Digital Economy of the Russian Federation National Programme


Developing the digital economy in Russia improves the quality of life for citizens and enhances the global competitiveness of domestic industries.

Rostelecom is the government’s key partner both in implementing infrastructure initiatives under the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation programme, and in developing Russian modern digital services and platforms for the benefit of private citizens and businesses, also developing solutions to drive digitalisation within specific industries of the national economy. At the same time, the Company enhances the institutional tools promoting domestic ICT technologies, and bolsters the demand for innovative solutions.

The key prerequisite for driving the emergence and development of the digital economy is ensuring that equal access to digital services, including electronic public services, is enabled throughout the country. To this end, in recent years, we have successfully deployed the high-speed Kamchatka—Sakhalin—Magadan and Sakhalin—Kuril Islands submarine fibre lines. Within the Bridging the Digital Divide (BDD) project, Rostelecom will bring internet connectivity to up to 10,000 communities with a population between 250 and 500 people by 2020. In 2017 and 2018, the Company provided high-speed internet access to 9,000 federal and local healthcare centres. We are exploring options for bringing high-speed fibre broadband to secondary schools (about 40,000 schools) and other socially significant institutions (authorities and local governments, military commissariats, fire departments and district police stations, the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardia) facilities, etc.).

Rostelecom also plans to participate in building and developing 5G wireless networks. In 2018, to test promising technical solutions, Rostelecom set up three 5G pilot zones, including at Skolkovo Innovation Centre, on the premises of the State Hermitage Museum, and in Innopolis. The future of key areas of the digital economy such as the Industrial IoT, self-driving vehicles, smart cities, etc. is directly linked to the availability of 5G networks.

The rise of data economy will inevitably require transformation of data storage and processing. Rostelecom’s capex programme provides for a major expansion of the data centre network in Russian regions, covering every federal district. The total capacity of the Company’s data centres will reach 10 thousand rack units by 2020.

In the public administration area, Rostelecom ensures the operation and development of the e‑government infrastructure. The Company creates key digital platforms driving the advances in this area, including the Digital Profile solution and the Unified Biometric System.

 
By expanding digital infrastructure, we are providing a foundation for the development of digital economy in Russia.

Internet connectivity for the Kuban region and the Republic of Adygeya

In 2018, Rostelecom brought advanced internet connectivity to 321 healthcare centres in the Kuban region and in Adygeya. The Company’s specialists installed over 1,500 km of fibre cables to connect the healthcare centres within the project, thus completing it on time before the end of the year.

«With the support from Rostelecom, we have been addressing the critical task of developing telemedicine services. Doctors from remote rural hospitals and primary care centres will be able to have online consultations with colleagues from all over the country and from abroad while patients will benefit from qualified medical advice provided remotely. The use of new value-added services and products will be enabled. We expect that the project will enhance the performance of healthcare professionals and the efficiency of using expensive medical equipment while the quality and speed of healthcare services will be improved for patients.»

Yevgeny Yushkov, Head of the Krasnodar Territory Department of Informatisation and Communications

Rostelecom installed over 800 km of fibre to connect rural hospitals across the Omsk Region

In September, Rostelecom completed the first stage of infrastructure construction for rural healthcare centres in the Omsk Region. Within eight months, the Company deployed 843 km of fibre, bringing internet connectivity to 93 hospitals. Doctors are now able to use advanced informational technology to provide qualified medical assistance and offer advice to patients in remote locations.

«Providing modern healthcare services, including using electronic document management systems, is impossible without high-quality, uninterrupted data transmission. Fibre not only ensures a stable high-speed connection but also enables the deployment of advanced technology solutions at healthcare centres, including various digital diagnostic equipment.»

Eduard Serobabin, Director of Rostelecom’s Omsk Branch

Rostelecom completed the deployment of the submarine section of the fibre link to the Kuril Islands

In 2017, Rostelecom started the construction of the Sakhalin—Kuril Islands submarine fibre-optic cable link (SFOCL). The project was included in the federal targeted programme for the social and economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2016–2025.

Deployment of the submarine cable link commenced in June 2018. The total length of the link is about 815 km. The link’s capacity is 40 Gbps across all sections, with an expansion option of up to 8 Tbps, the link’s maximum capacity. The Sakhalin—Kuril Islands SFOCL supports the delivery of a wide range of digital services.

Most tasks, including submarine sections, were completed in 2018. The new SFOCL, built by Rostelecom, connected Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Kurilsk (Iturup Island), Yuzhno-Kurilsk (Kunashir Island), and the villages of Krabozavodskoye and Malokurilskoye (Shikotan Island). The fibre-optic backbone link provided residents, business and public sector entities of the Southern Kuril Islands with a high-speed internet connection.

Ensuring the operation of the e-government infrastructure


For many years we have ensured the operation and development of the e-government infrastructure.

The key information systems comprising the technology platform for digitising public services:

  • Unified and regional public and municipal services portals set up in almost all regions of the Russian Federation; official websites and portals of federal and local authorities
  • The Integrated Identification and Authentication System, used by almost all federal authorities providing public services; regional public services portals and other organisations legally required to be connected
  • The Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation, supporting data transfer between federal and regional authorities and the public services (e-government) portal
  • A number of other systems
 
The number of public services (e-government) portal users grew to 86 million in 2018. During the year, the number of services ordered by users via the portal and the Gosuslugi (Public Services) mobile application more than doubled to over 56 million. Over 2,000 information systems of federal and regional authorities, and commercial entities are connected to the Integrated Identification and Authentication System. In 2018, users made more than 1.5 billion logins using their accounts in the system for authorisation. The Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation registers an average of about 80 million transactions per day.

Unified Public and Municipal Services Portal


Over 1,000 federal, more than 7,600 regional, and over 19,800 municipal public services are provided electronically via the portal to individuals and legal entities.

In June 2018, a business mobile application was launched — Gosuslugi.Business. The user-friendly application enables a user to check for traffic fines, check the audit schedule, manage data, and receive bank details. The app is available in the application stores Google Play and App Store.

The Gosuslugi application continues to function and evolve, and can be downloaded to mobile devices from application stores Google Play and App Store. The number of installations by users exceeded 17 million in 2018, with about 12 million services ordered over the period via the mobile version of the unified public services (e-government) portal.

During 2018, users completed and sent via the portal a total of over 60 million electronic application forms for public services, up by 55% year-on-year. The most popular service was the option to check the balance of a personal account with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation — citizens made over 16 million requests. The second most popular service was vehicle registration: it was used 4.8 million times. About 3 million applications were submitted for next-generation foreign passports and registration of titles. Nearly 2.6 million services were provided to renew a driving licence. The volume of payments at RUB 52.6 billion was almost double the 2017 figure.

Russian Post began delivering postal items using the unified public services portal account

In October 2018, Russian Post expanded the use of a simple electronic signature (SES) for customers. Citizens with a verified account at the unified public services portal, operated and developed by Rostelecom, now have an option to apply for SES remotely via the Russian Post website.

The introduction of the simple electronic signature feature has enabled visitors of the Russian Post website from across the country to receive parcels and registered letters requiring no payment without presenting a passport and notices, which significantly reduces the time for handing out postal items regardless of their type, weight or size.

«Integrating the service for obtaining a simple electronic signature with the unified public services portal will make the process of application for SES fully remote. Customers no longer need to visit a post office to verify their identity and personal data. Currently, more than 3.5 million customers across the country have registered a simple electronic signature, and over 20 million postal items have been delivered using e-signature, and these numbers will increase significantly as we get closer to the New Year’s holidays. In future, remote SES connection will also become available in a mobile application.»

Nikolay Podguzov, CEO of Russian Post

Yugra made it to the Top 10 regions by number of residents registered with the public services portal

As at the end of 2018, the Integrated Identification and Authentication System had 1.27 million registered residents of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra, or 97.3% of the region’s total population over 14 years.

«Since the beginning of 2018, over one and a half billion logins have been made in Russia using the Integrated Identification and Authentication System accounts. This is nearly double the figure for 2017. Citizens use the system as a single point of access point to more than 2,000 public and commercial portals. Using the system, more than 9,000 users per minute access the unified and regional public services portals, the websites of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre, and Cartography (Rosreestr), the Federal Tax Service of Russia, the Pension Fund, and the Russian Public Initiative.»

Dmitry Lukoshkov, Director of Rostelecom’s Khanty-Mansiysk Branch

Integrated Identification and Authentication System

 
The number of registered users of the Integrated Identification and Authentication System, which turned seven in November 2018, totals nearly 84 million — more than a half of Russia’s population.

Today, the Integrated Identification and Authentication System (IIAS) is a large independent information system, a single point for individuals, businesses and public officials to access the e-government infrastructure, and other information systems connected to the Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation (USIEC).

The Integrated Identification and Authentication System stores a user’s main account within the e-government database. The account enables requesting electronic public services via the portal, using departmental and regional portals, for example, the Federal Tax Service portal, and other public resources, in particular website.

In 2018, to keep data in the accounts of verified IIAS users up to date, we successfully implemented a feature allowing State Information System (SIS) departments to update user data in the IIAS. We also successfully implemented a mechanism for capturing changes in IIAS user data and updating user profiles accordingly, with corresponding user notifications.

Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation


Public sector institutions connected to the system share information independently, without the need to involve citizens in collecting the required documents. All federal executive authorities in Russia are connected to the system. The Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation (USIEC) transfers data on payments made by banking institutions to the State Information System for State and Municipal Payments.

In 2018, as part of the USIEC development as a data exchange platform within the public digital platform for providing electronic public and municipal services to citizens, the following solutions were implemented:

  • 50% automation was achieved for the routine procedures related to connecting information systems to the USIEC, display of different data views was enabled in the USIEC, along with data exchange through the USIEC
  • Quality of interdepartmental cooperation and reliability of the USIEC were improved through enhanced functionality in message queue management and message addressing, routing, and delivery to recipients

In the overall operation of the e-government infrastructure, the following tasks were successfully addressed in 2018:

  • Robust remote service delivery to individuals and entities by authorities at all levels was ensured
  • Shorter lead times for obtaining electronic services were achieved
  • The required transparency of service status was ensured
  • The required quality metrics were maintained despite increased loads, which enabled uninterrupted delivery of public and municipal electronic services

In 2018, Rostelecom launched a back-up data centre for the e-government infrastructure. The centre hosts the more critical elements of the e-government infrastructure, such as the public services portal, the Integrated Identification and Authentication System, the Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Cooperation, and the Unified Reference Data System.

Now in case of emergencies in the Federal Data Centre for the e-government infrastructure (e.g. power outages, fire, floods, structural collapse, etc.), user requests will be redirected to the back-up data centre. This procedure enhances the resilience of the e-government infrastructure and enables recovery of its systems in a matter of hours.

Unified Biometric System


The Unified Biometric System has been operational in Russia since 30 June 2018. It is a key element of the remote identification process that provides citizens with remote access to financial services. The system uses two features for user identification — voice and facial recognition. Their simultaneous use enables distinguishing a live person from a digital simulation of their biometric data. At the moment, facial and voice recognition are the most widely spread biometric features available for mass application.

To register with the system, a user needs to visit a bank just once. A bank employee will help the user register in the Integrated Identification and Authentication System, which is now used to access the public services portal, if the user has not been registered before. Then the bank employee will capture the user data — face image and voice recording, and upload the data into the system. Upon registration, an individual can remotely access the services of any bank supporting the identification system. All the customer needs is to enter the IIAS login/password and read out a short verification phrase generated by the system while looking into the camera of their smartphone or PC. For remote identification, the user only needs access to the internet and a device with a webcam; no additional equipment is required.

The process of getting remote access to banking services is as follows: after selecting a service on a bank’s website or in the bank’s application, the user automatically enters the Key Rostelecom, signs in through the public services portal and passes the biometrics based identity verification procedure. To do this, a few numbers have to be said while looking into the camera. The system then compares the biometrics — face and voice — with the previously created digital image. If the data matches, the application displays a successful identification message and the user receives the requested service.

Going forward, the Unified Biometric System will become a nationwide platform for simple and secure access by individuals to public and commercial services. At the end of 2018, registration with the system was available at 4,500 branches of 150 banks in 450 cities across the country. Remote identification will enable access to financial services from anywhere in the world.

Watch the Exam — video surveillance during the Unified State Exam (USE)


Rostelecom runs video surveillance projects across the country. Since 2014, the Company has been running a video surveillance project for the Unified State Exam (USE) campaign. The project drives improvements to the exam procedure as video surveillance ensures the objectivity and quality of the Unified State Exam procedure, as well as equal conditions for all its participants.

For more details on the Unified State Exam (USE) see website.

In 2018, Rostelecom’s video surveillance system for the Unified State Exam provided 100% online broadcasting coverage and was running trouble free during the entire USE 2018 campaign from 28 May to 2 July 2018. More than 117 thousand cameras were used in the video surveillance project for the Unified State Exam, and the total number of broadcast hours exceeded 2.6 million.

Throughout the period live video links were available on the portal. The portal enabled monitoring of the national exams by online observers, with a total of 21,900 users registered on portal, twice the figure from 2017. The increase was due to the fact that regional online observers were involved in 2018.

Watch the Exam project in the Tomsk Region

In the Tomsk region, Rostelecom provided video surveillance for the Unified State Exam in 603 classrooms across 58 schools and at four regional exam data processing centres. The entire examination process was available for monitoring online. In 2018, six district schools — in Mogochin, Parbig, Stepanovka, Narym, Bely Yar, and Ulu-Yul — were connected to fibre by Rostelecom. Previously, the schools had only a copper connection. At Tomsk’s school No. 50 and lyceum No. 7, we upgraded the equipment by replacing legacy webcams with modern IP cameras offering a wider viewing angle and better image quality picture, with no connection to a laptop needed. A total of 17 educational institutions across the region were equipped with these cameras.

«We have successfully completed our task of preparing the equipment for uninterrupted operation during the exams.»

Alexey Makhorin, Director of Rostelecom’s Tomsk Branch

Watch the Exam project in Siberia

Over 15% of total video equipment within the project was used to support the national exam campaign in the Siberian Federal District. The total number of cameras operated across all exam sites averaged 8,000; however, on the days of Russian language and math exams it peaked at 15,440. During the exams in Siberia, more than a million hours of video broadcasts were recorded.

«The video surveillance system was running smoothly throughout the entire Unified State Exam campaign for Siberian graduates. This allowed us to make the procedure more transparent and objective, and as convenient as possible for online observers — due to the SMOTRIEGE.RU portal.»

Nikolay Zenin, Vice President and Director of Rostelecom’s Siberia Macroregional Branch

Watch the Exam project in the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts

In the Southern Federal District (SFD) and the North Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), the Company provided live video links for 654 exam sites and 21 regional exam data processing centres covering a total of 9,549 rooms, with 99.5% of the rooms monitored online.

«The video surveillance project for the Unified State Exam campaign has already become a routine for us; however, we improve the technical side of it every year, adding various innovations. For example, this year we have upgraded some of the equipment in several regions, as well as arranged online video surveillance and video surveillance in classrooms for dispute commissions responsible for handling challenges to exam scores.»

Denis Lysov, Vice President and Director of Rostelecom’s South Macroregional Branch

National Cloud Platform

The National Cloud Platform is a suite of integrated information systems, launched in 2012 and designed to provide cloud computing services to executive authorities of various levels, local authorities, commercial organisations, and individuals.

Rostelecom’s National Cloud Platform has been certified for compliance with Federal Law No. 152 (On Personal Data), and the platform management system is included in the register of Russian-made software.

For more details on the National Cloud Platform see website

The National Cloud Platform offers application-based services in healthcare, education, security, public utilities, and property and land management to public authorities and private enterprises.

The Company developed services for SMEs covering office work flow management, customer relationship management, and accounting for trade and operations.

To promote the National Cloud Platform, Rostelecom has created a portal providing a link to managers at the Innovation Centre. Through the portal, users can obtain the latest info on the products offered by Rostelecom and its partners, and developers can have their solutions reviewed or offer their development services.