The smartphone market in Russia slowed rapidly in Q4 2020, to stand at a total of 7.902 million units and a value of $2.236 billion at retail prices before sales tax. The unit figure was a full fifth lower than that in Q4 2019.

For the full year, the Russian smartphone total of 30,376 million units was down -7.6% in volume and -8.5% in value, the smallest market since 2017 in unit terms.

Samsung was easily market leader in Q4 unit terms, but Apple bested Xiaomi for second place. Apple's share of the smartphone market rose to 19.1%, its highest since early 2018, and in value terms Apple pulled ahead of all other vendors combined for the first time ever in Russia.

Apple value surged thanks to the launch success of the iPhone 12 range, which made up nearly half of iPhone sales in Russia during the quarter.

The smartphone market in Russia slowed rapidly in Q4 2020, to stand at a total of 7.902 million units and a value of $2.236 billion at retail prices before sales tax. The unit figure was a full fifth lower than that in Q4 2019.

 
 For the full year, the Russian smartphone total of 30,376 million units was down -7.6% in volume and -8.5% in value, the smallest market since 2017 in unit terms.

 
 Samsung was easily market leader in Q4 unit terms, but Apple bested Xiaomi for second place. Apple's share of the smartphone market rose to 19.1%, its highest since early 2018, and in value terms Apple pulled ahead of all other vendors combined for the first time ever in Russia.

 
 Apple value surged thanks to the launch success of the iPhone 12 range, which made up nearly half of iPhone sales in Russia during the quarter.

The smartphone market in Russia slowed rapidly in Q4 2020.

Russian Smartphone Market in Q4 2020

smartphones

Report

The Troika virtual transport card has been launched in Moscow. It allows paying for all types of public transport in the city using an Android smartphone.

 
 The Troika virtual card is available in the Moscow Metro app. While it is possible to subscribe for 30 days or have a unified pass (30, 90, and 365 days), the Wallet function is planned to be added next year.

 
 To pay for travel using the virtual Troika, you need to bring your phone to the turnstile or validator with a special sticker about the possibility of accepting bank cards. To pay, you do not need to unlock your phone, enter passwords or use biometric data: the pass is executed automatically. To do this, you must first select Google Pay or Samsung Pay in the smartphone settings as the main method of contactless payment.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/metro-moskvy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Moscow Metro</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/troika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Troika</a>

<hr />
 
 The launch of a pilot project on the use of the Troika virtual card by the Moscow Department of Transport <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-department-of-transport-introduces-samsung-pay-to-troika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was announced</a> at the end of August.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-zapustili-virtualnuiu-transportnuiu-kartu-troika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

mos.ru

Virtual Transport Card Troika Launched for Moscow Public Transport 

In Russia, in the period from January to September, sales of smartphones with support for 5G networks increased 13 times in terms of individual purchases. In money terms, this indicator has increased 19 times, according to data from M.Video-Eldorado.

 
 In total, 1.8 million 5G smartphones were sold in the Russian market for $2 billion (150 billion rubles). According to the company, the demand for flagship device models has grown by 70% in units compared to last year. At the same time, retailer analysts do not believe that support for fifth-generation networks is a key criterion when choosing a smartphone. In their opinion, this takes into account the long-term nature of the demand for technology and the life of the device.

 
 Svyaznoy clarified that for 11 months of 2021, sales of smartphones with 5G in the retailer's network increased eight times in number and nine times in revenue. Most sales are recorded in the following cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Irkutsk and Tyumen.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/za-pervye-deviat-mesiatsev-2021-goda-prodazhi-5g-smartfonov-v-rossii-vyrosli-v-13-raz/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Sales of 5G Smartphones in Russia Grew 13 times in First Nine Months of 2021

The Ministry of Digital Development has prepared a draft government decree, according to which, from October 1, an experiment on placing biometric data (voice and facial) by citizens using a mobile application will begin in Russia. The experiment will last for a year.

 
 To directly allocate their biometric data, citizens will need to download Biometrics app and sign in using their verified account in the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA). After consenting to the collection and processing of data, the system will independently verify the collected biometrics with other samples, in particular, from the biometric passport.

 
 Having submitted biometric data, citizens will gain access to a number of digital services in government agencies, banks, and other organizations, the ministry said.

<hr />
 
 Product cards 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/esia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ESIA</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/klyuch-rostelekom/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">UBS</a>

<hr />
 
 In April 2021, Russian government and Rostelecom, the operator of the Unified Biometric System (UBS), <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/plans-for-the-development-of-the-unified-biometric-system-are-released/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> plans to restart the platform. Rostelecom will invest $87 million (6.6 billion rubles) in the project through 2030 in order to collect information of about 50 million of Russians.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/eksperiment-po-sdache-biometricheskih-dannyh-cherez-mobilnoe-prilozhenie-startuet-s-1-oktyabrya/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Citizens Can Submit Biometric Data Directly via App From October 1

VR Concept, a virtual prototyping software developer, has tested a solution for remote VR meetings with access to 3D models of industrial equipment in Skoltech's 5G laboratory at 4.9 GHz.

 
 As part of the testing, two computers connected to virtual reality helmets gained access to the Internet via a pilot 5G network. Users in the VR space were able to interact with digital models of buildings, rooms, equipment, made at a scale of 1:1. The signal delay was 6 ms with e downlink data rate reaching 1.3 Gbps, and the uplink data rate reaching 120 Mbps, according to Skoltech.

 
 "Now, from 5 to 20 people participate in one VR session practice. With the development of VR technology, it becomes possible for more people to participate in such sessions. 5G, thanks to its low latency and a large number of channels, provides all users with a comfortable VR experience, even when connected to one access point", said Denis Zakharkin, the CEO of VR Concept told ICT.Moscow.

 
 "5G allows you to work with large amounts of data on the fly, which is very much in demand for the full use of VR and AR technology in conjunction with digital models and the IoT. Therefore, 5G is now primarily in demand by large industrial companies, especially at enterprises remote from central cities" Zakharkin added.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/deniszakharkin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Denis Zakharkin</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://vrconcept.net/eng/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">VR Concept </a>

 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/vr-concept/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">VR Concept</a>

<hr />
 
 In the future, the developers from VR Concept plan to abandon PC in favor of cloud solutions, while the headsets themselves will either be equipped with 5G modules or connected to a smartphone that supports 5G. The video for the 4K/8K screens built into VR headsets will be streamed from the cloud-based graphics server over the 5G network.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/vr-concept-protestiroval-v-5g-seti-skoltekha-svoe-reshenie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Skoltech

VR Concept Tests its Solution on Skoltech's 5G Network

The decision to replace paper passports with smart cards will be made before the end of this year, the Minister of Digital Development of the Russian Federation <a href="https://www.facebook.com/m.shadaev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Maksut Shadayev</a> announced on Wednesday.

 
 Today there is a need to replace the usual passports with a modern document format, the minister said. The government body also plans a digital copy of a passport to be available on a smartphone as a QR code.

 
 In March 2021, the Ministry of Digital Development <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-ministry-of-digital-development-proposed-to-start-issuing-electronic-passports-in-moscow-from-december-1/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">proposed </a>to start issuing e-passports in Moscow starting from December 1, 2021. Previously, the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Alexander Gorovoy <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-plans-to-develop-a-mobile-application-for-an-electronic-passport-by-the-end-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>plans to develop an application to an electronic passport in Moscow by the end of 2021.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-opredelitsia-s-resheniem-o-zamene-bumazhnogo-pasporta-smart-kartoi-do-kontsa-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Rossiya-24

The Ministry of Digital Development to Introduce E-Passports by the End of 2021

russian-smartphone-market-in-q4-2020

Russian smartphone market in Q2 2021

Research

This IDC Market Forecast study provides data, analyses, and forecasts for the Russian IoT market over the 2020–2025 period.

internet_of_things

IoT spending in Russia in 2020

Svyaznoy

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

Russian market of 5G smartphones 

IDC expects worldwide spending to increase by 0.7% in 2021 reaching a total of $1.54 trillion.

Russian Smartphone Market in Q4 2020

Russian smartphone market in Q2 2021

IoT spending in Russia in 2020

Russian market of 5G smartphones

Worldwide Telecommunications Services and Pay TV Services 2020