Why Nokia, Ericsson’s departure from Russia is bad news for its people
Nokia and Ericsson – two of the largest manufacturers of telecommunications equipment – are retiring Russia at the end of this year. Their departure could gradually hamper the country’s mobile network over the long term, hampering daily communication for the citizens.
According to Reuters, senior telecom executives and industry sources say that everyday Russian users will experience slower internet and call drops and will not be able to make calls. It is not that; there could be prolonged network outages as operators struggle to restore the software, and the reduced inventory of spare parts will only add to the trouble.
People from Russia soon won’t even be able to make a phone call
Nokia and Ericsson together account for about 50 percent share of the telecommunications equipment market in Russia, and these two companies are responsible for everything telecommunications in the country, from base stations, antennas and hardware that provide digital signals to consumers.
After the exit of Huaweithe departure of Nokia and Ericsson could further hamper the daily lives of citizens in Russia, which are already affected by the sanctions imposed by other nations after Russia attacked Ukrainemaking it difficult for them to even make a phone call.
Nokia and Ericsson’s exit would push Russia back to the 1990s
Lenoid Konik of ComNews, a Moscow-based IT publication, tells Reuters that if the situation continues for long, Russia’s cellular connectivity will push the country back to the late 90s when coverage used to be limited to metropolitan and wealthy suburbs.
In addition, cutting ties with foreign equipment manufacturers will leave Russian telecoms in the 4G network as the world progresses to 5G.
Experts note that the rural areas of the country will be the first to be hit as telecom operators will remove the equipment placed in those areas to serve urban areas. Meanwhile, no software update will put the public at risk for cyber attacks and frequent outages.
Government policy can slow the death of the state’s telecommunications infrastructure
The report points out that local telecom operators have been hoarding the foreign equipment earlier this year, but the situation is expected to worsen once the two companies – Nokia and Ericsson – pull out of the market, i.e. December 31.
The Russian government has recently started home-made equipment, reducing dependence on foreign equipment manufacturers. In the past year, the market share of domestically produced equipment has almost doubled, from 11.6 percent in 2021 to 25.2 percent this year.
A coalition between telecom operators in the country will allow them to share resources that could make networks last a little longer. But software updates will remain a hurdle for the operators.
Sources told Reuters that both Nokia and Ericsson will stop providing software patches next year, posing a major hurdle for local telecoms operators to keep their networks up to date.
According to Reuters, senior telecom executives and industry sources say that everyday Russian users will experience slower internet and call drops and will not be able to make calls. It is not that; there could be prolonged network outages as operators struggle to restore the software, and the reduced inventory of spare parts will only add to the trouble.
People from Russia soon won’t even be able to make a phone call
Nokia and Ericsson together account for about 50 percent share of the telecommunications equipment market in Russia, and these two companies are responsible for everything telecommunications in the country, from base stations, antennas and hardware that provide digital signals to consumers.
After the exit of Huaweithe departure of Nokia and Ericsson could further hamper the daily lives of citizens in Russia, which are already affected by the sanctions imposed by other nations after Russia attacked Ukrainemaking it difficult for them to even make a phone call.
Nokia and Ericsson’s exit would push Russia back to the 1990s
Lenoid Konik of ComNews, a Moscow-based IT publication, tells Reuters that if the situation continues for long, Russia’s cellular connectivity will push the country back to the late 90s when coverage used to be limited to metropolitan and wealthy suburbs.
In addition, cutting ties with foreign equipment manufacturers will leave Russian telecoms in the 4G network as the world progresses to 5G.
Experts note that the rural areas of the country will be the first to be hit as telecom operators will remove the equipment placed in those areas to serve urban areas. Meanwhile, no software update will put the public at risk for cyber attacks and frequent outages.
Government policy can slow the death of the state’s telecommunications infrastructure
The report points out that local telecom operators have been hoarding the foreign equipment earlier this year, but the situation is expected to worsen once the two companies – Nokia and Ericsson – pull out of the market, i.e. December 31.
The Russian government has recently started home-made equipment, reducing dependence on foreign equipment manufacturers. In the past year, the market share of domestically produced equipment has almost doubled, from 11.6 percent in 2021 to 25.2 percent this year.
A coalition between telecom operators in the country will allow them to share resources that could make networks last a little longer. But software updates will remain a hurdle for the operators.
Sources told Reuters that both Nokia and Ericsson will stop providing software patches next year, posing a major hurdle for local telecoms operators to keep their networks up to date.
