Russian Internet users will grow to 30 million in near future

In the next few years, Russian users of the Internet will grow to 30 million people, according to the head of the Russian Federal Communications Agency, Dimitri Milovantsev. As reported by a Rosbalt correspondent, Milovantsev made the remarks Wednesday during a session of the forum 'Russia and Europe: Information Cooperation in the Context of Globalization.'

According to the agency's estimates, current Russian Internet users number 12.1 million. Of those, 2 million are in the Northwest, Central and Volga regions, 1.6 million in Siberia, 1.4 million in the Southern region, 0.5 million in the Far East, and 1.9 million in Moscow .

In Milovantsev's view, that achievement has established the basis for a significant growth in the number of Russian Internet users in the nest two to four years. He said that the number could well rise to between 30 and 40 million people. The Russian market for mobile telephones already stands at 42 million, and the Internet could well reach that level, according to Milovantsev.

Addressing the priorities for the development of the Internet, he said the three main tasks were the elimination of regional inequalities, the introduction of telemedicine and education, and the establishment of a system of electronic government.

The two-day international forum opened in Kaliningrad Wednesday morning. Participants include the heads of parliamentary delegations from Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and Germany, representatives of federal agencies, as well as mass media.