Ministry of Industry and Trade: State Apparatus needs 1.2 million mobile devices with Russian OS

History

2024: Ministry of Industry and Trade: State Apparatus needs 1.2 million mobile devices with Russian OS

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia in September 2024 announced the need to provide a state apparatus of more than 1.2 million mobile devices based on domestic operating systems over the next three years. The announcement comes amid growing demand for the country's technological independence.

According to Interfax, the deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Vasily Shpak said through the press service of the department that Russian manufacturers are capable of producing over 1 million devices a year. Shpak emphasized the importance of actively introducing domestic hardware solutions, including tablets and smartphones based on Russian mobile operating systems.

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Фото: Unsplash

In 2024, it is planned to release 50-60 thousand devices with the Aurora mobile OS. The manufacturing process of these devices does not differ from the production of devices on other operating systems, which will satisfy existing demand.

The Open Mobile Platform (OMP) company, one of the developers of the Aurora OS, together with Russian manufacturers implemented a program for transferring technical expertise on adapting the operating system to new hardware platforms. The program involves companies such as PK Aquarius LLC, F-plus Equipment and Development LLC and Byte Erg LLC. It is expected that in the near future other domestic manufacturers will join them.

General Director of OMP Pavel Eiges noted that the necessary methodologies have been prepared within the framework of the program, the infrastructure for the development has been deployed and the release cycle and their further support have been established.

Two models of tablets with Aurora OS have already been presented on the market. By the end of the first half of 2025, three more new devices are expected.^[1]

2023

Smartphones and tablets on the Aurora OS are massively introduced in ministries

Ministry of Industry and Trade Ministry of Digital Development Ministry of Finance Ministry of Economy,,,,,,,,, and Department of Energy Ministry of Transport Ministry of Education Ministry of Defence MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS other departments began testing smartphones and tablets running "." operating system Aurora This became known on October 6, 2023.

Russian-made smartphones based on the Aurora OS are being tested in the departments of the ministry in order to study the technical characteristics and assess the possibility of further use in the activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, "a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told CNews.

Ministries began testing smartphones on Aurora OS

According to him, according to the results of testing, measures to introduce technical means based on the Aurora OS into the activities of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation will be carried out as part of the implementation of the relevant government instructions.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that by the beginning of October 2023, the department is not only testing, but also using Russian mobile devices and tablets based on Aurora in the regular operation.

Russian Railways told the publication that by the beginning of October 2023, the Aurora OS was installed on several thousand devices for "the tasks of the mobile application of operational personnel" (a mobile workplace that monitors the maintenance and repair of telecommunication facilities).

Devices on Aurora are used in state and budgetary organizations. The main OS problem is a small number of applications. Most developers create applications for Android and iOS, as these platforms have a global audience and vast markets. And due to the limited number of Aurora users, developers are in no hurry to create applications for it, because this does not bode well for them. Testing of gadgets on Aurora began after the ban on using iPhones in the workplace.^[2]

Smartphones on the Aurora OS began to arrive at government agencies

Russian officials have begun testing smartphones with the Aurora operating system. Several dozen such devices have already been delivered to the Federation Council. This became known on August 11, 2023.

The Izvestia source clarified that devices based on the Aurora OS should supplement the foreign-made gadgets already available to the Federation Council employees and prepare them for the possibility of switching to Russian equipment if necessary.

Russian officials have begun testing smartphones with the Aurora operating system

We took two types of devices for testing - a tablet and a smartphone. It is premature to talk about the first results of testing, it is necessary to assess their main functions and conduct tests of related software products, - said the source of the publication in the Federation Council.

As the deputy chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Federation Council Artem Sheikin told TASS, the first 20 such devices have already entered the upper house of parliament. By the autumn session, smartphones and tablets will be distributed to the first test groups to try and evaluate their work, he said.

Open Mobile Platform (owned by Rostelecom) is responsible for the development and implementation of Aurora. The press service of Izvestia did not comment on the supply of gadgets to specific customers, but noted that the use of devices at Aurora is growing.

The need to use Aurora depends on the scenario of using the smartphone, said Sergey Polovnikov, head of the Content-Review project. If you need to provide communication between employees of government agencies in the service - for example, secure communications, mail, correspondence in instant messengers, access to work materials and files, then the use of a domestic operating system is more than justified, the expert argues. The only question is whether it will be closed to these resources from other devices. A civil servant, by and large, must walk with two devices: no one has yet banned using any smartphones for personal purposes, he concluded.^[3]

Millions of smartphones based on the Russian Aurora OS will be purchased for civil servants

In early June 2023, it became known about the decision of the Russian government to purchase a large batch of mobile devices for state institutions based on the Aurora domestic operating system. For this, Rostelecom is involved, said Kirill Menshov, senior vice president of the telecommunications company.

A range of half a million to two million devices... For three years, but this is very preliminary... This range is mainly discussed, - he said, answering a journalist's question about how many mobile devices on Aurora the government can order for civil servants.

Smartphones based on the Russian OS "Aurora" will be purchased for civil servants

The top manager of Rostelecom also told RIA Novosti that by the beginning of June 2023, more than 500 thousand Aurora-based devices had been produced.

By June 1, 2023, neither potential executors of the state order, nor the preliminary number of models, nor their technical characteristics are known. To the question of CNews, which companies can be given an order for production, representatives of the Open Mobile Platform, the developer of Aurora, answered the following:

Each customer chooses from the existing lineup which devices are suitable for the company's goals. When asked when exactly it is planned to start producing devices, the company did not name the exact dates. It is difficult to say for sure, but we assume that soon.

When asked if it was planned to add any new functions for officials in connection with such a large order, representatives of the OMP answered negatively.

As noted by CNews, even if the final purchase amount is 2 million smartphones, this amount may still not be enough to provide such a mobile phone for every Russian official. So, back in September 2019, according to the Ministry of Finance, for every 10 thousand Russians there were 163 civil servants, as well as other employees of state and municipal bodies.^[4]

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