Russia may get a dedicated cellular network servicing only civil servants and law enforcement agencies, Vedomosti reports, quoting a national plan framework for developing the digital economy.
The proposal to create a separate network for state agencies has been included in the passport of the ‘Digital Economy’ program recently approved by the government, Vedomosti daily reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the deadline for the project is set for 2024.
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The newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying that the new network will likely using the LTE-450 standard that allows both the work of cellular phones in push-to-talk regime and high-quality video streaming.
Vedomosti also said that while the operator of the new network is yet to be determined, it is highly probable that it will be T2 RTK Holding, widely known in Russia as Tele2. The company has already provided similar services to the state when it organized communication for various emergency services under the LTE-450 standard during the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia.
Representatives of T2 RTK Holding told reporters that their company was ready to participate in the program and that the issue was being discussed with the authorities, but did not elaborate.
Russian officials and politicians on various levels have repeatedly warned about the dangers of using foreign-made devices and software in state agencies – in particular, the possibility of irreparable data loss, eavesdropping by foreign special services, or a hacking attack in times of crisis.
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In 2015, the Russian communications minister said in a televised interview that, in his view, all employees in Russian state agencies must stop using services like Google, Yahoo, or WhatsApp for work-related communication.
Shortly before that, the head of the Russian security council criticized various regional officials for using foreign email services and WhatsApp messenger at work and told governors to urgent take measures for further prevention of such incidents.
About a year before that, lawmakers from parliamentary majority party United Russia proposed mandatory certification for all communication devices used in state structures, claiming it would offer additional protection against eavesdropping programs. In 2013, a United Russia lawmaker said that civil servants who use popular US internet services and social networks at work should be tried for high treason.
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