RFPI will take part in financing of the project of "Rostelecom" on elimination of a digital inequality

The Russian direct investment fund will take part in financing of the project of "Rostelecom" on elimination of a digital inequality in regions of Russia


The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) together with the leading international infrastructure investors declares participation in financing of the project on elimination of a digital inequality in regions of the Russian Federation which will be carried out in partnership with the Rostelecom company.

The total volume of investments in the project will make to 67,5 billion rubles. For realization of financing of RFPI will create the Special Design Company (SDC). Means in SPK will be accumulated in the form of investment into the share capital, and also debt financing on market conditions and a loan from the National Welfare Fund (NWF).

Among the main directions of cooperation – realization of actions for construction of a necessary telecommunication network, installation of points of access and connection of small settlements on fiber-optical lines. It is expected that construction of a similar network will be complete till five years.

On May 13, 2014 the Federal Communications Agency and "Rostelecom" signed the 10-year state contract on conditions of rendering universal communication services. According to it "Rostelecom" has to provide service of data transmission with a speed not less than 10 Mbps of 13,6 thousand settlements with population from 250 to 500 people. In total it is necessary to construct about 200 thousand km of new fiber-optical communication lines.

Kirill Dmitriyev, the CEO of RFPI, declared: "Use of means of FNB within implementation of the project on elimination of a digital inequality will allow to recruit the leading international investors. Thus means of FNB are invested in most protected manner, and their recoverability will be guaranteed by regular payments which "Rostelecom" receives from fund of universal service. Such structure of the transaction allows to accelerate significantly process of elimination of a digital inequality, having reduced it till five years".

Sergey Kalugin, the president of JSC Rostelecom, noted: "Participation in elimination of a digital inequality of RFPI and the international investors will allow to realize this project in the shortest terms. To construct 200 thousand km of new fiber-optical communication lines in five years, to organize access points in the most remote and remote settlements of the country is a most difficult task and huge responsibility. It is important to emphasize that the new standard of universal communication services will provide to millions of citizens of Russia equal high-speed access to information society".



Site of the company Rostelecom
 No. of 22.05.14