Emergency promotion: wired radio broadcasting will be developed in Russia
Russia will retain wired radio broadcasting and continue to develop it. This is provided for by amendments to the Communications Industry Development Strategy prepared by the Ministry of Finance. Such a radio is necessary to alert the public in emergency situations. The ministry noted that this type of information is especially relevant for apartment buildings, where 70% of the country's population lives. Currently, wired radio is in little demand, but experts call it one of the cheapest and most reliable means of notification. It does not depend on external power supply, practically does not require investments and works on domestic equipment. In conditions of geopolitical uncertainty, this outdated communication technology may again be in demand, experts say.
Why do I need a wired radio broadcast?
The existing wired radio broadcasting networks in Russia provide not only the broadcast of three mandatory radio programs, but also serve as the technological basis for public notification and emergency information systems. We intend to maintain and develop such networks in the future. This follows from the draft updated Strategy for the development of the communications industry prepared by the Ministry of Finance.
"Given the high probability of maintaining a tense geopolitical situation for an indefinite period of time, a critical element of the fixed—line communications industry will be the preservation and development of wired radio broadcasting and notification networks, the performance of which does not depend on local power supply systems operating exclusively on the basis of domestic components and allowing maximum coverage of the population due to low cost," the draft says..
The proposal to include measures to preserve and develop PV networks in apartment buildings in the strategy was made by JSC Russian Broadcasting and Warning Networks (RSVO), the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia. About 70% of the Russian population lives in such houses, the ministry noted. The development and preservation of wired broadcasting provides additional coverage of communication services and alerts to residents of the MKD, they added.
—The advantages of PV are targeted signal delivery, energy independence, a high degree of protection from cyber attacks, and a ready—made technological basis for warning systems in the MCD," the department listed.
For the purposes of alerting and informing the public, it is necessary to use all existing communication networks: fixed, mobile radiotelephone (cellular), television, a wired radio broadcasting network, and so on, according to the AFRC. Compared to other communication networks, PV has a number of advantages due to its technical features, they explained.
Among them, the AFRC highlights energy independence and multiple redundancy of power supply, noise immunity, immunity to electromagnetic radiation, high resistance to cyber attacks of various levels and origin, as well as the relatively low cost of deployment. In Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol, wired broadcasting networks have not only been fully preserved, but also upgraded to take into account modern technologies and requirements for security and public notification. Their development and preservation makes it possible to additionally cover residents of apartment buildings with communication services and notification systems, the organization added.
The experts interviewed by Izvestia also consider the development of PV to be an urgent measure.
— The speaker in the apartment is powered by a line, not an outlet. If there is no light in the house, the cellular network is down and the phone is dead, the radio will still tell you what is happening. It can transmit more information than text messages," said Ilya Ilyinsky, NTI expert on technological development.
At the same time, the reliability of such an alert rests on the radio node. If there is no backup power and a shift on duty, the advantage disappears, the expert added.
The decision to keep wired radio broadcasting in the updated strategy for the development of the communications industry is a pragmatic step from the point of view of state security, says Igor Bederov, founder of the Internet Search company. Unlike cellular communications and the Internet, which can shut down during a blackout or network overload, the radio continues to work because it receives power via the same wire through which the signal is transmitted, he explained. If the mobile network is overloaded, it is precisely such radio and street sound warning systems that remain channels through which people can be warned of danger and helped to leave the danger zone, the expert added.
According to Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research, there are currently two wireline broadcasting operators operating in the country — RSVO and Rostelecom. The first one serves three federal cities — Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol, while Rostelecom serves the country's regions.
— The Russian Federation declares that it "covers the territory where more than 20 million people live and work." However, ten years ago, the former head of this state-owned enterprise admitted that there were only 3.1 million real subscribers to wired radio. This figure has obviously decreased over the past decade," Leonid Konik believes.
In turn, Rostelecom is gradually abandoning PV services, the expert added. Izvestia sent a request to this company.
How to return radios to apartments
The interviewed experts note that the subscriber base of wired radio broadcasting is decreasing in the regions. For example, in the Orel region, the number of radio stations decreased from 400,000 in 1990 to about 1,000 in 2025, Igor Bederov said. In Perm, the operator has about 2 thousand radio subscribers left — less than 1% of the city's population. According to the expert, this is due not only to the technological shift, but also to decades of underinvestment in the network.
— On the other hand, where the network has been preserved and is being upgraded, the demand does not disappear. And this is a normal model for a security infrastructure: it doesn't have to be in demand every day, but it must remain operational at a critical moment," he added.
According to the expert, the current stages of modernization at the level of individual operators cost tens of millions of rubles. Complex reconstruction with the replacement of equipment and the introduction of remote control already requires hundreds of millions of rubles, and in large agglomerations the costs can reach billions. For example, the Russian Federation has invested more than 1 billion rubles of its own funds in the modernization of its networks, says Igor Bederov.
The situation is complicated by the fact that for several years developers have not been required to install radio speakers in new homes, added Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. In his opinion, this problem can be solved at the local government level.: Theoretically, they can oblige developers to provide warning systems in residential buildings. Another option is to use alternative solutions to wired radio, such as smart intercoms connected to an alarm system.
At the same time, PV remains a profitable area in general. According to Igor Bederov's calculations, the population alone pays more than 1 billion rubles annually for this service. But there is also payment from organizations. Due to this, in St. Petersburg, for example, the revenue from PV is about 1.6 billion rubles.
According to Ilya Ilyinsky, persuasion alone will not bring the radios back to the apartments: people will not pay for a service that they do not use. The expert believes that it is more logical to make the notification free for residents, and to finance the costs of it within the framework of civil defense. It is necessary to stimulate the return of users by demonstrating the practical benefits of PV, Igor Bederov added.
Since Soviet times, wired radio broadcasting has been an essential element of the infrastructure of every home, including new buildings, Leonid Konik noted. It remains one of the main public notification channels along with outdoor loudspeakers.
— From the point of view of radio broadcasting, the wired format is really outdated. However, the government still considers such a radio to be one of the main notification channels. However, in practice, only a small part of the Russian population has access to it," Leonid Konik emphasized.
In the current conditions, when the reliability of emergency alerts is directly related to the preservation of human health and life, such a situation is at least criminal negligence, the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
