Incites consulting company has presented the Europe 5G Readiness Index, which allows users to compare all European countries between them on how ready they are to launch 5G. This Index presents an overall readiness score for each country which comprises 6 factor categories with 35 criteria in total within those categories. Scores at all levels of the Index can be used to compare different markets between them on a like-for-like basis. The Eastern European market with the highest rank if one excludes the markets that belong to the EU, is Russia in the 22nd position.

Incites

Incites consulting company has presented the Europe 5G Readiness Index, which allows users to compare all European countries between them on how ready they are to launch 5G. This Index presents an overall readiness score for each country which comprises 6 factor categories with 35 criteria in total within those categories. Scores at all levels of the Index can be used to compare different markets between them on a like-for-like basis. The Eastern European market with the highest rank if one excludes the markets that belong to the EU, is Russia in the 22nd position.<a></a><a></a><a></a>

Russia is placed 22nd in terms of the readiness for 5G.

Europe 5G Readiness Index

Rating

Rostec may exchange the control of its subsidiary Spektr, LTE and 5G telecom equipment developer, for investments from institutional investors, development institutions and other organizations. The share in Spektr can be transferred to Rostelecom, Aquarius, Eltex and the X-Holding organizations. However, a Rostec representative says it is still too soon to talk about share transfers to any specific companies.

 
 Rostec currently owns 100% of Spektr. At the same time, the motion to reduce its share in Spektr to 25% is stated in draft amendments by the Ministry of Digital Development to the governmental decree on the rules of allocating subsidies to the state corporation for the development of a telecom product line for communication networks.

<hr />
 
 Earlier the Ministry of Digital Development <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-predlozhilo-izmenit-pravila-vydeleniia-subsidii-rostekhu-na-5g-s-uchetom-vostrebovannosti-lte/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was reported</a> to propose to change the rules for allocating subsidies to Rostec for 5G development considering the high demand for LTE.

<hr />
 
 UPD (November 1, 2022):

 
 The Yadro group <a href="https://t.me/antidigital/5724" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">did not confirm</a> the negotiations on acquiring a share of the Spektr telecom vendor company.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostekh-mozhet-peredat-kontrol-v-spektre-v-obmen-na-investitsii/" target="_blank">Original in Russian</a>

Rostec May Exchange Control of Spektr for Investment

Rostelecom concluded a forward contract (on delivering goods of a stipulated quality and quantity upon a certain date) for the supply of equipment for fiber optic communication lines with the T8 equipment manufacturer. By the end of the year, the company and its subsidiary T2 RTK Holding under the Tele2 brand will sign a number of similar contracts totaling RUB 20-25 bn (USD 326-407 m).

 
 Rostelecom is negotiating terms with:

<ul>
 <li>Bulat - for production of routers;</li>
 <li>QTech - for production of switching devices;</li>
 <li>NTR and Bulat - for production of base stations supporting 2G and 4G in 2023 to be used for bridging the digital gap and also in corporate networks;</li>
 <li>X-Holding by Yadro - for production of base stations supporting 2G, 4G and also 5G (in the long run) in 2025.</li>
</ul>

 
 T2 RTK Holding plans to conclude a forward contract with the Protei core network supplier. According to Rostelecom, the contracts are concluded as part of work of the industry competence center for mobile networks. The products will be tested in the company laboratories and in the operator’s pilot zones.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostelekom-i-tele2-nachali-zakliuchat-forvardnye-kontrakty-s-otechestvennymi-proizvoditeliami-oborudovaniia/" target="_blank">Original in Russian</a>

Rostelecom and Tele2 Conclude Forward Contracts with Russian Equipment Manufacturers

The Ministry of Digital Development proposed to change the rules for providing Rostec with subsidies for production of mobile network equipment. In particular, the state corporation is to work on a range of network solutions “powered by LTE/LTE-Advanced technology”, since LTE is currently the most common mobile communication technology. This is mentioned in the draft amendments by the ministry. The document also states that the 5G roadmap will be renamed to the Modern and Upcoming Mobile Networks roadmap.

<hr />
 
 Related documents: 

 
 <a href="https://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=132533" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Draft decree</a> “On Amendments to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 21, 2020 No. 2192”

<hr />
 
 In June, <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostekh-predlozhil-vkliuchit-v-dorozhnuiu-kartu-po-5g-proizvodstvo-bazovykh-stantsii-lte/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">it was reported</a> that Rostec had sent a new version of the 5G development roadmap to the Ministry of Digital Development, proposing to include the production of LTE base stations and the development of 6G standards into the roadmap. Later, the parties <a href="https://www.comnews.ru/content/215259/2021-07-01/2021-w26/rostekh-poluchil-karmannykh-deneg-5g" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">signed</a> an agreement to provide the state corporation with subsidies for the development of 5G totaling RUB 21.5 bn (USD 356 m).

<hr />
 
 UPD (October 25, 2022):

 
 Rostec <a href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2022/10/25/947145-rosteh-pereorientiruetsya-c-tehnologii-5g-na-lte" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">says</a>, “for now, the priority task is to meet the current needs of the telecommunication industry, which has suffered from foreign vendors exit […] that means to promptly organize mass production of LTE base stations, on which communications depend here and now”.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-predlozhilo-izmenit-pravila-vydeleniia-subsidii-rostekhu-na-5g-s-uchetom-vostrebovannosti-lte/" target="_blank">Original in Russian</a>

RSpectr

Ministry of Digital Development Proposed to Change Rules for Allocating Subsidies to Rostec for 5G Due to Demand for LTE

Skoltech plans to put several 5G base stations with their firmware into commercial operation by the end of the year. They will be operating in the network of one of the operators.

 
 According to Dmitry Lakontsev, head of wireless communications and IoT area of the Skoltech-based NTI Center of Competence, this is the only domestic software solution for base stations. The solution is also compliant with OpenRAN standards.

 
 Skoltech together with MTS, MegaFon, beeline and the Open Net Technologies Association have already completed the first stage of the laboratory testing of the station. During the tests, the download speed was more than 1 Gbps. The 5G base station operated by the software developed by Skoltech was implemented on a hardware platform that consists of servers based on Intel processors. The Foxconn’s solution for 4.8-4.99 GHz band was used as a transceiver. The Russian analogues of this equipment are being developed and will become available on the market in the near future.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/skoltekh-zapustit-v-kommercheskuiu-ekspluatatsiiu-chast-bazovykh-stantsii-5g-so-svoei-proshivkoi-do-kontsa-2022-goda/" target="_blank">Original in Russian</a>

ComNews

Skoltech to Bring Part of 5G Base Stations into Commercial Operation this Year

The Ministry of Digital Development suggests providing frequencies in the 24.25-27.5 GHz millimeter band for the development of 5G networks.

 
 Furthermore, it was proposed to transfer the 4 GHz band to the civil use category. This will help operators “simplify the necessary inspection of 5G networks and obtain guarantees for the band use,” the Ministry explains.

 
 Some of the initiatives may come into force in 2023. “They will help improve the Internet speed and facilitate the introduction of 5G in Russia,” according to the Ministry statement.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/chastoty-v-diapazone-24-25-27-5-ggts-planiruiut-peredat-dlia-5g/" target="_blank">Original in Russian</a>

Ministry of Digital Development

Frequencies in 24.25-27.5 GHz Band to Be Reserved for 5G

europe-5g-readiness-index

ICT.Moscow

ICT.Moscow published an annual overview of monitoring the use of fifth generation communications in the world.

telecom

artificial_intelligence

internet_of_things

edge_computing

Overview of Global 5G Use Cases in 2021

smartphones

Russian smartphone market in Q2 2021

Research

Svyaznoy

Report on the number of 5G devices sold in Russia at the end of the 2nd quarter of 2021.

Europe 5G Readiness Index

Overview of Global 5G Use Cases in 2021

Russian smartphone market in Q2 2021

Russian market of 5G smartphones

Accelerating enterprise innovation and transformation with 5G and Wi-Fi 6