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Russian Telecom 2007: A $40 Billion Year

2007 was another year of stable growth for the Russian telecom sector - $40 billion flew into its coffers. According to the Russian Communication Ministry, the IT and telecom (ICT) market totaled USD 60 billion in 2007, a 25.4% year-on-year growth.  

Moreover, in 2007 the number of Internet users in Russia grew 40% to 35 million, while the number of personal computers reached 31.2 million. The Ministry forecasts that number of personal computers should reach 40 million, a 29% year-on-year growth, and the number of Internet users will grow 31.4% to 46 million in 2008.

Explosive growth in the broadband Internet and triple play projects, new carriers’ advancements on the long distance communication market, VSAT market significant gains, and growth in the VAS market segment amidst serious industry consolidation paved the way for another solid year ahead. The mobile market segment showed healthy revenues, while operators deployed the first 3G networks and look into expansion to the long distance market.  

On top of all these developments, the new Ministry of Communications and Mass Media was created, and Leonid Reiman, the undisputed king of Russian telecom, left his post after almost a decade-long reign. Indeed it was another busy year for Russian telecoms. 

Read more about the latest trends on the Russian telecom market at: /newsletters/2008/07/