Interesting to note how 'informal ISP's' provide a lot of connectivity to whole buildings and complexes :
Anyway the price for unlimited services are about $30 /month
http://www.point-topic.com/content/...s/Russia/Russia Broadband Overview 050105.htm
"
Russia Broadband Overview
5 January 2005
According to one Russian consulting company the number of broadband users in Russia is some 3,500,000 in 3Q04. This is based on a definition of a broadband user as someone who uses broadband at least once a week, over a connection of at least a theoretical speed of 200 Kbps. Currently most of the users are found in the business segment, but 2004 has seen considerable activity in the consumer/residential sector, with all incumbent telcos beginning to roll out xDSL services and upgrading inter-regional backbone connections with fibre and/or radio. 2004 should end, according to analyst estimates with some 125,000 xDSL residential activated lines (100,000 in Moscow).
In Moscow, crucially, prices for residential broadband services have come down over the summer in 2004 to below $30 for cheaper DSL tariffs. MTU-Intel, Moscow's main DSL provider (operating over the MGTS fixed incumbent, and effective residential DSL monopolist) saw a fivefold increase in ADSL subscriptions from 4,000 to 20,000 in the first eight months of 2004.
Although xDSL is now being fully promoted to consumers, the residential sector is dominated at present by the informal 'Home Networks' which use Ethernet LANs to link up buildings, housing developments and sometimes whole neighbourhoods to 'broadband' access (2 Mbps up to the buildings is considered the average by local observers). These operators account for some 75% residential users, or some 550,000 by end 2004, connected households throughout Russia, according to analysts. They are generally very low cost. These informal networks are expected to dominate for perhaps a further two years until DSL is more widespread. During this period the larger telcos are expected to try to buy up the small Home LAN companies and cooperatives. Such operators have during 2004 reduced prices by up to 2 or 3 times in some cases. Pricing is uniformly based on per volume charging models, with most packages offering a bundled download allowance, with a per MB additional charge.
The incumbent fixed operators MGTS in Moscow and seven 'mega-operators' in Russia's regions control DSL infrastructure, and new services are being offered in numerous larger cities. Several report very high growth in take-up for internet services, including new broadband services, though numbers for residential DSL services are still barely into four figures in regional centres. Alternative operators offering residential services use incumbent DSL infrastructure, but there are several companies, such as Golden Telecom which operate their own infrastructure serving corporate networks in the larger cities. One estimate says 80% of all office internet connections are broadband (mainly defined as 'permanent connection' since the speed is often adversely affected by the pressure of usage within a building (ie a single corporate subscription).
In the corporate DSL sector there has been consolidation among leading alternative providers. Key players providing dedicated data access to the corporate segment are engaged in a series of ongoing consolidations. The Moscow based Sistema (including MGTS) grouping has brought together three formerly separate operatons - MTU-Inform, Telmos and Comstar - to form the new Comstar-UTS (United TeleSystems) with its ADSL offerings aimed at SMEs, as well as at larger corporate bodies.The main alternative provider of fixed and data services in Russia, Golden Telecom, has also merged two previously separate providers: Combellga and Sovintel.
The Russian government's plans to privatise Svyazinvest (the state telecoms holding company that controls the seven regional telcos) in 2005 is likely to have an impact on broadband development, according to financial analysts. Regional telcos, at present controlled by Svyazinvest, are keen to build their attractiveness for future services and broadband is seen as a key plank in such a policy, as growth in fixed line buinsess is likely to plateau or decline in competition with the vigorous mobile sector ..... more follows"
Anyway the price for unlimited services are about $30 /month
http://www.point-topic.com/content/...s/Russia/Russia Broadband Overview 050105.htm
"
Russia Broadband Overview
5 January 2005
According to one Russian consulting company the number of broadband users in Russia is some 3,500,000 in 3Q04. This is based on a definition of a broadband user as someone who uses broadband at least once a week, over a connection of at least a theoretical speed of 200 Kbps. Currently most of the users are found in the business segment, but 2004 has seen considerable activity in the consumer/residential sector, with all incumbent telcos beginning to roll out xDSL services and upgrading inter-regional backbone connections with fibre and/or radio. 2004 should end, according to analyst estimates with some 125,000 xDSL residential activated lines (100,000 in Moscow).
In Moscow, crucially, prices for residential broadband services have come down over the summer in 2004 to below $30 for cheaper DSL tariffs. MTU-Intel, Moscow's main DSL provider (operating over the MGTS fixed incumbent, and effective residential DSL monopolist) saw a fivefold increase in ADSL subscriptions from 4,000 to 20,000 in the first eight months of 2004.
Although xDSL is now being fully promoted to consumers, the residential sector is dominated at present by the informal 'Home Networks' which use Ethernet LANs to link up buildings, housing developments and sometimes whole neighbourhoods to 'broadband' access (2 Mbps up to the buildings is considered the average by local observers). These operators account for some 75% residential users, or some 550,000 by end 2004, connected households throughout Russia, according to analysts. They are generally very low cost. These informal networks are expected to dominate for perhaps a further two years until DSL is more widespread. During this period the larger telcos are expected to try to buy up the small Home LAN companies and cooperatives. Such operators have during 2004 reduced prices by up to 2 or 3 times in some cases. Pricing is uniformly based on per volume charging models, with most packages offering a bundled download allowance, with a per MB additional charge.
The incumbent fixed operators MGTS in Moscow and seven 'mega-operators' in Russia's regions control DSL infrastructure, and new services are being offered in numerous larger cities. Several report very high growth in take-up for internet services, including new broadband services, though numbers for residential DSL services are still barely into four figures in regional centres. Alternative operators offering residential services use incumbent DSL infrastructure, but there are several companies, such as Golden Telecom which operate their own infrastructure serving corporate networks in the larger cities. One estimate says 80% of all office internet connections are broadband (mainly defined as 'permanent connection' since the speed is often adversely affected by the pressure of usage within a building (ie a single corporate subscription).
In the corporate DSL sector there has been consolidation among leading alternative providers. Key players providing dedicated data access to the corporate segment are engaged in a series of ongoing consolidations. The Moscow based Sistema (including MGTS) grouping has brought together three formerly separate operatons - MTU-Inform, Telmos and Comstar - to form the new Comstar-UTS (United TeleSystems) with its ADSL offerings aimed at SMEs, as well as at larger corporate bodies.The main alternative provider of fixed and data services in Russia, Golden Telecom, has also merged two previously separate providers: Combellga and Sovintel.
The Russian government's plans to privatise Svyazinvest (the state telecoms holding company that controls the seven regional telcos) in 2005 is likely to have an impact on broadband development, according to financial analysts. Regional telcos, at present controlled by Svyazinvest, are keen to build their attractiveness for future services and broadband is seen as a key plank in such a policy, as growth in fixed line buinsess is likely to plateau or decline in competition with the vigorous mobile sector ..... more follows"
