PM orders preparation of bill on local applications pre-installing

MOSCOW, Aug 24 (PRIME) -- Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered preparation of a bill obliging manufacturers to pre-install Russia-made applications on smartphones and computers, according to a roadmap on competition development of the country’s economy approved by the government on Friday.

The document, which aims at creating equal competitive conditions on the market of applications, must be prepared by April 2019 by the Digital Development Ministry, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Federal Service for Oversight of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, and other federal entities involved.

The authorities are also to prepare a bill stipulating requirements for gadgets to enable users to delete pre-installed applications with the exception of utility software, according to the road map.

The antimonopoly service said in April that it received complaints about pre-installed applications that could not be deleted. The authority offered to prepare amendments to legislation to make it obligatory to equip gadgets with local software, meaning basic applications, like browsers, e-mails, and audio players.

Medvedev also ordered the Digital Development Ministry, the Construction, Housing, and Utilities Ministry, and the antimonopoly service to prepare amendments to laws to ensure non-discriminatory access of connection operators to infrastructure to lay networks in apartment buildings. The document must be submitted to the government in December.

Operators have repeatedly complained about difficulties with access to various infrastructure facilities for installation of equipment or unrolling of networks.

In addition, Medvedev ordered the digital ministry, the Economic Development Ministry, and the antimonopoly service to prepare a bill seeking to cancel payments for intra-network roaming in the country.

The authorities in charge must introduce amendments to legislation in October–December to cancel an unjustified difference in tariffs of mobile connection in trips across the country in the network of one operator. The document should create a single information and communications space.

Intra-network roaming applies when an operator uses various tariffs for different regions of the country. Under the pressure from the antitrust service, the country’s top mobile operators earlier announced the cancellation of payment for incoming calls in trips across the country.

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