpeg">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeny.novikov.142" target="_blank">
                                    Evgeny Novikov
                                    </a>
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">Adviser of Deputy Director of the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    The expert also said that the concept included classification of requirements for communication equipment. “There are base stations that do not need any changes and those that need minimal adjustment. And only 10-15% of stations that telecom operators and infrastructure companies will need to improve”, - explained Evgeny Novikov. According to the expert, the zones where the communication object is located in the city (cultural heritage object, bedroom suburb, other zones), and buildings on which or close to which the communication object is located (historical and non-historical) will be taken into account.
</p>
    <p>
    The changes will include both the reduction in the size of the equipment, the unloading of antenna-mast structures, dual-purpose poles and their location adjustment, and also camouflaging. In addition, equipment marking is also provided, it will contribute to making managerial decisions in the development of communications in Moscow, the representative of the IT department explains.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    Currently the normative legal acts elaboration is in progress. In the near future we plan to determine pilot zones. By the end of next year we will begin to implement the concept on an industrial scale.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Evgeny Novikov" src="https://ict.moscow/static/5ad39605-9c13-51b9-9bb8-d9eead33aa7e.jpeg">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evgeny.novikov.142" target="_blank">
                                    Evgeny Novikov
                                    </a>
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">Adviser of Deputy Director of the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
<h2>
    Other preparations for the launch of 5G in the megacity<a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a><a class="ce-block__copy-anchor-btn"></a>
</h2>

    <p>
    Moscow is interested in the development of 5G networks. Some time ago, work was initiated to assess the security of fifth generation networks. This was discussed on the second day of the conference.
</p>
<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
            <p>According to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/all-documents/achieving-russias-5g-goals">GSMA</a>&nbsp;estimates, 5G will account for about 20% of connections in Russia by 2025. This figure would be much higher if the state adopted international safety rules for the radio frequency spectrum, analysts say.</p>
    </div>
<div>
    <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
         src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/afc26c8a-baf2-5037-9604-0c9a726e5bc3.png">
</div>
    <p class="grayText">
        Source: GSMA
    </p>

    <p>
    According to Tatiana Sedykh, a representative of the DIT of Moscow, the work in this area takes place in three stages and involves the collection and analysis of data, the creation of laboratory facilities and conducting research.
</p>
    <p>
    According to the expert, at the first two stages a comparative analysis was carried out to assess the levels of electromagnetic fields created by existing and future mobile telephone communication systems in places of residence of the population in six Moscow microdistricts. Moreover, laboratory measurements were carried out, requirements for the laboratory base for research were developed and the research program was developed. Now, during the third stage, full-scale measurements of electromagnetic fields are being carried out, mathematical models of exposure conditions are being developed, and data analysis is being conducted, the representative of the DIT of Moscow explained.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    The laboratory facility created during the second stage consists of a complete set of equipment: 2G, 3G, 4G and, of course, 5G. Independent experts have confirmed the readiness of our laboratory base for studying 5G security. Now we are at the third stage and plan to get results already in the first quarter of 2021.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                    <div class="quote-owner__logo">
                <img alt="Tatiana Sedykh" src="https://ict.moscow/static/30fc5d6e-e207-50ac-b0af-0eed89c2b9b0.png">
            </div >
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Tatiana Sedykh
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">The Department of Information Technologies of Moscow</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    During the discussion, which took place in the 5G electromagnetic fields and Health section, representatives of telecom companies also complained about the difficult and lengthy process of obtaining permits for the deployment of new base stations.
</p>
<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    The process is logical and understandable - documents will be received consistently. But at each stage we face a situation that requires additional study, additional approvals, recalculations. This is a large analytical work aimed at obtaining the optimal solution for the deployment of the base station. We must take into account both the development of networks and the quality of communication and at the same time not violate the requirements of sanitary rules. [...] In general, it takes from six months to a year to put a base station on the air.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Anna Tarasenko
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">MTS</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    The DIT of Moscow is aware of the situation, Sedykh explains. Therefore, the department plans to create an automated system for coordinating the functioning of transmitting radio engineering objects in Moscow. According to the expert, this will help to improve the process of collecting, storing and processing information of telecom equipment deployed on the territory of Moscow. “The system will simplify the information interaction for the process participants and reduce the time needed to search for and provide the necessary information. It will resemble submitting an application electronically via mos.ru”, - the representative of the DIT of Moscow explained.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/gsma-thrive-eurasia-trendy-i-razvitie-infrastruktury-sviazi-dlia-5g/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>
<hr />
    <p>
    
</p>

ICT.Moscow highlights the discussion during the conference

ICT.Moscow

GSMA Thrive Eurasia: trends and development of communications infrastructure for 5G in Russia

    <p>
    MTS announced the
sale of 100% of the system integrator NVision Group to its largest shareholder,
Sistema
PJSFC. The value of the deal is 401
million rubles. But the final value may be
adjusted depending on the revised financial results as of the date of deal closure, the operator stated in a press release.
</p>
    <p>
    MTS sells NVision
Group’s systems integration assets, excluding those used in the development of the MTS’s product portfolio. MTS will also retain the FORIS BSS/OSS billing system that was earlier an asset of NVision Group.
</p>
    <p>
    The mobile
operator acquired NVision Group from Sistema in 2015. Initially, it was
reported that the company would cost the operator up to 15 billion rubles.
However, MTS later indicated that it had paid 11.2 billion rubles for the asset.
</p>
    <p>
    According to the
representative of MTS <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001788742697">Alexey Merkutov</a>, the
difference between the current valuation of
NVision Group and the amount that the operator paid for the company five years
ago is due to the fact that MTS retains a
billing system that allows invoicing for communication services to subscribers
and formed the basic value of the
asset in 2015. Merkutov noted that the main purpose of the NVision Group
acquisition had been the integration of its
own billing system into the MTS perimeter.
</p>
    <p>
    According to
Merkutov, the sale of the remaining part of NVision Group is due to the fact
that the company’s assets “are not related to the
formation of a product portfolio, require additional investments and are not considered a priority in terms of implementing the company’s strategy”.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-prodaet-envizhn-grup/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>
    <p>
    
</p>

MTS sells 100% of the system integrator NVision Group to Sistema PJSFC

5G in the laboratory conditions: global trends in the study of next-generation communications

    <p>
    A 5G Demo Center was launched in the Smart City pavilion at VDNH for testing and supporting urban
services based on 5th generation communications. The
priority industries for the testing of 5G-based services are transport, medicine, urban safety and
education.
</p>
    <p>
    MTS is the partner of the Moscow IT department in obtaining
the necessary permits for the deployment of the pilot 5G segment, and Ericsson
became the first supplier of telecommunications
equipment. In September the DIT of
Moscow <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-and-rostec-have-agreed-to-develop-5g-together/">entered into</a> a cooperation agreement with Rostec, which will also
supply 5G equipment in the future.
</p>
    <p>
    Big technology
companies, start-ups, research institutes and industry-specific universities will have access to 5G networks for
testing solutions. Patent and technical integrity of
solutions and equipment will be respected during the work conducted at the 5G Demo
Center.
</p>
    <p>
    Earlier it was<a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/stali-izvestny-podrobnosti-o-rabote-novoi-5g-laboratorii-v-moskve/">
reported</a> that piloting the services
for the city in the Demo Center was one of the areas of work on the development of 5G in Moscow. The city also intends to strengthen cooperation with operators in their pilot zones.
</p>
    <p>
    An interactive map
of 5G pilot zones in the capital is available in the special ICT.Moscow <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/5g/">project</a> about 5G in Moscow.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-otkryli-5g-laboratoriiu-dlia-resheniia-gorodskikh-zadach/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>
    <p>
    
</p>

5G laboratory was opened in Moscow for solving urban problems

    <p>
    MTS, Ericsson and
Gazprom Neft deployed a dedicated 5G-ready network in the 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz
bands. The network was deployed on 5G-ready Ericsson
equipment at the Palyanovskoye field in the
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the “Gladkoye” oil depot in
the Leningrad Region and the industrial zone in Muravlenko in the Yamalo-Nenets
Autonomous Okrug with a single digital services control center in the Gazprom
Neft technopark in Saint Petersburg.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    Voice
communication, video surveillance, telemetry (data transmission from sensors at
production facilities), geolocation (obtaining information about the location of video cameras and sensors) services and an audio-visual assistant system with an AR headset to
control work
performance are organized at the sites.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    In October MTS
StartUp Hub and Gazprom Neft StartupDrive accelerator agreed on a partnership
to conduct pilots for residents of the 5G Center in Gazprom Neft
and pilots for solutions of the StartupDrive accelerator in MTS.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-vmeste-s-ericsson-razvernula-vydelennuiu-5g-ready-set-dlia-neftianoi-promyshlennosti/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    <a></a>
</p>

Ericsson

MTS and Ericsson deployed a dedicated 5G-ready network for the oil industry

    <p>
    Oleg Tinkov,&nbsp; founder of Tinkoff, who less than a
month ago confirmed a possible deal with Yandex, is negotiating with other
potential buyers. MTS or MTS Bank, members of AFK Sistema of Vladimir
Yevtushenkov, can “kill” the deal with the Internet company. According to the
newspaper, there are no final agreements yet.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    Back in July 2020, an acquaintance of Yevtushenkov informed
the publication about the discussion of the deal. Negotiations continue, but
Yevtushenkov has not made a decision yet.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    Oleg Tinkov estimated the likelihood of concluding a
deal with Yandex as 50/50 in a post on Instagram on October 4. In the post he
argued that Tinkoff Bank aims to achieve the target of 20 million active
clients and $1 billion in net profit [as of October, the bank has 11 million
customers, net profit for 2019 was 36.1 billion rubles, or approximately $470
million.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    According to the sources of the publication,
negotiations between the businessman and Yandex are continuing and are going
slowly, the parties have not yet reached a final agreement.<a></a>
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/the-bell-tinkov-vedet-peregovory-s-mts-po-prodazhe-tinkoff-banka/">Original (in Russian)</a><a></a>
</p>

The Bell

Oleg Tinkov is negotiating with MTS on the sale of Tinkoff Bank

    <p>
    MTS presented a robotic telepresence system based on a domestic virtual reality helmet, mobile platform and 5G data transmission during <a target="_blank" href="https://cipr.ru/">CIPR 2020</a>.&nbsp;
</p>
    <p>
    The solution is based on the development of a VoltBro startup, a resident of the MTS 5G Center.
</p>
    <p>
    New generation networks have significantly increased the reliability of communication, which is necessary in the event of emergency situations. 
</p>
    <p>
    Robotic system is currently undergoing an active testing phase; MTS has not yet commented on the plans to use the robot.
</p>
<div>
    <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
         src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/166f387c-b9e3-566e-979c-06ddcd440ab5.jpeg">
</div>

    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-predstavil-robota-upravliaemogo-pri-pomoshchi-vr-ochkov-i-5g/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>

MTS presented a robot controlled via VR-glasses over 5G

    <p>
    To modernize the network in Moscow, Russian telecom operator MTS will purchase 5G-ready equipment from the Chinese company Huawei.
</p>
    <p>
    MTS did not disclose the purchase price. According to Kommersant, investments in the project will amount to&nbsp;$100 million. Previously, MTS cooperated with the Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia in the Moscow region.
</p>
    <p>
    The company notes that the renewal of the network in Moscow and the region will increase the throughput at least three times. Over the past three years, the operator has noted an annual growth in the volume of mobile Internet traffic in the MTS network of the capital region by more than 65%.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-potratit-7-5-mlrd-rub-na-zakupku-5g-ready-oborudovaniia-u-huawei/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>

Kommersant

MTS will spend $100 million to purchase of 5G-ready equipment from Huawei

    <p>
    MTS became the first
company in Russia to obtain a license for providing 5G mobile services. The
license that expires on July 16, 2025 was granted to MTS by Roskomnadzor to
create a network that will cover almost all regions of Russia (83 out of 85).
Communication will be provided in 24.25-24.65 GHz frequency range in accordance
with 5G/IMT-2020 standard.
</p>
    <p>
    Company representatives note
that large enterprises and business will become the first users of the 5G
network.
</p>
    <p>
    “5G standard will allow corporate clients to actively use artificial
intelligence, IoT, AR and VR technologies for remote control of equipment,
driverless vehicles development, interactive educational programs and creation
of the latest quality control systems at production sites” commented Alexey Kornya, President of MTS.
</p>
    <p>
    The license was granted to MTS
on the basis of the decision of the State Commission for Radio Frequencies
dated March 17, 2020 allowing “an indefinite range of persons to use 24.25-24.65
GHz frequency band by radio electronic means of 5G/IMT-2020 standard in the
territory of the Russian Federation".
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-poluchila-litsenziiu-na-sozdanie-seti-5g/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>

MTS received a license to create 5G networks

    <p>
    MTS announced that it will provide the building
and territory of the Balchug Viewpoint residential complex with digital
solutions for automatic collection of meter readings and billing for housing
and communal services, contactless access to a closed area using a smartphone,
entry to a parking lot by recognizing car numbers, as well as a security system
based on video analytics.
</p>
    <p>
    The first stage of the project was completed in
June 2020, and the company plans to implement the entire range of solutions in
the fall of 2020. The residential complex will be managed through a single
center, and residents will have access to services via a mobile app. MTS will
also provide the residential complex with Wi-Fi, high-speed wired Internet and
mobile communications.
</p>
    <p>
    At the first stage of the project, MTS automated
the collection of water and electricity meter readings and billing of
residents. Data from utility metering devices via the cloud platform is sent to
the billing management company, where an invoice is automatically generated.
Data transfer from counters is carried out via the Internet of things NB-IoT
network, specially developed for the housing, real estate and smart city
segments.
</p>
    <p>
    The company notes that residents will be able to
pay bills in an app developed specifically for the residential complex. You can
also use the app to order a pass, answer a call from the intercom, connect to
the CCTV cameras on the territory of the complex and the Parking monitoring
system, apply to the management company and take part in voting, as well as
manage the "smart home" in the apartment.
</p>
    <p>
    “Today, only about 5% of Russian management
companies use digital solutions for managing apartment buildings, but we expect
that the growth rate of this market will be comparable to the growth rate of
retail sales of smart home devices – about 20-30% per year.”​ - commented MTS representative and Director of the Internet of Things Department Mikhail Kozlov.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-sozdast-v-moskve-tsifrovoi-zhiloi-kompleks/">Original (in Russian)</a>
</p>

MTS will create a digital residential complex in Moscow

    <p>
    It can turn on music, audiobooks, fairy tales, plan the day, find out the news, manage smart home devices and suggest facts that can be found on the Internet. In the near future, it is planned to add a voice call function, control of TV set-top boxes, etc.
</p>
    <p>
    "Marvin" will run on smart speakers, which the company announced at the end of 2019 earlier. Sales of smart assistant speakers will start later. Now "Marvin" can be installed as an app on smartphone.
</p>
    <p>
    Yandex was the first Russian company to introduce a speaker with voice assistant "Alice" in may 2018. Last year, sales of speakers could reach 320 thousand units, and the market volume — $33 million, the company Just AI <a target="_blank" href="https://just-ai.com/en/russian_smart_speaker_market.pdf">estimated</a>.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://moskva.mts.ru/about/media-centr/soobshheniya-kompanii/novosti-mts-v-rossii-i-mire/2020-06-29/mts-razrabotala-golosovogo-pomoshhnika-ego-zovut-marvin">Read more →</a>
</p>

MTS has released its own voice assistant — "Marvin"

    <p>
    The new direction will also include developers and suppliers of multimedia devices and on-board information systems for vehicles - “Stopol Avto” and “Koagent Rus”. It is reported that MTS acquired 100% stake in their authorized capitals.
</p>
    <p>
    According to the operator, after the acquisition of the multimedia devices suppliers, MTS will get expertise, the necessary resources and presence in the market of solutions for autonomous cars. In addition, the company will be able to create a complex solution that includes a multimedia head unit, high-speed mobile internet and a set of branded digital services.
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5ef0d2189a7947c39ee522dd">Read more →&nbsp;</a>
</p>

Russian mobile operator MTS announced its entrance to the market of “smart” automotive systems

    <p>
    MTS took another step forward in bringing the future to life by hosting a two-way, long-distance holographic video call between the Company’s 5G pilot zones in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
</p>
    <p>
    The laser-based video conference, which took place during Russian Internet Week 2019, connected viewers at Moscow’s World Trade Center with visitors to a theater in Kronstadt, one of St. Petersburg’s most famous suburbs. Headline speakers on the call included top Russian thought leaders and tech bloggers, who engaged in a thought-provoking discussion around the potential for new 5G-based innovations to accelerate the transition to a more immersive, digital-enhanced reality.&nbsp;Huawei provided innovative connectivity and advanced IT solutions to enable this demonstration.
</p>
<div>
    <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
         src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/b98ae5e3-e0f6-5d08-876b-e9117a207879.jpeg">
</div>

<div class="incut-block ">
                        <p class="quote-icon">
                    Today we are excited to witness firsthand the promising future of digital innovation and fifth-generation connectivity, which will not only radically transform our daily lives, but give rise to fundamentally new products, services, and business models. With significantly higher speeds and lower latency, 5G will provide the foundation for immersive interactive experiences that bring together the physical and digital worlds. If 4G gave us video streaming and smartphone apps, then 5G will bring to life virtual and augmented reality and the Internet of Things.
        </p>
        <div class="quote-owner">
                <div>
            <p class="quote-owner__title">
                                    Alexey Kornya
                            </p>
                            <p class="quote-owner__description">MTS President &amp; CEO</p>
                    </div>
    </div>
</div>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="http://ir.mts.ru/ir-blog/mts-blog-details/2019/MTS-Brings-the-Future-to-Life-with-Holographic-Video-Call/default.aspx">Read more →&nbsp;</a>
</p>

MTS hosts a two-way, long-distance holographic video call over 5G

<p>Experts call cybersport (as well as VR) a breakthrough in the entertainment sector. According to Newzoo report, in 2019 the revenue of the world games market will be estimated at $152.1 billion, 9.6% more than a year before.</p>

<p>In 2019 the Russian cybersport market might reach the $55 million, and in 2023 it will be over $100 million, as MTS previously forecast.</p>

<p>It should be noted that, according to the data presented by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 58% of Russian citizens have a negative perception of computer games, nevertheless, last year Russian internet users paid gamers about 11.6 billion rubles, Yandex and Data Insight stated in spring. The research also revealed that 3 million people are engaged in streaming and selling gaming products.</p>

<p>ICT.Moscow refers to some services and platforms for cybersport from Moscow developers.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Cyberhero</h2>

<h3>Platform for gamers</h3>

<p>Cyberhero comprises services for cybersport. Users can stream the games, watch other players stream and participate in competitions. In the competition platform the users can monetize their gaming skills.<br />
Cyberhero is also a streaming platform. Here gamers create their own channels, so they can stream games and upload video. The videos from “Video” section are sorted by views and games.</p>

<hr />
<h2>WASD.TV</h2>

<h3>Cybersport platform</h3>

<p>The users can take part in cybersport competitions, stream their games and earn virtual currency for they activities. Users can spend currency on promoting streams and reward other streamers. The platform uses the resources of the CloudMTS cloud provider. A subscriber of any operator can become a user of the platform.</p>

<hr />
<h2>DonationAlerts</h2>

<h3>Service for collection donations while streaming</h3>

<p>DonationsAlerts makes it possible to collect donations while streaming in Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, YouTube, Twitch and Hitbox. To receive money the creators of the content place a link of DonationAlerts website below the video (for VK and Odnoklassniki it is a button). The author has to be authorized in the service and choose a minimum donation for the viewers and the type of notifications.<br />
To send a donation a viewer has to be click the link and choose the donation amount and leave a message for the donations which will be displayed in the streaming. The viewer can pay by bank card, VK Pay, WebMoney, Qiwi, Yandex.Money, PayPal, Bitcoin or via mobile account.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Loudplay</h2>

<h2>Interactive streaming platform</h2>

<p>Loudplay allows users to run games in the cloud and play on low-capacity computers that have an access to the internet. The platform uses servers with Nvidia graphic cards — the data is processed in the cloud and the video is streamed on the gamer’s players.<br />
In September 2019 MTS launched Loudly on Wasd.TV media platform. After they get access to the platform, users can download games from Steam, Battle.net, Origin, Epic Games and others. The platform is available on computers running on Windows 7 or newer. In the future macOS support is going to be added. Virtual computer is available only for one user.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Kaspersky Anti-Cheat</h2>

<h3>Cybersport anti-cheat system</h3>

<p>Kaspersky Anti-Cheat makes it possible to combat cheating for cybersport competitions organizers and online games producers. Cloud technology-based solution helps to detect cheating and fraud in real time during the game and sends automated reports about all the cases of cheating to the judges.</p>

<p>Kaspersky Anti-Cheat can be integrated with cybersport platform via API. Before the competition starts the solution is installed onto each gamer’s computer. When the game starts, Kaspersky Anti-Cheat starts to collect information about all the processes going and transmits the information for analyzing. The judge of the competition receives reports about the cheating cases detected via a web interface in real time.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Gaming marketplace</h2>

<h3>Computer games marketplace</h3>

<p>It is a marketplace where over 2 thousand offers from 48 publishers, including “Buka”, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Activision, Deep Silver, Codemasters, Alawar and others are available for gamers. “Igrovoy market” provides discounts for the customers and holds sales. The project is realized in partnership with “Buka” company.</p>

<hr />
<p>ICT.Moscow is an emerging online platform launched to support and connect Moscow’s expanding IT entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. It includes all the latest IT news, an unrivalled collection of IT research and presentations and a free-to-use discovery platform of local IT solutions with professional contacts.</p>


Platforms and services for cybersport: solutions from Moscow

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ICT.Moscow  — Market in Brief

    <p>
    <i>Expert column by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/fotokir">Kirill Polyakov</a>, Head of Distributed Registry Technology department at the IT Department of Moscow Government.</i>
</p>
    <p>
    For the first time, remote electronic voting was conducted as an experiment during the elections of deputies to the Moscow City Duma on September 8, 2019 in three voting districts. The solution was created from scratch and tested by the IT Department of Moscow Government in less than one year. Most of the key participants and customers claim that the experience was successful, the system passed all the tests and proved its resistance to hacking. Thus, the experiment confirmed that the system can be used for other votes. You can read more about that experience on <a target="_blank" href="https://habr.com/ru/article/480152/">Habr</a>.
</p>
    <p>
    Back then in 2019 a technical working group was created, and it continued to work on the subsequent projects (anyone can become part of the group, details will be further elaborated in the article). The group made critical comments and also motivated the developers to continuously improve the project. At the same time, we received a lot of useful feedback, including the comments from the international expert on cryptography and election law Pierrick Gaudry. We realized the importance of internal audit with the involvement of the best teams for reviewing the system - including the search for vulnerabilities, developing a threat model, analyzing the code and functionality. As a result, the&nbsp; IT Department of Moscow Government became the first representative of the public sector in the world to present the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/moscow-technologies/blockchain-voting">open source code</a>&nbsp;of the solution, particularly the back-end and key modules.
</p>
    <p>
    The main thing about that e-voting was that it was conducted as an experiment. We needed to understand whether such a solution was feasible. Therefore, the particular chosen technical solution was not the focus; it was the project itself that was important - how it would be perceived and how the system would work during the test voting.
</p>
    <p>
    The most useful thing during the first launch of an IT system is open testing. We conducted four of them. During the testing, we worked out various risks from the threat model: blackouts, Internet outages, DDoS attacks, etc. This experience was used in the next votings.
</p>
<div>
    <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
         src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/3a8f0621-bb87-55d6-a911-306295c1d9bf.jpeg">
</div>

<h2>
    Differences in 2020
</h2>

    <p>
    On June 25-July 1, 2020, the nationwide voting on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation was held. In Moscow and in the Nizhniy Novgorod Region it was organized also in a remote electronic format using the blockchain&nbsp; technology (which was especially important during the pandemic).
</p>
    <p>
    Having considered the available input data, we anticipated a load of 1 million voters. It was clear that Ethereum blockchain platform previously used in the electronic voting system would simply not be able to handle the load. We started to look for other options and chose Exonum, one of the fastest blockchains. It was also important for us that it was geared to solve problems as a private blockchain.
</p>
    <p>
    Another new challenge in 2020 was to provide an “everlasting” election ballot. It is a ballot with an unlimited validity throughout the entire voting period that will not disappear if the computer of the voter freezes, communication failure occurs, etc. The “everlasting” ballot was available on the same device in the same browser in which it was first opened, provided that the link to it was saved.
</p>
    <p>
    In addition to Moscow, the Nizhniy Novgorod Region participated in the e-voting on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, so we provided voters with the opportunity to log in not only via mos.ru (the official portal of Moscow Mayor and Moscow Government), but also via gosuslugi.ru federal portal (public services portal of the Russian Federation). Attempts to log in in both systems were automatically blocked (only the first application for participation was taken into account). We also took into account the critical comments concerning cryptography in the 2019 voting and implemented a more modern solution based on the Curve25519 elliptic curve, which is used as the default key exchange in OpenSSH, I2p, Tor, Tox and even IOS.
</p>
    <p>
    Another challenge was the growing load on all systems of the government of Moscow due to the self-isolation regime: residents started to actively use electronic services and the load on the channels increased significantly.
</p>
<h2>
    Architecture of the system
</h2>

    <p>
    In order to increase the resiliency of the remote voting system we implemented a distributed architecture by using geographically dispersed data centers. This ensured fault tolerance - the system can continue to work even if there is a power outage in an entire district in ​​Moscow. We tested such a scenario before conducting the voting - we disabled one of the data centers and checked the stability of the operation of individual components and the whole system. We also used satellite platforms to fulfill the load requirements.
</p>
    <p>
    The blockchain was distributed into two nodes for each data center - six nodes in three data centers in total, plus an observer node (details outlined further). The system is peer-to-peer, so working in the mode when one data center is the master, and the second is backup is impossible.
</p>
    <p>
    The situation that occurred at the end of 2017 confirmed that Ethereum blockchain network cannot handle the high load. Then the transactions were not confirmed for several days, and sometimes they simply were not completed. It should be mentioned that at that time neither the high-tier application, which caused the excessive load, nor the main network was working, although the application accounted for only 10% of the total number of transactions. Obviously, such a point of failure is not suitable for the voting process, since it is strictly regulated by the timeline and transactions cannot be delayed even for a few minutes, let alone hours.
</p>
    <p>
    Bitcoin network has a throughput of about 10 transactions per second, so it is also not suitable. With such a load, only 860 thousand people can vote in a 24 hours period, provided that no other transactions are processed at that time, which is impossible. We understood that the only possible way was to use a private network that allows connecting external observers.
</p>
    <p>
    The observer node was implemented in such a way that it is possible to monitor the results in real time. The node was presented as a web interface that allows to view and download encrypted results in real time. The next step is to implement a full-fledged node, but it is necessary to foresee the risk of impacting the network through the observer node. The main advantage of electronic voting is the ease of monitoring the processes. But it is also important to find a balance between transparency and vulnerability. Therefore, our next step is anchoring to a public network (a mechanism for checking data from a private blockchain for immutability by publishing it to a bigger network with a large number of participants and blocks).
</p>
    <p>
    In the future the electronic voting system will be available on mobile devices - we will try to enable synchronization with the node, provide processor power to&nbsp; ensure control and arrange an additional channel for calculating the result. The plans also include the development of the web interface’s functionality. We anticipate the development of greater opportunities for collaboration and verifying of the result at the observer level.
</p>
<h2>
    Special features of the electronic ballot
</h2>

    <p>
    The most secure component of the remote electronic voting system was the ballot. Participation in the remote electronic voting was confirmed by entering SMS verification code and getting access to the electronic ballot.We envisaged a set of measures in case something goes wrong for the user. For example, the received link to the ballot could be opened in the same browser and on the same device at any time before the end of the electronic voting (20:00 on June 30th), provided that the device was not turned off, restarted, and that its memory was not cleared. If the Internet connection is lost or the device experienced any other disruptions in operation, the user just had to refresh the page with the ballot after the Internet connection was restored - this returned the ballot one step back to the “preview” mode and allowed to continue voting.
</p>
    <p>
    The “vote” button appeared immediately after choosing an answer option in the ballot. After pressing the button, the ballot was encrypted on the voter’s device and sent to the blockchain. If the Internet connection was interrupted at the time of sending, the encrypted ballot was sent immediately after the connection was restored.
</p>
<h2>
    Anonymization and mixing
</h2>

    <p>
    When designing the system, two fundamental mechanisms - anonymizer and mixer - were implemented to preserve the secrecy of the vote and the anonymity of the voter.
</p>
    <p>
    The anonymizer made it impossible to track or identify the user, since the page is not connected with the identification data about the user and does not contain any artifacts and information about the person.
</p>
    <p>
    And the mixer put voices into groups and randomly mixed the votes before sending them to the blockchain. This excluded the possibility of comparing the cast votes by the time they was received.
</p>
<h2>
    Non-obvious requirements
</h2>

    <p>
    Our remote electronic voting system had several functions and elements which seem strange and unnecessary at first glance, however, they are required by current legislation. A striking example is the transmission of voting results to the state automated system “Vybory” (“Elections”). This process was not automated on purpose and was carried out manually by an operator from the Moscow City Election Commission on a special secure computer in the premises of the Territorial Election Commission for Remote Electronic Voting.
</p>
    <p>
    Another example is the use of the so-called blockchain printers, which “left a&nbsp; paper trace” online - they printed encrypted key transactions online: providing access to the ballot, recording encrypted voice in the blockchain. These printers make it possible to count ballots manually if requested. It is also one of the mandatory requirements.
</p>
<h2>
    Testing of the system
</h2>

    <p>
    To check the fault tolerance of the system, we conducted load tests (a set of measures to check all network components using the load that is close to or exceeding the expected one) every day until the day of the voting. The public test of the system (a real voting for Moscow residents and the residents of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region) was carried out for two days in order to practice emergency scenarios. In the meantime, the applications for the main voting were already being accepted, and this process did not stop even during the test voting period.
</p>
    <p>
    As in 2019, we announced a 2 million rubles prize (equivalent to $26.4 thousand) for hacking the system (during the testing, not on the voting days). But nobody managed to do it again.
</p>
<h2>
    Voting and interpretation of results
</h2>

    <p>
    Then the remote electronic online voting was completed on June 30 at 20:00 Moscow time, the data on voters who registered for electronic voting, but did not vote in electronic form, were transferred to the “Vybory” state automated system. They were added to the voter lists at district election committees at their place of registration, and were provided with an opportunity to vote offline on voting day, July 1. All this time, before the decryption started, the system had been closed for accepting ballots, but all monitoring tools were operating, so it was possible to make sure that there were no manipulations, and the blockchain generated zero transaction blocks.
</p>
<h2>
    Participation of experts
</h2>

    <p>
    From our experience in 2019 we knew that such projects require the involvement of a lot of industry professionals. Positive Technologies and Kaspersky Lab, as one of the most competent and influential players in the Russian information security market, were engaged to audit the system.
</p>
    <p>
    The technical working group included critical IT professionals, with the new members who became part of the group in 2020. For example, representatives of the Party Of Direct Democracy, which is a competitor, since its agenda includes the development of its own electronic voting. However, this is the case when joint participation in such projects strengthens and enriches each of the parties.
</p>
    <p>
    Due to the pandemic, almost all meetings were held online, and the broadcast of the meetings was recorded. To ensure quick communication between the members of the technical working group, a Telegram chat was created. It includes representatives of the IT Department of&nbsp; Moscow Government from different areas who answer questions. By the way, they are still doing it, even after the project is completed, and the chat is constantly active.
</p>
    <p>
    As for Pierrick Gaudry, who in 2019 provided valuable comments regarding the mechanism for encrypting votes and the operation of the system, this time he refused to participate in the audit of the system due to the lack of documentation for the system in English.
</p>
    <p>
    The decryption of the votes was launched after the end of the voting (after 20:00 Moscow time, July 1). It took about 10 minutes. The results of electronic voting in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - Moscow and the Nizhniy Novgorod Region - were publicly presented upon completion of the decryption, and were also transferred to the “Vybory” state automated system for summing up the voting results in the country.
</p>
<h2>
    The work will be continued
</h2>

    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://habr.com/ru/">Habr</a> can become a platform for working out the organizational and technical aspects of the project, and if you have questions about the code and suggestions for improving the system, we suggest using <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/moscow-technologies/blockchain-voting">GitHub</a>.
</p>
    <p>
    To become part of the technical working group, please send us your full name and contact information by e-mail (<a target="_blank" href="http://support-vybory@mos.ru">support-vybory@mos.ru</a>), and also briefly describe your competencies and why you are interested in joining the group.
</p>
<hr />
    <p>
    
</p>
    <p>
    <b>Other blockchain-related materials on ICT.Moscow:</b>
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?tags=blockchain">News on blockchain on ICT.Moscow</a>
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mindsmith-column-blockchain-trends/">Column on the main trends in blockchain in 2020</a>
</p>
    <p>
    <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=blockchain">Blockchain cards on ICT.Moscow</a>
</p>
    <p>
    
</p>

Expert column by Kirill Polyakov, Head of Distributed Registry Technology department at the IT Department of Moscow Government

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