Russian mobile operating system on Android

2024

The Ministry of Digital Development is preparing a consortium to develop a Russian analogue of Android. What are the prospects - TA opinions

On November 7, 2024, the head of the Ministry of Digital Science Maksut Shadayev said that the department is discussing with the IT industry the creation of a consortium for the development of a Russian analogue of the Android mobile OS based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project). TAdviser spoke with market participants about the prospects for this initiative.

The Ministry of Digital Development does not specify which companies will be included in the consortium of developers of a competitor to Android and when this organization will begin work.

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According to the Chief information officer of DCLogic Mikhail Kopnin, in order to assess the feasibility of creating such a consortium, it is necessary to develop an economic model.

It is important to predict the cost of devices, the cost of developing software for these devices, possible sales channels. If the new device is not competitive on the market both in price and in functional characteristics, it will not be bought, which will nullify all efforts, the source said.

Maksut Shadayev said that the Russian analogue of Android will become the second mobile operating system that will run tablets for doctors and teachers. The first system for performing production tasks will be the Aurora OS

Given that we plan that they will work with personal data in aggressive conditions. The requirements for reliability, security and convenience are high. As for the operating system, we have a hybrid approach here, two operating systems will work on these tablets, "the minister said.

Mikhail Kopnin believes that the success of the Russian analogue of Android will directly depend on how the devices will be sold not only to government agencies, but also to a wide audience in the mass market.

Securing 650,000 units for schools and hospitals is not the same as selling millions of devices to ordinary consumers, he added.

Co-founder and Development Director of Arcsinus Pavel Golub drew parallels with the Harmony OS operating system, which Huawei is developing after falling under tough US sanctions. The expert, speaking about the estimated timing of the release of the new Russian OS, recalled that three years had passed from the moment the development was announced to the presentation of Harmony OS, and the first device on this platform appeared on the market a couple of years later.

According to Pavel Golub, if the new OS is as autonomous as Harmony OS and only supports applications with a special extension, it will be necessary to adapt a large number of Android applications or create analogues, which will also require significant efforts and interest of developers.

At the same time, there are already domestic mobile OS on the Russian market. Thus, the company Red Soft is developing, RED OS M which is included in the Russian register ON and is compatible with all existing Android applications. In 2024, there are executed contracts for the supply of mobile devices based on RED OS M, including in the field, the health care general director of Red told TAdviser. Software Maxim Anisimov

Sergei Kravtsov, a member of the board of directors of ROSA and Rutek, called the initiative to create a consortium to develop a domestic analogue of Android a step in the right direction towards technological sovereignty. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that AOSP cannot be considered a secure platform: it continues to contain vulnerabilities and components under the control of foreign structures.

Relying on such a base means exposing domestic users to risks, and developing a system based on it means slowing down the development of the domestic IT industry, Kravtsov is sure.

A more promising solution for Russia, a member of the board of directors of ROSA and Rutek considers the creation of a consortium aimed at developing full-fledged Russian Mobile Services (RMS), which will ensure both security and technological independence.

A consortium working for the good of the country should focus on creating an ecosystem capable of offering users a fully independent, stable and secure mobile environment. This will strengthen national security and move our technological sphere forward, "he stressed.

Sergei Gataullin, a leading researcher at the Social Modeling Laboratory of the CEMI RAS, believes that the creation of a consortium for the development of the Russian analogue of Android can be successful subject to several conditions:

• the consortium will consist of IT companies with the resources and competencies to build and market a digital product of this scale;
• the project will consolidate the personal responsibility of not only top managers, but also business owners who guarantee the fulfillment of their tasks by the assets of companies;
• the state will assume the protection of business interests and the creation of a protectionist regime within the legal framework.

The founder of Unisoft, Alexei Onosov, also positively assesses the prospects for creating a Russian analogue of Android. In his opinion, the following factors should contribute to the successful implementation of the project:

• availability of qualified specialists with experience in OS development;
• the availability of Android source code and the ability to modify it;
• state support and formation of a consortium of developers;
• growing demand for domestic solutions under sanctions.

At the same time, as Alexey Onosov added, significant financial and time development costs will be required, as well as a lot of work on the formation of a competent marketing strategy - it is necessary to form a positive perception of the domestic OS among users and developers.

Nikolai Nikolenko, technical director of Kode (developing mobile applications), believes that to create a high-quality analogue of Android, you need to work on the development errors of previous domestic IT products. In particular, the interlocutor of TAdviser pointed out the complexity of the implementation of the Aurora platform. This OS was intended for government agencies and corporations with an emphasis on increased security. The potential market for this OS is about 26 million users, but by November 2024 only a very small number of companies are starting to implement it.

VK, Sber and Yandex did not agree on joint OS development and will develop projects independently

In early May 2024, it became known that VK, Sber and Yandex abandoned the project to develop a single mobile operating system based on open source AOSP (Android Open Source Project). Instead, companies will create independent software platforms that are planned to be used on portable devices and smart TVs.

It was assumed that within the framework of the project Ministry of Digital Development , the named companies, as well as "" Rostelecom will form a consortium for the development of a domestic OS based on AOSP. In 2023 register of Russian software , the Ministry of Digital Development included platforms based on Android the company "" (Kernel OS) Kvadra and "" Red Soft(""). Red OS M At the same time, Rostelecom demands to exclude these products from the register, citing the risks of "bookmarks" from American copyright holders.

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According to the Kommersant newspaper, the parties failed to agree on the creation of a joint mobile OS. VK, Sber and Yandex will focus on developing their own mobile platforms, which in the future are planned to be included in the register of the Ministry of Digital Development. It is alleged that all of the listed companies are developing OSs for both the consumer segment and the state. Yandex reported that the company is focusing on the YaOS project to create an AOSP-based platform for smart TVs.

However, market participants believe that even taking into account their own ecosystems, OS from VK, Sberbank and Yandex will not be able to take a significant share and compete with the Android platform. Thus, Dmitry Altukhov, advisor to the director of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund, says that in the case of AOSP, we are talking about adapting someone else's source code, and not about full-fledged development. A similar opinion is shared by the creator of the venture fund "Strigo Capital" Dmitry Komissarov.

What companies are doing is difficult to call a full-fledged operating system, these are rather cosmetic changes to open Android, a full-fledged OS requires a development team, like the largest companies with a Linux-based system, says Komissarov.[1]

2022: Creation of the Russian OS

At the end of December 2022, it became known about the decision, VKYandex"," Sberbank and "" Rostelecom to start creating a mobile operating room based on open public code. Android For this, the companies intend to create a joint venture.

According to Kommersant, VK, Yandex, Sberbank and Rostelecom are interested in developing a platform of compatible mobile services that will replace Google Mobile Services (GMS).

VK, Yandex, Sberbank and Rostelecom will develop an OS based on Android

The big players are ready to come together to develop a platform. It is needed by everyone who wants their applications to have adequate functionality, "a source on the Russian electronics market told the publication.

The publication emphasizes that the project does not contradict Rostelecom's plans to develop a mobile ecosystem based on the Aurora OS. It will be used in the corporate and public sectors, and the new OS will be aimed at the general consumer.

Another interlocutor of the newspaper said that the development of a new OS based on Android will be several times cheaper than the creation of an independent platform that Rostelecom is engaged in. Most applications of Russian developers are designed for Android, which means they are already adapted for the new system. According to the newspaper's interlocutor, it will take about a year to create such a platform.

One of Kommersant's sources added that developing an ecosystem based on open Android will cost several times cheaper than Aurora, on which it is planned to spend 480 billion rubles. The Android system and security updates are available for free on the Google website.

Nikolai Komlev, Director of the Association of Computer and Information Technology Enterprises, considers the idea to develop different mobile OSs for the consumer market and for the public sector successful.

The platform managed by the Aurora OS can be implemented in institutions where there are high requirements for data security, for example, in law enforcement agencies and state corporations, he said.[2]

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