Experts Assess Prospects for Full Fiber Optic Import Substitution in Russia
Russia is actively extending high-speed internet access to the most remote corners of its territory and aims to focus on producing its own fiber optics.
By 2030, households should have the ability to connect to the internet at speeds of no less than 1 Gbps, stated Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin recently, emphasizing the use of domestic equipment.
This fall, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) recommended that the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media analyze the possibility of establishing a complete production cycle of optical fiber, including manufacturing quartz blanks. Achieving complete import substitution of this material will eliminate dependence on foreign products. Experts provided insights to GORUS on why it is crucial to accomplish this within the shortest time frame and which enterprises have already begun work on import substitution.
A Growing Internet Presence
According to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in 2023, the daily internet audience in our country reached nearly 100 million people, a number that continues to increase.
“Russia leads Europe in the number of World Wide Web users. We have one of the most cost-effective internet services globally,” as per the Government’s press service citing his remarks.
Simultaneously, the demand for high-speed internet access is increasing not only among private users but also in business sectors. Companies across Russia are actively implementing digitalization into their production processes.
As experts note, the most pressing demand today is for the import substitution of preforms – blanks made from high-purity quartz glass that are subsequently transformed into fiber. Before the sanction era, Japan supplied these preforms to our country; currently, we source them from China. However, it is evident that the time has come to transition to domestic products.
The focus lies in developing domestic technology for producing blanks, equipment for drawing fiber from these blanks, and machinery for cable sheathing. Establishing a full production cycle of this kind is a strategic task for our country.
Breaking Free from Dependency
In the immediate future, a complex for the production of a full cycle of optical fiber will emerge in Mordovia. The republic’s authorities will invest considerable funds in creating a special economic zone of an industrial-production type called ‘System’. This zone will host a plant dedicated to the complete production cycle of telecommunication and technical optical fiber.
The facility will represent the second optical fiber production complex after the Saransk plant of JSC Optical Fiber Systems. According to Andrey Nikolaev, the company’s CEO, the annual demand for optical fiber may double by 2030 with the activation of a policy aimed at establishing technological sovereignty in the telecommunications industry. He expressed this view during an industrial center competence demo day, attended by Minister of Digital Development Maxut Shadaev. In his address, Andrey Nikolaev highlighted that among the key drivers of the Russian optical fiber market’s growth are the construction of new and modernization of outdated communication lines, the shift to 5G standards, and industrial digitalization.
The significance of creating full-cycle optical fiber production facilities in our country is emphasized by Rostelecom. The operator’s analysts note that only in this way can we eliminate dependence on foreign preform manufacturers. Moreover, the need for domestic preforms will only grow, as the operators’ task today is to deliver high-speed internet to every corner of our Motherland, including the most remote areas.
“For instance, in the Kamchatka region, we are introducing next-generation optics into the most remote taiga villages with populations of 50-100 people. Such work requires a significant amount of optical fiber. Therefore, technological independence in this field is undoubtedly necessary,” stated the operator’s press service.
Contributing to this critical work are scientists from the Moscow region. For instance, researchers from the Neutron Physics Laboratory of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna developed a device that can detect defects in dispersion-shifted optical fiber and track its ability to transmit light without losses. The patented device is being applied in creating large thermal neutron detectors for research reactor setups. Their development will ensure flawless quality of domestic production.
The annual demand for optical fiber by 2030 may double with the intensification of the policy of creating technological sovereignty in the communications industry
Correct Strategy
Domestic telecommunications specialists, much like other sectors of the Russian industry, are admirably meeting the challenges of the new era, according to Roman Panasenko, the CEO of LLC Metalwork and an expert in the field.
“Since 2019, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development has been emphasizing the localization and support of domestic manufacturers in the communications sphere. Over this time, many companies have partially or completely restructured their technological processes to maximize diversification from software, components, and other supplies from unfriendly countries,” Panasenko informed GORUS’.
The expert notes that there is currently a consideration for the adoption of the ‘Development Strategy for the Telecommunications Industry in Russia for 2024-2035.’ This strategy aims to develop communication networks and achieve Russia’s technological independence. Primarily, this is associated with the risks of external limitations on communication networks and potential hacker attacks or other unauthorized attempts to access Russian servers.
“Such technological sovereignty might entail the development of collaborative relationships in the telecommunications industry with countries friendly to Russia. Primarily, this includes China and India,” believes Panasenko.
Eliminating “Digital Inequality”
According to Roman Panasenko’s assessments, a new device developed by the Omsk Scientific and Production Association ‘Radioplant named after A.S. Popov’ will help safeguard the industry from the influence of Western sanctions.
“At the plant, innovators have succeeded in establishing the production of mobile telescopic masts. The high-rise equipment and components are manufactured using domestic materials and parts. Regrettably, today, around half of the antenna-mast structures (AMS) in the Russian market are of foreign origin. However, the new capabilities will help reverse this trend,” asserts the expert.
The customers for such systems include communication operators and enterprises operating in the telecommunications sector, including those in the public sector. Additionally, according to Panasenko’s estimations, mobile AMS can aid in establishing communication in hard-to-reach areas and contribute to eliminating “digital inequality” in Russia.
In conclusion, as highlighted by experts, the focus on import substitution will accelerate the coverage of the most remote areas in our country not only with high-speed fiber-optic internet but also through mobile communications.
By Ksenia Stetsenko