Internet Picking Up Momentum in Russia

The Internet will become particularly widespread all over Russia in the near future, the national Communications Ministry predicts. This was disclosed here today by Russian Communications and Information Technology Minister Leonid Reiman.

Reiman was talking to journalists at a briefing that was devoted to the 15th international exhibition of telecommunications networks, computers and office equipment, due to open May 12th.

According to Reiman, the Russian postal service will considerably expand the range of its services pretty soon now, providing such services all the same. Russia now boasts 40,000 post offices; consequently, the people of Russia will be able to take advantage of such new services in no time at all, the minister added. This concerns E-mail services and Internet access, in the first place, Reiman went on to say.

Telegraph networks are becoming obsolete because new electronic data-exchange networks have appeared at this stage, Reiman stressed.

Talking about the development of communications-satellite networks, the minister noted that the state-of-the-art Express communications satellite (relay system) had already been developed, improving the quality of radio-and-television broadcasts, as well as that of cell-phone networks. We have already launched three satellites in this category; another five satellites will be orbited throughout the 2005 period, Reiman added.

In Reiman's words, new-generation and more dependable communications satellites are currently being developed; they will boast a longer service life. Plans are in place to start using them after 2005.