Sberbank : Sber proposes solutions for IT industry growth at Sviaz 2021

Sber partnered the 33^rd International Exhibition for Information and Communication Technology, held June 15-18, 2021, at the Expocenter. Managing Director of Sberbank's Telecom and Media Customer Coverage Ivan Sinchilo addressed the plenary session titled Transformation of the Telecommunications Industry: Moving at High Speed.

Sinchilo discussed potential state support and other measures to develop Russia's IT industry during his speech.

First of all, state support measures are needed to stimulate export. The local market is often characterized by a small targeted market and insufficient competition, which does not facilitate the development of competitive business in IT. Successful Russian IT companies demonstrate high product quality because they are international players. Current measures of support for Russian manufacturers do not include software export. Moreover, it would be appropriate not only to support individual products but also to focus on integration solutions that have significant added value.

The second task is the formation of domestic demand and the creation and stimulation of new market segments. Not all support measures require budget allocations. We need infrastructural solutions from major companies - 5G, biometrics, and data centers. From the state, we need regulatory control through the determination of digital standards. The result will be immense domestic demand, including from state institutions.

We also need to extend simplified taxation for the self-employed to small entrepreneurs in the IT industry, increasing the threshold to RUB 3-5 mn per year. The aforementioned will enable the IT sector to grow at breakneck speed. As domestic solutions reach product maturity and are scaled, we will see increased GDP in the sector with high added value, and the state will see a large taxable base.

Ivan Sinchilo

Managing Director,Telecom and Media Customer Coverage, Sberbank

Other session participants were: Maxim Parshin, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation; Vasily Shpak, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation; Pyotr Ivanov, Deputy Head of Federal Antimonopoly Service (the FAS Russia); Aleksandr Ponkin, Director of Department for Stimulating Demand for Radio Electronic Products, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation; Alexander Gorbatko, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department for Information Technology; and other industry experts. The discussion was moderated by Vladimir Kononov, State Duma Deputy, Chair of the Organizing Committee of NTI Expo.

Experts discussed the government's business support initiatives, exportation opportunities with regards to Russian-made telecoms equipment, the key trends of the telecom industry, the prospects of infrastructure and next-generation network development, industry digitization, and more.