Russia to allocate $1.27bln to develop high-speed internet – Putin

MOSCOW, February 29 (Sputnik) – Russia will allocate 116 billion rubles ($1.27 billion) to develop a satellite constellation to improve access to the high-speed internet even in the remote regions of the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

“The conditions for using digital systems should be not only in the megalopolises, but also in towns, rural areas and remote regions, along federal and regional highways, local roads … We will solve this problem, including by increasing our satellite constellation several times over. We will allocate 116 billion rubles for its development,” Putin said during his annual address to the Federal Assembly.

Access to the high-speed internet should be provided “already within the horizon of the current decade” almost all over Russia, the president added.

In July 2023, the Russian Communications Ministry said that the country was building its own constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that would provide high-speed, low-latency internet to users starting in 2027.