A media briefing with the participation of the Minister of Communications and Informatization of Belarus Konstantin Shulgan and heads of communication enterprises took place today in the capital.

The Minister summed up the industry`s work in 2023 and paid special attention to the prospects for further development of the ICT sector in Belarus.

Communication organizations shared the results of the year and presented digital projects to the journalists. Beltelecom presented the mobile application "My city", the “Video surveillance” service and other promising solutions.

Gennady Melnikov, the First Deputy Director General of RUE Beltelecom, spoke about the results the enterprise achieved.

RUE Beltelecom fulfilled all key indicators reflecting the development of the enterprise in 2023.

The main investments were directed to the implementation of projects within the State program “Digital Development of Belarus” for 2021–2025. More than 7,000 km of fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL) were built throughout the country in 2023. The total length of modern communication lines operated by Beltelecom was about 200 thousand kilometers. The construction of FOCL to small settlements with the number of households from 50 to 100 continued. 82% of such settlements are provided with a fiber-optic access. The enterprise plans to reach a figure of about 90% in 2024.

More than 130 thousand subscribers living in individual building and new apartment buildings received the technical ability to connect to GPON technology. The total number of GPON technology users reached 2.95 million. As of January 1, 2024 3.77 million subscribers were connected to multiservice networks.

The number of active subscribers of the broadband Internet access byfly was 2.5 million. The 2.5 millionth subscriber of the television ZALA was connected in May, more than 2.53 million viewers watch ZALA today. The one and a half millionth subscriber of the “YASNA” service packages was recorded in October, a tariff plan with the record Internet speeds of up to 500 Mbps appeared in the same month in the YASNA line.

One of the company`s priorities is the development of reliable and affordable communications in the most remote corners. Thanks to the mobile technology LTE Beltelecom connects modern services where there are objective difficulties with connecting fixed communication lines. About 2,300 households have already chosen the service package based on the fourth generation network.

The popularity of the “Video surveillance” service is growing. 50 thousand video cameras were installed last year, and their total number exceeded 150 thousand. More than 270 thousand subscribers of residential building and almost 10 thousand legal entities use the service. The demand for “Video surveillance” is increasing both among corporate clients and among the owners of city apartments and private houses.

The mobile application “My city”, which is jointly developed by the Ministry of Communications and Informatization and Beltelecom, already operates in 45 cities, including two regional centers – Mogilev and Vitebsk, another 18 cities are preparing for launch.

The unlimited Internet services, the “Business case” and “Video surveillance” service packages were still the most demanded in the business segment in 2023. Beltelecom actively created local area networks, connected a functional cloud PBX for its partners.

The network of electric charging stations Evika was developed. The first ECS under its own brand was presented in December 2022. For the first year the network reached 100 electric charging stations. Beltelecom will continue to install ECS in the capital and cities of Belarus in order to make charge accessible for all owners of electric vehicles.

The range of goods that Beltelecom subscribers can purchase in installments has increased significantly in 2023. Equipment is available on favourable terms in service centers, online store, as well as at branded points of sale.

The TV channel “YASNAe TV”, the founder of which is Beltelecom, confidently took a place in the top ten on the platform ZALA. The TV channel has been on air since 2019. It presented 12 of its own projects to the audience during this time.

The first popular science book “History of Telecommunications in Belarus” came out in 2023. For the first time, it presents previously unpublished facts, documents and photographs that have long been kept in archives, museums and private photo albums. The pages of the publication also reflect the memories of those who were a direct participant in many significant events for the industry.

A bright end to 2023 was the opening of flagship retail facility Beltelecom in the SC First National Trading House. It is planned to open the same comfortable and functional locations in all regional centers in 2024.

The number of services that Beltelecom offers to its subscribers is close to one hundred today. In 2024, the team’s attention will be focused on introducing innovations, modernizing and promoting services, improving networks, production infrastructure and other areas. In the Year of Quality, the enterprise sets the task of working at the same pace in order to meet the high standards worthy of a leading state telecommunications operator.

Two branches of Beltelecom – Minsk City Telephone Exchange and Long-Distance Communication – were added to the National Honor Roll in 2023. It is worth noting that MCTE has been awarded such a high state rating for the 10th time, and Long-Distance Communication for the fourth time.