Sviaz 2026 participants discussed the future of Russian telecom

The conference programme of Sviaz 2026 hosted the Plenary Session on Telecommunications as the Basis of Technological Sovereignty. Representatives of the government, major telecom operators, software developers and leading universities discussed the key challenges facing the industry. The event was moderated by Vladimir Kononov, Deputy Chair at the Russian State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, and Alina Tanatarova, an RBC presenter.  

The speakers paid special attention to the issues of legislative regulation. Anton Tkachev, First Deputy Chair of the Russian State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, stated the need to find a balance between security and business development. He announced legislative initiatives designed to simplify the placement of cell towers on the roofs of apartment buildings, and stressed the importance of developing a low-orbit satellite constellation to fully cover highways and remote regions of the country with high-speed Internet.

The issues of practical implementation of state programmes were raised by business representatives. Vitaly Trepykhalin, Vice President for Information Systems Development at Rostelecom, noted the effectiveness of forward contracts as a tool to support domestic R&D. In her turn, Natalia Korchemkina, CEO of Soneric, recalled the 2030 deadline for the transfer of CII elements to trusted solutions, adding that true sovereignty is impossible without the complete transfer of the core (backbone network) to Russian software.

The discussion also touched upon the implementation of neural networks in business processes and personnel training. Dmitry Markov, CEO of VisionLabs, predicted that the procedures for implementing AI technologies would become more complicated due to upcoming legislative changes regarding developer responsibility. Evgeny Ivashkevich, Rector at the Central University, stated that today the industry needs not so much classical engineers as product managers and technology entrepreneurs who are ready to integrate complex solutions into the real sector of the economy.

The plenary session has become an effective platform for an open dialogue between the government, telecom business, and science.

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO