UPDATE 2: Fed Council head wants to cancel Russia–Belarus roaming

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MOSCOW, Jun 30 (PRIME) -- Chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house, Valentina Matviyenko asked Communications and Mass Media Minister Nikolai Nikiforov on Friday to consider cancellation of pay roaming between Russia and Belarus.

“Dear minister, having roaming between Russia and Belarus is weird…We want our people and regions to communicate. Our mobile connection firms are not poor,” Matviyenko said at a forum.

“You have a month to discuss the matter with Belarussian colleagues…Please, inform us of any barriers. If needed, the upper house will cooperate on the legal level.”

Nikiforov said the ministry welcomes Matviyenko’s suggestion, “but everything depends on operators.”

“It’s an agreement between every operator with their partners. We support the idea. We’re working on the matter (with operators) and asking for their opinion,” he said.

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko also supported the idea. “I think it’s a reasonable proposal. Let’s hand over (the matter) to ministers,” Lukashenko said.

Nikiforov said that Russia is an active proponent of reducing connection prices. “We want to have no roaming within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU),” the minister said. The authority is already deliberating jointly with operators on the abolition of roaming between the union’s members, comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, he added.

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