PRESS: Russia wants local software preinstalled on phones, computers

MOSCOW, Jul 27 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service has suggested obliging foreign manufacturers of smartphones and computers to preinstall local analogues of browsers, e-mail, players, and other applications in a measure that could appear by April 2019, business daily Kommersant reported on Friday.

According to a final version of the roadmap on competition development for 2018–2020 drafted by the antitrust watchdog, the legislation should be prepared by April 2019, and manufacturers will be also obliged to allow a full deletion of preinstalled programs and applications, excluding servicing software.

The antitrust watchdog believes the initiative will create conditions for users to choose and replace products. The document has already been sent to the government.

The authority said that it receives “complaints from people about service applications on phones, smartphones, tablets that are installed automatically without an option to delete them.” They include browsers, e-mail, player, and the like.

According to researcher App Annie, local mobile applications occupied 11 out of 20 top places by downloads in 2017: they were VK from social network VKontakte, Sberbank Online from major bank Sberbank, and others.

Head of Taiwanese electronics maker Acer in Russia Dmitry Kravchenko said that the Russian market certainly has decent software programs, but the imposition of whatsoever does not stimulate competition, but restricts it.

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