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4.8-4.99 GHz band for 5G development instead, a proposal that Russian carriers are not happy about. According to Vedomosti, the main challenges include higher costs to develop networks, fewer choices for equipment and potential interference in some border regions, as a number of militaries in neighboring countries use the 4.8-4.99 GHz frequency bands.
Russian sanitary standards will increase the cost of building a 5G network five to six times​. In terms of the number of problems, the launch of the 5G standard in Russia is ahead of all previous upgrades of the cellular network combined. Sanitary standards have now been added to the traditional problems of the FSB - due to strict SanPiNs, Russia will have to use several times more base stations than in the United States and Europe, and this will increase the cost of building a network five to six times, Vedomosti found out. The problems for the construction of a 5G network due to Russian sanitary standards were announced by the international association of telecom operators GSMA. According to the current sanitary rules and regulations (SanPiN), the level of exposure to radiation from cellular networks in residential areas at frequencies above 2 GHz should not exceed 0.1 W per 1 sq. m. To comply with this standard, Russian mobile operators will have to install less powerful base stations in cities, which means they will have to build 5 times more than to cover a similar zone in Western countries.
9.1.9 ​Tourism sector news
Sales of Russian hotels in October decreased by 60%, according to a study by the OFD Platform IT company, which​ processes 44mn checks daily from 1mn online cash desks in the country, ​TASS​ reported. According to analysts, for the period of October 1-20, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, the sales volume in hotels fell by 60% year-on-year. The average purchase check (including prepayment and additional hotel services) amounted to 3,395 rubles ($43.02), which is 6% lower than last year. In September, sales were 41% below last year’s level. The average purchase receipt was 3,490 rubles ($44.22) – 9% lower than last year.
9.1.10 ​Utilities sector news
Rosatom ​plans updating the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) design so that it will be capable to operate in Arctic or in tropical zones, ​First Deputy CEO of the Russian state-run corporation Kirill Komarov says at a press conference on Friday, ​TASS ​informs. “We are currently working on a new project, where we want to optimize this floating power plant,” the top manager says.
114 ​RUSSIA Country Report​ December 2020 www.intellinews.com