Innovations in the communications market are being discussed in Russia. The changes may affect some small urban and regional operators. We are talking about stricter licensing rules: from the minimum authorized capital to expensive licenses and new grounds for revoking a work permit.
It is expected that thanks to these measures, the market may become more transparent, and weak and unscrupulous players will leave. However, some experts do not rule out that competition will decrease, which means that communications, home Internet and paid TV may become more expensive.
The new licensing conditions are currently being discussed by the Ministry of Digital Development and market participants, Izvestia writes, citing two sources familiar with officials from relevant departments. At the same time, one of the interlocutors clarified that so far we are only talking about preliminary proposals.
Among the measures being discussed is the introduction of three types of licenses. The cost of obtaining them, depending on the category, may range from 1 million to 50 million rubles. It is also proposed not to issue licenses to individual entrepreneurs.
Another proposal concerns punishment for repeated gross violations of the license terms. In this case, it is proposed to revoke the operator's license without a court decision, and the beneficiaries of the company will not be able to obtain a new one for the next 10 years.
In addition, the introduction of a minimum amount of authorized capital for communications companies is being discussed - from 5 million to 100 million rubles, depending on the type of license. It is specifically stipulated that the company will not be able to start providing communication services until it fulfills the requirements for connecting to the system of operational search measures (SORM).
According to Anton Averyanov, CEO of ST IT Group of Companies, expert of the TechNet NTI market, these measures are aimed at increasing the level of communication security, combating gray and illegal operators, as well as fully complying with the requirements for SORM and data protection.
He noted that against the backdrop of growing cyber threats and the increasing complexity of technical infrastructure, the state seeks to increase the responsibility of market participants and remove unscrupulous players from it. At the same time, the expert emphasized that the measures are still being discussed, and their final format has not yet been determined.
The Ministry of Digital Development confirmed that initiatives to combat unscrupulous operators are indeed being discussed with businesses and interested departments.
The department stated that such proposals are receiving a positive response in the industry, but there are no specific solutions yet. They believe that changing the licensing conditions will lead to the fact that only reliable telecom operators will remain on the market.