Speaking at a board meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the first reading of the new draft law On Postal Communications would take place this year in the State Duma. The draft law has been submitted to the Government, and is currently being finalised by the Government Executive Office, Mr Dvorkovich said, adding that the draft will be further reviewed at the Presidential State Legal Directorate.
The adoption of this law will help restructure the Russian Post, establish a modern corporate governance system, and open up new opportunities for the organisation, said the Deputy Prime Minister. He also stressed the importance of improving the quality of regular postal services. As a first priority, the organisation needs to streamline its operations and clear up the backlog that has accumulated in recent months, Mr Dvorkovich stressed.
He also said that the opportunity to retain mobile numbers when changing mobile service providers will be available by no later than the first half of 2014.
Summing up the performance of the telecommunications industry in 2012, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the industry's growth rate was 5%, which is higher than in most sectors of the Russian economy. Communications, the mass media and information technology are among the main drivers of economic growth in the country and contribute to improving the quality of public governance, Mr Dvorkovich stressed.
