This week,
- Armenia develops a digital agenda;
- Ukraine is increasing its cybersecurity;
- Cybersecurity updates in Russia;
- Kazakhstan: ICT-cooperation of the state and business is rising;
- Details on “Digital Economy” implementation announced in Russia;
- Telecom updates in Ukraine;
- Kyrgyzstan is building “smart cities”.
1. What Is “Digital Armenia”?
Digital Economy | Armenia
The Armenian government determined the issues of the national digital agenda. Thus, among the top priorities are the development of a digital strategy, the development of e-government both at the national level and at the level of local authorities, as well as to increase the number of available e-services.
To implement the digital agenda, the government plans to establish bilateral cooperation with Microsoft. Ronald Binkowski, General Manager CEE Multicountry CIS, Microsoft, expressed the company’s readiness to support Armenia in those developments and noted that the corporation had already held several discussions with representatives of state agencies to carry out this mission.
On August 3, 2017, the government announced the creation of a special fund entitled “Digital Armenia” to fund the e-government projects. The main purpose of the fund is to stimulate the introduction of IT in all government structures and to improve the efficiency of the state services and to support the private sector.
DR Comments: Recently we informed that the group of independent experts is working on the concept “Cybersecurity of Armenia“, which will be soon presented to the public.
2. The President of Ukraine Signed a Decree on Strengthening Measures on Cybersecurity.
Information Security | Ukraine
Petro Poroshenko signed Presidential Decree on the implementation of the resolution of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on measures to strengthen cybersecurity in the country. According to the document, the government should settle the issue of banning government agencies, enterprises, institutions and organizations of state ownership from purchasing services for Internet access, provided by operators whose security systems are vulnerable and do not meet the requirements for the national information security.
In addition, the government will take steps to establish a National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunication Networks of Ukraine and ensure its functioning.
3. Russian Cybersecurity News Overview.
Information Security | Russia
The Russian leadership is seriously concerned about the problems of cyber security. In late August, President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement on cooperation of the CIS member states in the fight against cybercrime.
The Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian army had completely finished the transfer to the domestic IT technologies. It is noteworthy that in the recently introduced “Digital Economy” program, it was planned to reduce the use of foreign equipment to 50%, and software – up to 10%. Thus, the Ministry of Defense has already implemented these requirements.
The Russian authorities have started implementing a plan for the introduction of domestic Secure Sockets Layers (SSL). The search system “Sputnik” and the portal of state services will be the first to begin using Russian encryption certificates. At the moment, most Russian websites use foreign SSL certificates.
A new cybersecurity standard was presented by the Central Bank of Russia. Under the new regulation, banks will be required to provide protection from cyberthreats to their clients, and those banks that do not have the necessary resources will be required to contact outsourcers that provide monitoring and response services to cyber attacks.
Meanwhile, most experts criticized the bill on the infrastructure of the Runet. Members of the Expert Council Under the Government of the Russian Federation believe that the requirements for mandatory use of traffic exchange points will negatively affect the Internet safety. Moreover, this will create conditions for cyber attacks on the entire Runet ecosystem.
4. The Interaction of the Public and Private Sectors in the Field of ICT Is Growing.
Digital Economy | Казахстан
Nurlan Sadykov, Director of the Dell EMC office in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, said in an exclusive interview to DR, that the company is optimistic about its prospects in Kazakhstan. The main activities of Dell EMC in the region are digital transformations related to the Internet of Things, Big Data and Analytics; the transformation of the ICT infrastructure and transition to hybrid clouds, automation of all data-related processes, provision of security for the integrated data centers.
Many of these goals coincide with the four main dimensions announced by the government within the framework of the “Digital Kazakhstan” program: infrastructure development, improvement of human capital, digitalization of economy, and improvement of the e-governance systems and public services.
According to Nurlan Sadykov, Kazakhstan can expect for the influx of investments, since the government is confidently implementing political decisions aimed at digitalization of the national economy. He also added that the growth of e-commerce is expected based on high penetration of the Internet and mobile communications across the country.
5. Who Will Manage the “Digital Economy” Program in Russia?
Digital Economy | Russia
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the implementation of the “Digital Economy” program. The Decree determines the structure of the program implementation, as well as the requirements for its development, monitoring, and control of action plans for its implementation. According to the document, the program will be implemented by the Analytical Center under the government, and a specially created autonomous non-commercial organization (ANO) “Digital Economy” will monitor the program and evaluate the effectiveness of its implementation.
The ANO “Digital Economy” will be established by the end of September. It will include representatives of such companies as Yandex, Mail.Ru Group, Rambler & Co, Rostek, Rosatom, Sberbank and Rostelecom with the participation of the Skolkovo Foundation and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. The new structure will also entrust interaction with business and the academic community, as well as provide the information support for start-ups and small businesses. The program will be funded from two sources – the Russian Federal Budget and by Vnesheconombank.
DR Comments: This decree on the creation of the ANO “Digital Economy” made more clear what will be the implementation of the program. If you have questions about the “Digital Economy” program, contact DR Analytica.
6. The Review of the Ukrainian Telecommunication News.
Digital Access | Ukraine
In the first half of 2017, the net revenue of Vodafone Ukraine increased almost 2.5 times. Compared to the same period in 2016, the company’s profit increased by 137% and reached USD $1.9 million. According to the company, Vodafone Ukraine also doubled its capital investments – up to USD $46.2 million. According to the results of the second quarter of 2017, the number of the company’s subscribers reached 20.8 million users.
Meanwhile, the president of Kyivstar mobile operator Petro Chernyshov supported the idea of registering subscribers. According to him, the company will carry out the electronic identification of its clients. The introduction of such a procedure will take 2-2.5 years. The bill aimed at introducing registration of mobile subscribers by passports, and phones registration by IMEI, was previously approved by the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications.
DR Comments: We continue monitoring of the telecommunications market in Ukraine, the main issue of which remains the introduction of 4G. The expected state budget revenue from the 4G introduction is estimated at USD $150 million.
7. Osh Will Become a “Smart City” In 2022.
E-Governance | Kyrgyzstan
Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sapar Isakov stated that the “Smart City” project in the second largest city of Osh will be completed by 2022. The introduction of ICT in Osh will be carried out within the framework of the national digitalization program “Taza Koom”. The authorities plan the installation of photo and video recording of traffic violations, the introduction of the automated traffic light control system, a collection of information on road traffic, the speed of traffic participants, as well as the construction of a data center. The main goal of the innovations is to improve the city’s road infrastructure.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister appointed Talant Sultanov, who is the coordinator of the Taza Coom working group, as his advisor.
DR Comments: Should you have any questions about the development of smart cities in Eurasia, contact DR Analytica.