Information technology and society: Issues of digital economy were discussed at the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects under the President of Russia

Under the chairmanship of Vladimir Putin in the suburban residence of Novo-Ogaryovo, a meeting of the Presidential Council on Strategic Development and Priority Projects was held.

The main topic of the meeting is the program "Digital Economy".

In his speech, the head of state said: "The digital economy is not a separate industry, in fact it is a way of life, a new basis for the development of the system of public administration, economy, business, social sphere, the whole society. And of course, the formation of the digital economy is a matter of national security and independence of Russia, the competitiveness of domestic companies, the country's positions on the world arena for the long term, in fact for decades to come.

I will note that in recent years, Russia has made significant progress in many areas of digital development. So, on the dynamics of the spread of broadband Internet and wireless networks, we are at the level of leading countries. According to Rosstat, from 2010 to 2016 the share of households with access to the Internet increased from 48.4 percent to 74.8 percent. The average speed of the Internet in Russia in 2016 increased by 29 percent, this is the level of France and Italy. And by early 2017 the Russian market of commercial data storage and processing centers had grown to 14.5 billion rubles.

Due to the high level of competence of our specialists in the IT field, domestic companies offer unique software solutions. They are used in a variety of areas, including the creation of so-called smart cities.

I would like to note here that our capital Moscow is one of the world leaders in the use of digital technologies in the modern urban infrastructure, ahead of such mega-cities as Toronto, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Barcelona and Sydney….

Based on the accumulated technological, intellectual potential, we are to implement a complex, complicated project. It is unprecedented in its scope, significance, impact on the life of the country and every individual. It is really compared with those breakthrough reforms that allowed Russia to take a serious step forward at different historical stages, to strengthen its position in the world; in their row the construction of railways in the late XIX century or the electrification of the country in the first half of the 20th century. Now our first priority is to create an effective mechanism to promote this significant project".