A notable exception: mobile Internet in Moscow has started to return
Mobile Internet restrictions have eased in Moscow: in some areas, access to services from the "white lists" has returned, users and experts told Izvestia. According to them, the work of such resources is now being improved, and improvements are already noticeable. Experts note that the expansion of "white lists", the use of SMS for communication, as well as the development of alternative network access technologies would help to reduce the consequences of such failures. When the situation can noticeably improve — in the Izvestia article.
Has the Internet become more accessible in Moscow
Users and experts informed Izvestia that the blocking of the mobile Internet had weakened on March 16-17. The correspondents of the editorial office have confirmed that access to websites and services from the "white lists" appeared in areas where there was no connection at the weekend. At the same time, "dead zones" remain: for example, there is no Network on the Ring Line of the Moscow metro.
There are likely to be more companies wishing to be included in these lists after the restrictions of the Internet, said Vladimir Zykov, director of projects at ANO Digital Platforms. These lists are compiled by the Ministry of Finance and are uniform for the whole of Russia. To be included in them, a service or resource needs to prove its social significance. According to him, this applies not only to end-user services: access is also necessary for the operation of various internal corporate applications.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Finance about whether companies have become more active in applying for inclusion in this register.
— Now the business is actively expanding the coverage area of corporate Wi-Fi. We are talking not only about conventional restaurants trying to offer Internet to customers, but also about large companies.: They strive to cover vast offices and even the surrounding area with Wi-Fi so that employees stay in touch at all times," added Vladimir Zykov.
There are still no official explanations for the reasons for the failures. The situation in different areas depends on the type of lockdown used: where base stations are completely disabled, there is no Internet access, whereas with limited data services, only resources from the "white lists" continue to operate, a source told Izvestia on the cellular market. He did not specify the reason for the different approach.
— In our opinion, it is more correct now to talk not about the complete disappearance of the problem, but about the fact that its effect has become more targeted. We don't see any critical operational failures, but local restrictions may still occur, for example, in geolocation during delivery or payment by guests via the SBP," Yan Dmitrenko, co-owner of the Honest Fish restaurant chain, told Izvestia.
Representatives of the mobile operators declined to comment or did not respond to requests. Izvestia also sent questions to Roskomnadzor.
According to Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, the weakening is due to their excessive use, widespread public outcry and the need for more careful configuration of "white" services.
"The blockages began to lead to the fact that some of the Russian resources were unavailable, which were not necessary in principle," the expert believes.
On March 16, it was reported, for example, about failures in the work of Yandex services. The company did not respond to Izvestia's request.
Last week, as Izvestia reported, sales of Wi-Fi routers in Moscow increased 1.5 times. At the same time, the queues for connecting wired Internet increased from 7-10 days to three weeks.
How can services and users adapt to the lack of a Network
Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily, believes that it would be logical to include manufacturers of smart electronics in the "white lists". For example, garage doors with SIM cards, gas boilers, video surveillance cameras and other similar devices do not work without mobile Internet.
— However, the issue with video surveillance cameras is sensitive: from such devices, even household ones, it is possible to obtain strategically important information. Whether the authorities will give access to the list, for example, to foreign manufacturers is a question, the expert argues.
Services that focus on online interaction with customers, such as kicksharing, should also work in conditions of periodic lack of Internet, Vladimir Zykov believes.
Yrent, as part of the MTS group of companies, is included in the "white list" of the Ministry of Finance and, therefore, should remain accessible even with restrictions on the mobile Internet, the company told Izvestia.
— Additionally, users of the service in Moscow and throughout Russia will be able to use the opportunity to rent a scooter via SMS. We are already testing both technologies in the south of the country, where kicksharing operates year—round, and we see the effectiveness of these measures: they really allow users to start and end trips correctly," they added.
Whoosh has already implemented technologies that allow users to not always, but often start and finish trips when the mobile Internet is turned off. According to the company, the method of managing trips via SMS in conditions of communication restrictions was developed last season.
— But this does not solve the problem of unavailability completely, so we are working on including our service in the "white list". The company has submitted all the required documents to the agency and is awaiting a response from the regulator," the service said.
In the face of disruptions, both businesses and users are likely to pay attention to alternative access technologies, primarily wired Internet and Wi—Fi, Denis Kuskov believes. According to him, there are other wireless solutions that work over a longer distance, such as the stationary 5G FWA. So far, they are not widespread, but the current situation may attract the interest of users to them, as well as stimulate the development of Russian systems of this kind.
The severity of the blockages may decrease as the mechanisms of restrictions are debugged and the "white lists" expand — according to the expert's forecast, this may happen in the coming months.
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