PRESS: Econ ministry to test online mobile subscription in 2021

MOSCOW, Aug 3 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Economic Development Ministry can launch an experiment with remote signing of contracts for connection services in 2021, and mobile giant MTS will take part by offering SIM cards in groceries, pharmacies, fuel filling stations, and online, business daily Kommersant reported on Monday, citing a ministry official.

The experiment will take place under the bill on regulatory sandboxes approved by the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, on July 22, which is to come into force in six months after being signed by the president.

At present, contracts for connection services can be signed at operators’ stores or via the electronic signature, whose key was issued with confirmation of an identity with the unified system of identification and authentication.

If the government approves the experiment, then a company will be able to sell SIM cards at any point of sale on a certain territory.

It is supposed that a buyer will get some free data traffic to download an application to get registered and photographed with the passport.

SIM cards of some operators are sold in supermarkets, but it is still a gray zone. The expansion of channels of sale will enable MTS to get more than 560,000 subscribers a year, according to the company’s own estimation, and if the project is joined by all four top local operators – comprising also MegaFon, VimpelCom, and T2 RTK Holding – the market will grow by 1.9 million clients.

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