Moscow-based customer data service (CDM) provider KonnektU has raised $1.6 million (120 million rubles) from MTS for the development of its online platform and data analysis tools as well as expanding sales channels and strengthening the team.

 
 In the future, the company plans to create new products and services with MTS for "analyzing consumer behavior in online and offline channels”, KonnectU stated.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

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

<hr />
 
 KonnektU allows businesses to collect customer profiles from multiple channels, helping them to set up personalized ads campaigns. As for 2021, the company's databases contain more than 60 million customer IDs.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/servis-upravleniia-klientskimi-dannymi-konnektu-privlek-120-mln-rub-na-razvitie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

VC.ru

CDM service KonnektU Raises $1.6 Million 

In its <a href="https://corp.megafon.com/ai/document/12146/file/MEGAFON_2021_Q2_IFRS_FS_ENG.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">report</a> for the second quarter of the year 2021, Russia’s second-largest telecom operator MegaFon estimated the value of its shares (24 billion shares, 24.3% of the capital) in AliExpress Russia at $1.6 billion (119.7 billion rubles). Thus, the fair value of AliExpress Russia in mid-2021 might amount to $6.7 billion (492.6 billion rubles), according to RBC newspaper.

 
 AliExpress Russia was founded in 2019 as a joint venture based on the Russian assets of the Chinese retail company Alibaba. At the time, MegaFon indicated that the value of its stake in the joint venture was $490 million (35.9 billion rubles), with the entire AliExpress Russia's valuation at around $2 billion (147.7 billion rubles). Thus, the company might have shown a three-fold growth since 2019 based on the information from MegaFon's report, RBC reports.

 
 In early August of this year, MegaFon <a href="https://www.telecompaper.com/news/megafon-sells-stake-in-aliexpress-to-shareholder-usm-report--1393219" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">sold</a> its share in AliExpress Russia to the company's main shareholder, USM Group headed by Alisher Usmanov. Now the shareholders of AliExpress Russia are Alibaba (47.8%), USM (24.3%), Mail Group (15%), as well as Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) together with venture partners from Middle East (12.8%).

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/smi-stoimost-aliexpress-russia-mozhet-dostigat-493-mlrd-rublei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MegaFon Estimates its Share in AliExpress Russia at $1.6 Billion

Beeline, Russia’s third-largest telecom operator, has released its <a href="https://ict.moscow/static/pdf/files/2q21-earnings-release-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">second-quarter 2021 financial results</a>. The company's total revenue increased by 6.2% year-on-year, reaching $955 million (69.5 billion rubles).

 
 The main factor contributing to the growth in total revenue was an increase in sales of subscriber equipment, Beeline said in the statement. The service revenue in the mobile sector showed an increase of 1.6%, due to expansion of 4G services among operator’s customer base, which increased by 20.5% year-on-year. Revenue in the fixed segment increased by 8.6% year-on-year, in the B2B segment grew by 15.3%.

 
 Revenue from solutions using Big Data (services for the B2B segment based on processing large amounts of data) grew by 60.8% year-on-year. The company clarifies that the growth was mainly due to the revenue from services in the field of advertising technologies, which soared 170% year-on-year.

 
 EBITDA increased by 2.2%, while the capital expenditures excluding licenses and capitalized leases in the grew by 22.4% in the second quarter.

 
 

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 The main indicators of Beeline's financial results in the second quarter and the first half of 2021. Courtesy of Veon.
 

 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bilain-otchitalsya-o-roste-vyruchki-na-6-2-za-vtoroy-kvartal-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Beeline

Beeline Reported Revenue Growth by 6.2% in the Second Quarter 2021

<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=MegaFon" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MegaFon</a>, Russia’s second largest telecom operator, has released <a href="https://moscow.megafon.ru/download/~msk/~moscow/CORP/Q2_2021/MF_Press-Release_Q2_2021_ENG.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">financial results</a> for the second quarter of 2021. Its revenue increased 7% year-on-year to $1.13 billion (84.1 billion rubles), while the company's net profit tripled, reaching $167 million (12.7 billion rubles).

 
 The revenue growth is an indicator of continued recovery from the negative impact of the pandemic, the company explains. Key growth drivers included revenue from data services, content services, and digital services, with strong demand for analytical services using big data and innovative solutions for remote work.

 
 The three-fold increase in profits was due to “effective cost management, deleveraging and successful hedging of our FX positions,” the operator said in a statement. The company’s net debt decreased by $59 million (4.4 billion rubles) quarter-on-quarter to $4 billion (301.9 billion rubles).

 
 Other key results include the growth of customer base by 2.1%, compared to the second quarter of 2020, to 72 million. The total number of base stations exceeded 199,600 items, with the advanced 4G/LTE segment showing a 17.5% growth year-on-year.

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 MegaFon
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/megafon-otchitalsia-o-roste-vyruchki-na-7-za-vtoroi-kvartal-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Megafon

MegaFon Reports Strong Second Quarter Results

Representatives of Rostelecom, MegaFon, Yandex, Mail.ru Group, IIDF, the Big Data Association, the platform for lending to corporate clients Finfactory and Skolkovo's Competence Center have put forward a number of proposals that should be included in the roadmap for regulating digital platforms and ecosystems.

 
 The discussion took place within a round table on ecosystem regulation in the ANO Data Economy, which will provide the document jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development in October 2021, and then present it to the Ministry of Digital Economy and the government.

 
 Skolkovo's <a href="https://sk.ru/legal/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Competence Center</a> suggested a measure enabling users to turn off personalized ads and mark native ads separately. Advertising market players, present at the discussion of the initiatives, considered this measure excessive, according to Forbes. Another proposal from the Center is to partly compensate ecosystems for the costs in the implementation of "priority investment projects", as well as subsidize interest rates on loans for those site owners who carry out joint projects with the state.

 
 In turn, Rostelecom proposed to develop a number of measures to enhance the security of personal data in ecosystems, including protection from hacker attacks. According to the company representative, it is necessary to establish what data each service developer for an ecosystem protects.

 
 MegaFon proposed to improve the regulation of copyright and related rights for the further development of ecosystems and digital technologies in general. The operator also insists on the need for a set of tax incentives in the development of digital services and ecosystems.

 
 Finfactory believes that ecosystems should be able to refuse a user to delete his personal data if the latter has an outstanding loan from the bank of this ecosystem.

 
 The roadmap for ecosystem regulation <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/ministry-of-economic-development-presented-the-concept-of-ecosystem-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was presented</a> in June 2021 by the Ministry of Economic Development. In mid-August 2021, The Federal Antimonopoly Service’s (FAS) Expert Council <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-regulator-proposes-antimonopoly-principals-for-digital-platforms/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">developed</a> five principles for the operation of digital platforms, including their reasonable openness, ensuring the independence of platform users, and others.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/predstaviteli-otrasli-nazvali-riad-predlozhenii-dlia-dorozhnoi-karty-po-regulirovaniiu-tsifrovykh-platform-i-ekosistem/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Forbes

Market Players Speak on the Upcoming Roadmap for Digital Platforms and Ecosystems Regulation

A unified service platform for science, which will provide access to the profiles of researchers, as well as facilitate interaction with the real economy, will be launched in Russia, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The creation of such a platform is part of the strategy for the digital development of domestic science and higher education. 

 
 According to the <a href="https://ict.moscow/static/520035c9-fbfb-5b5f-91a3-a772f2d1b631.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">document</a>, by 2030, within the framework of the platform, the government will create a single ecosystem of services and services for joint research, which will provide access to international databases and support measures. The Ministry of Education and Science will be in charge of creating the system.

 
 “Portfolio” service and collective interaction in scientific projects are expected to be implemented later this year. By 2024 datasets of marked-up documents "State Dissernet", "Relevance of Research" will be launched.

 
 On December 25, President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/vladimir-putin-signed-a-decree-on-holding-a-year-of-science-and-technology-in-russia-in-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">signed </a>a decree on holding the Year of Science and Technology in Russia in 2021. The government program for the development of domestic science and technologies, which started this year, was estimated at around $13.5 billion (1 trillion rubles), according to Chernyshenko.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/dmitrij-chernyshenko-v-rossii-sozdadut-edinuyu-cifrovuyu-platformu-dlya-nauki/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

The Russian Government

Russia to Create a Unified Digital Platform for Science

Russian telecom giant <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=MTS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS </a>has chosen projects from MTS StartUp Hub incubator for integration into the infrastructure of the company's retail network. Among them are the solutions by Moscow startups, a platform for the provision of devices for rent by subscription Arenter as well as a contactless payment service Briskly.

 
 MTS will spend up to $6,755 (500 thousand rubles) on the pilot implementation of each solution, with projects being tested in MTS showrooms and online store by the end of the year. The decision for scaling might come after the pilot testing.

 
 Overall, the incubator has received 154 applications from international teams for its “Innovations in Retail” track. Other participants include an online platform for second-hand devices <a href="https://greatsteve.ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Greatsteve </a>as well as a platform for automation and control in sales planning in stores <a href="https://heado.ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Heado</a>.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/arenter/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Arenter</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/briskly-1/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Briskly</a>

<hr />
 
 MTS StartUp Hub is an innovation and investment center for MTS, which consists of a corporate accelerator, a 5G Center, an MTS venture fund, a division for fast launch of pilots, and foreign representative offices.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-aprobiruet-v-roznichnoi-torgovle-resheniya-moskovskih-startapov-arenter-i-briskly/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS StartUp Hub

MTS to Test Retail Solutions by Moscow Startups Arenter and Briskly 

Russian government has approved a <a href="http://static.government.ru/media/files/bW9wGZ2rDs3BkeZHf7ZsaxnlbJzQbJJt.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">roadmap </a>for the development of production and use of electric road transport through 2030, which is expected to become a driver of end-to-end technologies in Russia.

 
 The roadmap involves the development of a production base, building up technological competencies, introducing new products to the market, and creating an engineering and transport infrastructure. With its implementation, related end-to-end technologies and technological solutions based on them will also be developed. That includes AI, the IoT, big data systems, digital engineering, and digital twins.

 
 Among other improvements, the roadmap implicates vehicle control and driver assistance systems, sensors and robotics components, components for a smart car, integration of an electric vehicle with user devices, quantum technologies and cybersecurity of a car and IT infrastructure, big data and wireless technologies and other technologies and areas.

 
 Earlier in August, the Ministry of Transport <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-transport-introduces-a-draft-transport-strategy-of-russia-through-2030/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">introduced </a>a draft transport strategy of Russia through 2030, which revealed the prospects for biometrics and driverless vehicles in Russian transport system.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/utverzhdennaya-koncepciya-razvitiya-elektrotransporta-v-rossii-stanet-drajverom-razvitiya-skvoznyh-tekhnologij/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ComNews

Government Presents a Roadmap for the Development of Electric Transport and End-to-End Technologies

Kismet Capital Group, a Moscow-based private equity company, has sent an offer to Veon Ltd. to buy its cell towers in Russia, where Beeline’s, a Veon’s subsidiary and Russia’s second-largest telecom operator, equipment is currently located. The terms of the offer were not disclosed yet.

 
 According to analysts from AC&M Consulting, at the beginning of 2021, the National Tower Company, which owns the Veon’s antenna mast structures, had about 15 thousand towers. Earlier, in the course of Veon’s negotiations with another potential buyer, the deal value was estimated at $810-945 million.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-tavrin-651313211/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ivan Tavrin</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://kismetcg.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Kismet Capital Group</a>

<hr />
 
 Kismet is run by Ivan Tavrin, former CEO of Megafon, Russia’s third-largest telecom operator. In February 2021, Tavrin <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-18/ex-megafon-chief-raises-450-million-for-two-europe-tech-spacs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">raised</a> $450 million for two SPACs targeting acquisitions in the European tech industry, Kismet Acquisition One and Kismet Acquisition Two.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/kismet-khochet-priobresti-vyshki-veon/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

Kismet Wants to Buy 15 Thousand Towers From Veon

Rostec, a Russian state-owned tech giant, has established Spektr, a new company, on the basis of which it plans to create a national vendor of telecommunication solutions for 4G, 5G, and next generations communication standards.

 
 For this, a cooperation of Russian manufacturers of equipment for communication networks will deployed around the new company.

 
 Pavel Smirnov, the former head of the Scientific Research Institute Masshtab, will become the general director of Spektr. The board of directors of the company will be headed by the director for special assignments of Rostec Vasily Brovko.

 
 According to Russian telecom operator MegaFon, the new company will have to not only create competitive equipment for 5G by 2023, but also prepare the infrastructure to provide 4G federal highways and sparsely populated areas. MTS stated that they are open to mutually beneficial cooperation with all equipment manufacturers. Beeline and Tele2 declined to comment.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mstb.smirnov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pavel Smirnov</a>, the CEO of Spektr

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ru.sreda" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Vasily Brovko</a>, Director for Special Assignments of <a href="https://rostec.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Rostec</a>

<hr />
 
 In November 2020, the Russian government <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/5g-networks-in-russia-will-be-built-using-only-domestic-equipment/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> that fifth-generation networks using only domestic telecom equipment. Operators <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/telecoms-in-russia-get-10-year-lte-license-renewal-with-new-requirements/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">will have to use it</a> starting from 2023 to roll out 4G.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostekh-uchredil-budushchego-natsionalnogo-vendora-oborudovaniia-dlia-setei-sviazi-4g-5g-i-6g-1/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Rostec Creates a New Enterprise for 4G, 5G and 6G Solutions 

<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=MTS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS</a>, a Russian telecom giant, <a href="https://ict.moscow/static/26da8203-a475-5d14-b445-be0fb9431a56.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">plans</a> to restructure the company, with its tower and digital assets separating into separate legal entities.

 
 According to the company’s CEO Vyacheslav Nikolaev, such a decision will make the assets more approachable for investors and increase the efficiency of the management structure.

 
 One of the companies will be called MTS WEB Services, the company specified. It will include the existing divisions of the MTS’ cloud and network infrastructure as well as data centers. This subsidiary will also receive radio subsystems, a transport-switching network, fixed-line resources, and more. The staff will be 9.5 thousand people. MTS will remain the holder of the licenses for the use of frequencies.

 
 MTS expects the allocation of assets to be completed by early 2022, provided that the decision is approved at the meeting of shareholders.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/viacheslav-nikolaev-86762810/detail/background-image/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Vyacheslav Nikolaev</a>, the President & the CEO of <a href="http://ir.mts.ru/home/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS</a> 

<hr />
 
 On August 2, Russian regulator <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/telecoms-in-russia-get-10-year-lte-license-renewal-with-new-requirements/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">prolonged</a> the current permits to use the frequencies or LTE networks for another 10 years term, provided that operators will install only Russian-made equipment in LTE networks. MTS expressed its willingness to purchase the competitive Russian equipment with the required characteristics, quality, and prices.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-sdelaet-otdelnymi-iurlitsami-bashennye-i-tsifrovye-aktivy-kompanii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS to Make its Tower and Digital Assets Separate Legal Entities

Russian telecom operator <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Beeline" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Beeline </a>and Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University signed a cooperation agreement to exchange technologies, develop and jointly promote solutions in the fields of telecom infrastructure, data processing centers, information software as well as analytical and control systems.

 
 Among other things, the two organizations plan to create solutions using artificial intelligence for the early diagnosis of diseases. The proposed solutions will be created within the scope of Sechenov University’s databases from of laboratory and instrumental studies, anamnestic data and treatment tactics for patients.

<hr />
 
 Connect with 

 
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeheld/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">George Held</a>, the CDO of <a href="https://moskva.beeline.ru/en-us/welcome/general-information/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Beeline Russia</a>

 
 <a href="https://www.sechenov.ru/univers/all/1197/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Petr Glybochko</a>, rector of <a href="https://www.sechenov.ru/eng/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University</a>

<hr />
 
 In July 2021, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-health-and-rostec-created-the-first-version-of-the-federal-healthcare-ai-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>that together with Rostec the government body has created the first version of the federal AI platform for healthcare, which will combine anonymized and labeled medical data into verified datasets.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bilain-i-sechenovskii-universitet-budut-vmeste-razvivat-it-produkty-dlia-meditsiny/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CNews

Beeline and Sechenov University to Develop MedTech Solutions 

T<a href="https://www.grfc.ru/grfc/eng/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">he General Radio Frequency Centre (GRFC)</a>, a Russian regulatory body, has approved the use of 6.7-6.8 GHz band by <a href="https://niir.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Radio Research Institute</a> (NIIR) for research, experimental, and design work using 5G, according to the <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/ru/documents/7981/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">minutes</a> of the GRFC’ meeting on August 2. NIIR will be able to operate with the indicated frequencies on its own territory in Moscow. The 6.7-6.8 GHz frequency is part of the 6.425-7.1 GHz band. As previously specified by Russian telecoms operators, the 6-7 GHz range is mainly used for radio-fixing aids and radio relay lines. This range was not allocated for the operation of mobile networks by the International Telecommunication Union.

 
 The fact that NIIR plans to conduct tests for the development of 5G networks in the 6 GHz band by the end of 2021 was <a href="https://iz.ru/1082264/anna-ustinova-aleksei-ramm/chastotnaia-nedostatochnost-dlia-5g-predlozhili-novyi-diapazon-6ggtc?destination=node/1082264" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> in November. As the deputy CEO of NIIR Evgeny Devyatkin said, the 6.425-7.1 GHz band is not an alternative, but an addition to the 3.4-3.8 GHz and 4.4-4.99 GHz bands.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/nauchno-issledovatelskii-institut-radio-protestiruet-diapazon-6-7-6-8-ggts-dlia-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Radio Research Institute to Test 5G on 6.7-6.8 GHz Band

Moscow startup <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=VisionLabs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">VisionLabs</a> (part of <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Sberbank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sber</a> ecosystem) has become the best company in face recognition at airports for passport-free service, according to The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (<a href="https://www.nist.gov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">NIST</a>).

 
 This year, NIST’s <a href="https://pages.nist.gov/frvt/html/frvt_paperless_travel.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ongoing Face Recognition Vendor Test</a> (FRVT) tested algorithms under the scenario paperless traveling. The testing comprised both boarding passengers on an airplane and passing passport control using biometrics.

 
 VisionLabs' solution was named the best in three tests and showed high recognition accuracy. For example, in the first case, it was 99.98% with a probability of a false positive of 1 in 3333, which was the best result among all vendors.

 
 Research has also proven that VisionLabs' algorithms work effectively on photographs of different demographic groups, which is especially important when using solutions at international airports.

 
 Earlier, VisionLabs was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/visionlabs-technology-retains-its-leadership-in-nist-international-research/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ranked</a> FRVT’s 2020 best vendor in facial recognition algorithms.

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 The National Institute of Standards and Technology 
 

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 The National Institute of Standards and Technology

D-Russia

NIST Ranks VisionLabs the Best Facial Recognition Vendor for Airports

On August 2, <a href="https://www.grfc.ru/grfc/eng/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the General Radio Frequency Centre (GRFC)</a>, a Russian regulatory body, prolonged the current permits to use the frequencies of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and 2.5-2.7 GHz for LTE networks for another 10 years term, RBC reports.

 
 According to Newspaper’s sources, the decision contains a number of requirements for telecoms companies:

<ul>
 <li>starting from 2023, they will have to use only equipment included in the register of Russian electronic products and software from the register of domestic software in the construction of LTE networks;</li>
 <li>by September 8, 2024, they must provide LTE coverage in 100% of localities with a population of more than 1,000 people;</li>
 <li>by September 8, 2031, they must cover 99.9% of federal roads with LTE networks.</li>
</ul>

 
 Telecoms operators also told RBC about the repercussions of such measures. For instance, operator MegaFon clarified that the company already "prioritizes the provision of LTE not only in large cities but their environs as well". However, in order to fulfill such conditions, the company will have to invest in digitalization of the most remote regions and sections of federal highways, where building 4G infrastructure is costly. According to the operator's forecasts, the amount of investments to cover these areas with LTE is estimated at $1.3 billion (100 billion rubles).

 
 MTS expressed its willingness to purchase the "competitive Russian equipment with the required characteristics, quality, and prices" in accordance with the requirements from GRFC.

 
 Tele 2 Russia of T2 RTK Holding (a subsidiary of Rostelecom, which operates under the Tele2 brand) will have to evaluate future investments after an additional assessment. Earlier, the company <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/tele2-wants-officials-to-ease-requirements-for-lte-license-renewal/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">expressed </a>its position on the matter, according to which new requirements for LTE equipment should only apply to new construction, without rebuilding all existing networks.

 
 At the time of this writing, the official document from the <a href="https://digital.gov.ru/ru/documents/?department=43-7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">GRFC</a> has not been released yet.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/gkrch-prodlila-litsenzii-na-lte-s-dopolnitelnymi-usloviiami/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Telecoms in Russia Get 10-year LTE License Renewal with New Requirements

According to Forbes, Moscow-based telecoms company <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=MTS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS</a> is negotiating the purchase of the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/bartello/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Bartello</a> service for instant ordering of drinks and food in bars and restaurants.

 
 As the co-founder of the company <a href="https://www.facebook.com/danila.nikolaev.5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Danila Nikolayev</a> explained to Forbes, Bartello is already integrated as a separate service into the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/mts-live/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MTS Live</a> app, but the company does not conduct “explicit negotiations on the sale”, because “there is no such goal”.

 
 According to the CEO of TelecomDaily <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.kuskov.9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Denis Kuskov</a>, the deal may become an extension of Bartello's partnership with MTS Live, with the capabilities of both apps to be combined. Thus, in addition to payment features, Bartello may, for instance, have events managing, tickets purchase, and other services.

 
 Bartello was founded in 2018. In 2019, the startup raised $82,700 (6 million rubles) from <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Qiwi" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Qiwi</a> and gained access to the Qiwi payment infrastructure, merchant acquiring, payment service, and bank billing.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-vedet-peregovory-o-pokupke-servisa-bartello/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS Plans to Purchase FoodTech Bartello

Russian telecoms operator MTS acquired 51% in <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/factorin/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Factorin</a>, a blockchain-based trading platform, for $11.7 million in a deal with Digital Horizon. Around $4.7 million of the total investment will be used for company development, according to MTS.

 
 Factorin founder <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/amaklin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Andrey Maklin</a> and the team retained 25% in the company, while Digital Horizon kept 24%. The acquisition will allow MTS to expand the ecosystem of financial services for corporate clients, namely, to provide factoring services using blockchain.

 
 Andrey Maklin <a href="https://factorin.io/news/00200" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">notes </a>that the deal will help to “transform entire areas of fintech services for the B2B segment on a major scale”. He estimates the trade finance factoring market to grow to reach more than $100 billion by 2024.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-priobrela-kontrol-v-blokchein-platforme-factorin/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS Acquires Controlling Stake in Factorin

Mobile operator Tele2 Russia, despite its support for the development of LTE technology in Russia, believes that the new requirements for LTE equipment should only apply to new construction, without rebuilding all existing networks, according to the statement released by the company. For the new equipment to meet operators’ commercial interests, it needs to be competitive as well as compatible with companies’ other equipment, Tele2 adds.

 
 LTE licenses for telecoms firms in Russia expire in September. The head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev announced in June that the ministry is considering the possibility of introducing restrictions when renewing licenses, which will include installing only Russian-made LTE base stations by operators.

 
 In August, <a href="https://www.grfc.ru/grfc/eng/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the General Radio Frequency Centre (GRFC</a>), a Russian regulatory body, plans to prolong the current permits to use the frequencies of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and 2.5-2.7 GHz for LTE networks for another 10 years term, but telecoms operators will have to fulfill several conditions. Among them, the construction of LTE networks using only domestic equipment from the unified register of Russian electronic products.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-tele2-schitaiut-neobkhodimym-smiagchit-trebovaniia-po-vnedreniiu-rossiiskogo-lte-oborudovaniia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Interfax

Tele2 Russia Wants Officials to Ease Requirements for LTE License Renewal

Sberbank will implement the Smart Home project in Moscow in liaison with Ingrad, a development company, with its subsidiary Sberbank-Telecom (under the name of Sbermobile) as a service provider.

 
 One of Ingrad’s residential buildings will be provided with IoT, video analytics, biometrics, and several infrastructure management and security services using AI. Solutions by <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/info-sbercloud-ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SberCloud</a>, SberDevices, Speech Technology Center, and Modern Technologies are listed.

 
 In May earlier this year, MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mts-will-equip-houses-under-construction-with-the-internet-of-things/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>its negotiations with several development companies on creating IoT infrastructures in houses under construction.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-osnactit-doma-v-moskve-internetom-veshchei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank to Provide New Residences in Moscow with IoT

On July 19, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Deputy Prime Ministers presented the main initiatives to implement the national development goals to the President of the Russian Federation during the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.

 
 All initiatives are divided into six areas: social sphere, construction, ecology, digital transformation, technological leap and service state.

 
 The social sphere projects include:

 
 • creation of the “Health” unified digital service, which will allow citizens to get the necessary information about the attending physician, test results, vaccinations, information on subsidized medicines;

 
 • implementation of a pilot project to create an individual genetic health record;

 
 • creation of a unified digital platform, which will become the basis for the system of social treasury and payments assignment; the platform will be created by the Ministry of Labor.

 
 The technological leap projects are:

 
 • creation of unmanned logistic transport corridors for the transportation of goods (particularly, within the M11 Moscow - St. Petersburg motorway by 2024);

 
 • creation of corridors for commercial autonomous unmanned navigation (the first route of such type is Ust-Luga - Kaliningrad);

 
 • driverless delivery of goods to hard-to-reach areas of the Arctic and the Far East;

 
 • creation of a system for remote monitoring and diagnostics of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus using personal wearable devices.

 
 In the “construction” section, the following initiatives were mentioned:

 
 • digitization of all 32 procedures in construction and implementation of BIM technologies. From January 1, 2022, all government customers must switch to using BIM technologies in design and construction;

 
 • actualization of spatial data.

 
 As part of the digital transformation, it is planned to:

 
 • develop the training for IT personnel. In particular, high school students will be given the opportunity to undergo free two-year training in modern programming languages;

 
 • provide Internet access to the residents of small settlements and remote areas.

 
 According to the information on the Kremlin’s website, when the initiatives are approved by the president, they will become part of the plan to achieve the national goals.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-zapustili-analiticheskuiu-platformu-s-dannymi-o-transporte-v-megapolisakh/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

kremlin.ru

The government presented 42 projects to implement the national development goals of the Russian Federation

According to a study by Russia's largest mobile operator MTS, in 2021 the Internet of Things (IoT) market in Russia will increase by 15%, to 117 billion rubles. Over the next two years, the growth will average 16.5%, and the growth in the number of connections - 19%. The most active development of IoT is expected in the housing and communal services and industry (by 39% and 19% by 2023, respectively).

 
 The company clarifies that one of the market drivers is the development of eSIM technology. By the end of 2023, about 20% of all IoT devices in Russia will be connected via eSIM, the operator predicts.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-rossiiskii-iot-rynok-k-kontsu-goda-vyrastet-na-15-v-tom-chisle-za-schet-esim/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS: the Russian IoT market will grow by 15% by the end of the year, including due to eSIM

The government has submitted a draft law that amends the federal law “On Communications”. The amendments are made to move towards a register model for assignment (designation) of radio frequencies or radio frequency channels for radio electronic means, and to determine the specifics of licensing in the field of communications.

 
 According to D-Russia, in the register model the provision of services is recorded in the electronic register.

 
 According to the draft law, permission to assign a radio frequency or radio frequency channel will be issued “in the form of an entry in the Unified register of frequency assignments for civilian radio electronic means” or in written form for radio electronic equipment used for government agencies. The current law “On Communications” has no provisions on a unified register.

 
 The explanatory note states that “the concept will improve the technological effectiveness of processes, including through the use of digital technology”. It will also make it possible to “accelerate the introduction of digital and electronic services” both on the part of Roskomnadzor and on the part of individuals and legal entities planning to use the radio frequency spectrum.

 
 If the law is adopted, it will enter into force on March 1, 2022.

 
 <a href="https://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/1214072-7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Draft law No.1214072-7</a>

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-gosdumu-vnesen-proekt-zakona-o-reestrovoi-modeli-prisvoeniia-radiochastot/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

A draft law on a register model for assigning radio frequencies was submitted to the State Duma

Rosseti Moscow Region, jointly with Arsenal-Technology, have started to place telecom operators’ base stations in underground bunkers. They will be located in the secured zones of transformer substations, only the mounting support with the group of antennas will remain visible.

 
 CNews clarifies that the underground communication bunker is made of stainless steel in a reinforced concrete shell with a two-layer bitumen-latex waterproof coating. The facility is equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation, an alarm system, intrusion protection and a video surveillance camera.

 
 Currently, two facilities are being developed in the center of Moscow. The completed facility will be a site that meets the needs of a smart city, will support 3G, 4G, 5G, IoT standards and be leased to telecom operators.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rosseti-dlia-razvitiia-5g-infrastruktury-pristupili-k-razmeshcheniiu-bazovykh-stantsii-v-podzemnykh-bunkerakh/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Rosseti place base stations in underground bunkers to develop 5G infrastructure

MTS launched the MTS GROM supercomputer with a processing power of 2.26 petaflops to develop the digital ecosystem. The company experts say it the third most powerful supercomputer in Russia (the Lomonosov Moscow State University and Sberbank have their own supercomputers).

 
 MTS Artificial Intelligence Center plans to implement customer service projects and increase the operational efficiency of the business using the supercomputer. It will accelerate the creation and launch of products in the field of computer vision and industrial analytics, natural language processing, and intelligent video surveillance. Universities, large scientific and medical centers will be able to use MTS GROM in research related to modeling complex processes.

 
 MTS representatives say that in the future MTS GROM capacities will become available to Russian companies.

 
 The supercomputer is deployed by #CloudMTS in the MTS data center on the basis of the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD solution.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-zapustila-superkompiuter-proizvoditelnostiu-2-26-petaflops/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

MTS launched a 2.26-petaflop supercomputer

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ICT.Moscow  — Market in Brief

At
the beginning of July, a video with a driverless Yandex.Rover in the streets of
Moscow appeared online. The technology is supposed to become a useful tool in
e-commerce - it is evident from the fact that Amazon corporation launched
similar rovers in the summer of 2019.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/f0c69ba0-fc75-5b47-b36d-ea07cb40845d.gif">
</div>

 
 Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/rian_ru/44820">RIA Novosti</a>

 
 ICT.Moscow
decided to learn about Yandex’s plans on implementing the technology in Russian
e-commerce and asked about the peculiarities of working on driverless
transport. The representative of the company revealed where the rovers have
already been implemented, spoke about their readiness for real operation and
explained the details of the development of a universal technology for
self-driving vehicles.

 
 Read
the interview of ICT.Moscow to learn where the delivery robots will appear
first, when the driverless transport technology will be ready for operation in
the most difficult road conditions and where and why Yandex tests its
self-driving cars.

<hr />
 
 —&nbsp;You
started to use Yandex.Rover in the streets of Moscow. Does it mean that the
technology will soon be ready for operation in real-life conditions?

 
 —
We have been using our rovers in the streets of Moscow for quite a long time
for collecting data, testing and training algorithms. This time a journalist
was nearby, and he shot the standard working process.

 
 In
terms of operation, we have already conducted several pilot projects and the
first launch of the robot outside the Yandex ecosystem. We started to develop
Rover in the summer of 2019, and already in November we conducted the first
trial - the robot was delivering documents and small parcels within our
headquarters. November was a good time to launch Rover because of the weather
conditions: the robots had to deal with rain, snow and ice. The robot
leapfrogged favorable weather conditions and faced harsh Russian realities
straight away.

 
 In
February this year we carried out a test integration with “Beru” service. The
piloting was linked to February 14th, when there was a high demand for
delivering a large number of parcels. However, only Yandex employees could use
the delivery - Rover picked up parcels at a single center and delivered them to
buildings.

 
 In
April, the robot got its first serious job - it started to operate at Skolkovo.
The territory of the center is arranged in the way that the buildings of
different offices are situated at a certain distance from each other.
Previously, the employees had to use a car to get to several places to exchange
documents and correspondence. With Rover it is no longer needed - the robot
took over this function. Its route there is about 2-3 km. 

 
 In
fact, Skolkovo buys robot delivery service from us, so, technically, it is the
first commercial integration of the technology.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 Less than a year has passed since the emergence of “let’s create a robot” idea till the first commercial application.
 </div>
 
 —&nbsp;In
other words, is the technology ready for real-life application? What are the
plans for further implementation of Rover in real commercial and business
processes?

 
 —
We are currently negotiating with several other companies interested in small
cargo delivery using robots. We expect that Rover will fit into Yandex
ecosystem, including FoodTech sector, which has become more in-demand than
before due to the pandemic.

 
 Such
delivery robots allow to successfully develop e-commerce in general. This
sector is rapidly growing and requires more and more people at different
stages. In the USA there is a shortage of staff in the cargo transportation,
because young people are reluctant to enter this profession. Such rovers are
able to meet the increasing demand for water, food and goods delivery.

 
 If
we talk about the possible range of application of such rovers, there are many
tasks in logistics that can be automated using these robots. They not only can
drive through the streets and deliver documents, parcels and food, but also can
be used within warehouses. When we announced the introduction of the robot
within the company, our colleagues from data centers, which occupy large areas,
showed a great interest in it. In case there is a need to deliver two ram cards
from one point of the data center to another, a rover can help. 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 The main range of self-driving couriers use includes the services where last mile delivery is needed, primarily e-commerce and warehouse logistics.
 </div>
 
 —&nbsp;The
operation process within data centers and warehouses in quite clear, but Rover
will also be operating in the streets, with a large number of road users and
unpredictable situations. To what extent is the technology ready for urban
environment?

 
 —
The technologies that were perfected and tested in driverless vehicles helped
us a lot. We had to rebuild some algorithms, but the basic principles are the
same. It was one of the reasons why we managed to carry out Rover piloting so
soon: it comprises many skills that have already been developed. Moreover, the
scenarios of use are more simple, even in terms of safety: a car drives at
about 60km/h, so the safety requirements are much higher. 

 
 Rovers
drive on sidewalks at an average speed of 5 km/h, in bike lanes the speed can
be higher (this scenario is being tested in Skolkovo). They have already learnt
to accurately detect and recognize the signals of pedestrian traffic lights (in
the same way as a self-driving car detects turning arrows). But currently there
is a difficulty with uncontrolled pedestrian crossings, as it is not clear how
Rover should behave at them - it is neither a car, nor a pedestrian. So far,
the solution is as follows: the robot will let a car pass, but if it
understands the driver sees it and lets the robot pass, Rover will drive across
the crossing.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 One of the main tasks of machine learning in self-driving transport is to learn to predict the behavior of other road users.
 </div>
 
 It
is not enough to determine where they are driving or going and forecast their
trajectory - intentions are more important. Especially in case with
self-driving vehicles: will the pedestrian. standing at the median strip, cross
the road or not?

 
 To
determine this, neural networks use all available data on the object and the
environment. For example, in case with a car it will be the position in the
lane, steering angle, previous acceleration, road environment, etc. Moreover,
such scenarios have been tested many times in real road conditions. If in the
previous 10 thousand similar episodes a person (a driver or a pedestrian)
behaved in a certain way, in the new episode we can predict future behavior.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/f93cf2bc-670c-520b-90b6-6e87f7e0794c.png">
</div>

 
 Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlf14a7fAQ">Yandex</a>

 
 —&nbsp;And
what about security? Rovers will have to deliver value parcels as well. Is it
safe to leave the unattended?

 
 —
Firstly, they are not left unattended. There are GPS tracker and various
sensors and cameras in each Rover. If the robot considers something went wrong,
for example, if it deviates from the set course, it will send a signal to the
operator, who will be able to access remotely and see what is going on.

 
 Secondly,
a Rover is quite heavy, so it will not be easy to carry it away. Even if
someone manages to do it - what for? You do not know what is inside, and it
will not be easy to pick the lock. If someone succeeds, there can be an
inexpensive product from an online shop. It will also be difficult to resell
the parts of Rover: it will be clear where the part came from. And again, GPS
trackers are installed in Rovers, and they allow to track its movement, just
like in car sharing. 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 There are not so many scenarios in which something threatens a rover.
 </div>
 
 —&nbsp;You
said that the developments for self-driving car were used in Rovers. So, it is
a universal technology for unmanned transport that requires a minor adaptation,
right?

 
 —
Absolutely correct. Once again, Rovers drive in more simple conditions than
self-driving cars, with&nbsp; more factors to
consider during operation. We will have to pilot self-driving vehicles in
different countries to create a technology that can be implemented worldwide -
only Russia is not enough for this task.

 
 There
are unique things in the USA, which cannot be seen anywhere in the world. For
example, a four-way stop, where the rule about the right of way, according to
which the right-of-way should be yielded to the vehicle on the right, does not
apply. If you arrive at the intersection first, you can continue driving. In
Tel Aviv, where we also test unmanned vehicles, there are things that are not
so common in Russia, but can be seen in other countries. For example,
roundabouts are not very popular in Russia, but in Europe they are practically
the main element of road infrastructure. In Tel Aviv there are a lot of
two-wheeled vehicles: mopeds, self-balancing unicycles, scooters, bicycles,
electric scooters, etc. 

 
 In
Moscow and in Russia in general we also do have these things, but there are
many more of them in Tel Aviv (and they are available all year round - one more
advantage in for training self-driving vehicles algorithms). If we are able to
drive in difficult conditions in Tel Aviv, and then will go to Italy, for
instance, we will be able to drive with scooters, on roundabouts and will be
prepared for other peculiarities.

 
 It
is also important to take the local driving culture into consideration. In Tel
Aviv, for example, you should be very persistent to drive.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 If you are polite and give way to other cars, you will not drive far.
 </div>
 
 We
noticed this feature in Las Vegas. Local residents, after taking a ride in our
self-driving vehicles, noted that the car changes lanes very quickly. It can be
explained with the peculiarities of driving in Moscow: you have to be quick to
change lanes. In the US it is easier - the people are in no hurry and will give
way to you. We configured the system to drive like locals - we changed settings
so the car could change lanes more smoothly. And Tel Aviv, on the contrary,
teaches you to be more persistent. This experience will be useful for us in
Moscow as well.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/d9b1ac1e-196b-5761-9169-d2edfe421001.png">
</div>

 
 Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97kpp_8QGuIъ">Israeli TV</a>

 
 —&nbsp;V2X
infrastructure can be of great help for self-driving vehicles, it allows the
car&nbsp; to exchange information with road
infrastructure objects and other vehicles. How actively is this area developing
in Yandex?

 
 —
That also brings us to the issue of technology’s versatility. If we create a
technology that should be safe and applicable anywhere, we should rely only on
ourselves. Communications with infrastructure and other driverless vehicles is
good and useful, and we are testing such scenarios. But we cannot rely on them
and make them an indispensable condition. 

 
 For
example, a person ordered an self-driving taxi to a location that is far away,
with no infrastructure and no self-driving vehicles around. The vehicle should
be able to drive safely by itself - as if there was V2X infrastructure around
it.

 
 Moreover,
different countries have their infrastructure with their standards of data
transmission. This problem exists, even without V2X infrastructure. For
example, in the USA there are traffic lights that have eight different signals,
including a yellow flashing arrow. 

 
 In
general, the possibility of receiving information about the signals one
kilometer before the traffic lights is a good advantage. Having this
information, the vehicle can adjust the speed, plan the motion path in order to
cross the intersection as efficiently as possible, with minimum fuel and time
consumption. This is a nice bonus, but it is still extremely important to be
able to recognize traffic lights signals using vehicle’s vision. 

 
 It
is not always possible to rely on 5G in data transmission. Firstly, 5G coverage
is available not everywhere. Secondly, the signal can be unstable even if the network
is available. All these are additional risk factors.

 
 Finally,
imagine how much the dependence on V2X infrastructure could postpone the launch
of self-driving vehicles. Then it would be necessary to re-equip all roads,
which is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process and requires a lot of
investment. If we want self-driving vehicles to be implemented on roads and
provide services (taxi, for instance) as soon as the regulatory measures are
finalized, relying on V2X is not practical.

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/f9c48bd4-df84-5ec3-af78-90d74dd7999e.png">
</div>

 
 Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3A4X6YYgk">Yandex</a>

 
 —&nbsp;So,
if the self-driving couriers and vehicles&nbsp;
technology is ready for commercial use, do we have to wait only for the
finalization of the Russian regulatory measures?

 
 —
In case with rovers, no additional regulation is required.

 
 As
for unmanned cars, in general, we are ready to launch the corresponding
services in small cities, with not very intensive traffic. We managed to test
such a service in Innopolis, where it has been operating for about two years
now. The conditions similar to Innopolis are already suitable for launching
such services. 

 
 As
has already been mentioned, the most difficult task for self-driving vehicles
is to predict intentions. The more road users&nbsp;
there are around the vehicle - the less predictable the environment
becomes.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 The trajectory for the emergence of self-driving vehicles will be roughly as follows: small cities — suburbs of large cities — centers of large cities.
 </div>
 
 Rush
hour in the center of Moscow is the most unpredictable time for road traffic.
With the increase in the number of cars, the number of traffic rules violations
also grows. The traffic in the center of major cities poses a challenge to
self-driving vehicles, which needs to be solved.

 
 Of
course, now unmanned cars can drive during rush hour in Moscow safely, without
creating emergency situations for other road users and themselves. But it will
take them more time to drive through difficult junctions than it would take an
experienced driver. In every ambiguous situation the vehicle will give way to
other road users.

 
 But
when data accumulates, the situation will change. It can be compared to an
ordinary person - it is probably not a good idea to drive in the center of
Moscow during rush hour right after getting a driving license, when you are still
learning to drive. As you gain experience, you will be able to drive well even
in heavy traffic. This is a task we will have to solve.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 In terms of technology, it will take us about three or four years.
 </div>
 
 In
May, it was revealed how and when the regulations concerning self-driving
vehicles would be finalized in Russia. Yandex has also taken part in developing
the plan for phased implementation of self-driving vehicles. During the
conversation with ICT.Moscow, the representative of the company said that the
document was being finalized and would be submitted to Vladimir Putin for
approval at the end of August.

<hr />
 
 ICT.Moscow spoke with Yulia Shveyko, Head of Media
Relations for Self-Driving Cars of Yandex.

ICT.Moscow spoke with a representative of the Yandex team about the commercial launch of driverless rovers, their readiness to work in real-life conditions and the development of universal technology for self-driving vehicles.