MOSCOW, February 12 (RIA Novosti) – Imports of telecommunications equipment into Russia would be restricted under a bill submitted to Russia’s lower house of parliament Tuesday.
A draft of the bill, seen by RIA Novosti’s digit.ru IT news service, proposes to bar Russian companies from buying foreign-made telecoms equipment unless there were no domestic alternatives available.
More than 90 percent of telecoms electronics in Russia are made abroad, according to an explanatory note with the bill. Its authors say this poses a risk to national security and the economy via the loss of control of national networks.
To become law, the bill must pass three readings in Russia's lower house, the Duma, before being sent to the Federation Council and signed by the president.
A government regulation from 2011 to promote domestic manufacture of telecoms equipment allows foreign-designed devices to be designated as home-produced if final assembly takes place in Russia.
The bill explains, however, that only 65 devices, mostly of the same type, have been registered under the provision since that measure was adopted.
