PRESS: Russian operators want to regulate big data mkt themselves

MOSCOW, Apr 3 (PRIME) -- Russia’s leading connection operators and Internet companies are negotiating the creation of a self-governing big data entity as business wants to move ahead of the government, which seems already interested in patronizing the industry, business daily Kommersant reported on Monday.

People from several companies involved in the talks said wireline operator Rostelecom, three big mobile operators – MTS, MegaFon and VimpelCom, Internet giants Yandex and Mail.Ru Group are discussing the creation of a big data entity under a working title of the Big Data Association.

The association would be open for participants of other industries, including banks and insurance companies. A charter should be agreed upon within two weeks, the people said.

MegaFon, Rostelecom, Yandex and Mail.Ru Group confirmed being in talks. MTS refused to comment on the matter, while a VimpelCom spokesperson said the operator is not considering its partnership since it does not see “a necessity of additional regulation in this industry.”

A source close to one of potential members of the association said that “we’ve been recently witnessing a trend from the part of a number of officials on excessive regulation of the IT industry, and certain experts, for whom it’s important to show their proximity to the power, even offer to hand over all user data to the government.”

Such an option “will hardly contribute to the development of the digital economy,” the source said. “We could really face unwillingness to invest in the industry with this approach at hand.”

Big data comprise the information generated by the user and the equipment and can be applied to transport, the consumer market, power and oil industries, among others.

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