Internet access fees in Russia’s regions have fallen by 30-60% in one year, according to a study by Yandex, the leading Russian search engine. The lowest prices are in the Urals Federal District, while the most expensive network access remains in the Far East.
Despite falling prices, Internet penetration rates in the regions are still significantly lower than in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Average broadband access fees range from 936 rubles in the Far-East Federal District (down 36% from the previous year) to 167 rubles in the Urals Federal District (down 48% from the previous year), with a national average of 356 rubles per 1 Mbit per month.
According to TNS Gallup, in January 2011, in Russian cities of 100,000 inhabitants or more, an average of 65% of Russian Internet users twelve years old or older used broadband Internet connections from home, with 70% in Moscow, 71% in St. Petersburg and 81% in Yekaterinburg.
Interesting broadband data have also been made available recently by AC&M, a Russian management consulting and research agency specializing in telecommunications and media.
