The line in front of the cottage: fast Internet may appear in remote settlements.
Fast Internet may appear in localities where it is currently impossible to bring it. To do this, operators will have unrestricted access to the infrastructure of related industries, in particular, power transmission poles and contact networks. The Ministry of Finance has sent such changes to the Communications Industry Development Strategy to the departments for approval. Today, owners of linear structures can unilaterally restrict signalmen's access to their facilities. The new standards will reduce the cost of network construction, reduce operator costs and impact on tariffs for subscribers, according to the industry.
Why do operators need power transmission lines and contact networks of transport
Russian operators will have non-discriminatory access to the infrastructure of related industries, including power transmission lines and contact transport networks. This follows from the materials for the Communications Industry Development Strategy, which the Ministry of Finance has sent to the departments for approval.
"This mechanism should be based on the application of economically reasonable regulated tariffs, which will eliminate monopolistic barriers and optimize the structure of capital expenditures," the document says.
Also, during the construction and reconstruction of transport, energy and housing infrastructure facilities financed from budgetary funds, the creation of infrastructure for the placement of communication networks should be provided, follows from the proposals to the strategy.
Their authors refer to the EU experience. The directive "On cost reduction measures for the deployment of high-speed electronic communication networks" has been in force there since 2014. It establishes the rights of telecom companies and infrastructure operators to access power transmission poles, transport contact networks, right-of-way lanes for roads and railways, pipelines and housing and communal services infrastructure.
This initiative is being considered separately by the industry community at the site of ANO Digital Economy, the organization told Izvestia. The issue of the placement of communication lines and facilities along highways has already been resolved at the legislative level. It is proposed to extend this experience to related industries such as electric power, railway transport and others, they indicate.
"Eventually, citizens will be provided with high—quality communications throughout the country," the Digital Economy believes.
The Ministry of Digital Economy is aware that operators are discussing on the site of ANO Digital Economy both proposals for a new version of the Industry Development Strategy and various initiatives to improve legislation in the field of communications, the department noted. At the moment, the Ministry of Finance has not received any specific proposals regarding access to infrastructure facilities. Upon receipt, they will be reviewed and comprehensively analyzed, they added.
The initiative to ensure non—discriminatory access to the infrastructure of related industries is a right and long overdue step, said Alkhas Mirzabekov, CEO of the operator of the ESC. Operators regularly encounter situations when access to power transmission poles, sewers, sewers and right-of-way lanes is either closed under various pretexts or offered at tariffs that make the project economically impractical, he told Izvestia.
— The infrastructure created at the expense of the budget operates as a private monopoly. Without a systematic government approach, we will continue to observe this," Alkhas Mirzabekov said. — If we are building connectivity into basic engineering systems, then access to infrastructure should be regulated according to the same principles as access to electricity or water. A regulatory framework is needed to encourage operators to invest in network development and eliminate barriers from owners of engineering structures.
In his opinion, the new rules should be mandatory and provide for liability for infrastructure owners for their violation. But it is also important to maintain a balance here, as excessive tightening can lead to market consolidation and higher tariffs for end users, he said.
What kind of friction arises between communications specialists and infrastructure owners
The issue of facilitating access to infrastructure in related industries has been discussed for several years. The problems with the construction of networks are primarily related to the lack of such access, MegaFon noted. But if it is received, then the operators are further pursued by complex opaque approvals and the same pricing, they claim.
Rostelecom noted that, along with other operators, they are participating in the work on the updated Industry Development Strategy. Izvestia has sent inquiries to other major Russian telecom operators.
Russian Railways is positive about the initiative of the Ministry of Finance to approve rules for non-discriminatory access of operators to the physical infrastructure of related industries. For its part, the company is ready to provide it for telecom operators to their linear facilities, taking into account the safety of transportation, its press service noted.
— Non-discriminatory access, in our understanding, means clear rules of the game, a reasonable and transparent price, and the lifting of excessive prohibitions on access to infrastructure and work in protected areas of infrastructure facilities in related industries. Bans remain there due to inertia and are not supported by objective technological factors," the Russian Railways added.
When interacting with telecom operators, ROSSETI strictly follows the rules of access to infrastructure approved by the government, the company told Izvestia.
— The procedure is mandatory for all parties. Its execution, the setting of tariffs, and the application of standard forms of contracts are controlled by the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Access to operators is provided on equal terms. In accordance with the methodological recommendations of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, tariffs for accommodation are differentiated by region, voltage levels, and types of communication lines, Rosseti says.
At the same time, some operators practice illegal non-contractual suspension of their lines on power transmission poles in order to make super profits, the company noted. This poses a threat to the reliability and safety of electricity supply to consumers, risks to the life and health of power engineers, people near power facilities and the violators themselves, they explained.
Operators have always shown interest in using infrastructure from other industries to lay communication cables. In the case of laying long-distance fiber-optic cables, they want to hang them from power transmission poles, pull them along highways and main pipelines, Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research, said. When building telecom networks in cities, telecom operators are interested in attaching cables to lighting poles, fixing the contact network of urban electric transport, and the like, he noted.
— Laying fiber-optic cables in the ground in cities is based on the impossibility of opening asphalt and overcrowding of telephone cable sewers, and between settlements everything depends on the will of various land owners. It is technically easier to lay a cable in an existing transmission line, pipeline, automobile or railway," Leonid Konik explained. — But the owners of this infrastructure are not interested in providing such access to telecom operators, or they demand an exorbitant fee for the right to lay or suspend a cable.
According to the expert, energy, oil, gas, road and railway workers say that their task is to provide citizens and business customers with electricity, hydrocarbons, and transport services, and not to help telecommunications companies.
Due to the high cost of access to infrastructure, unauthorized cable suspensions appear on various supports, said NTI expert on new materials and technologies Evgeny Vishnevsky.
— Access through pipelines and railways is even weaker, as the corridors are controlled by the owners with their telecom divisions. Access to these and other similar facilities provides operators with reduced capital and operating costs. In the private sector and rural areas, where it is unprofitable for infrastructure operators to build their own facilities, it is this access that makes it possible to connect subscribers in these places," said Evgeny Vishnevsky.
Access to the infrastructure of related industries will allow operators to save on the construction of communication lines — the costs will not be reflected in tariffs for subscribers, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. Communication cables may appear where it is difficult and unprofitable to lead them now, for example, in remote settlements where there are power lines, but often there are not even normal roads, he pointed out. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a balance of interests of owners and telecom operators, the expert concluded.
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