Digital Development Ministry to launch marketplace for Russian software in May - minister

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) - The Russian Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media Ministry is planning to launch the initial version of a Russian software marketplace in May, Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media Minister Maksut Shadayev said at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy.

"We've already begun restructuring our Russian software register, making it a fully-fledged marketplace. We wanted to do it at the end of the year. Obviously, it will have to be launched significantly earlier. We hope that we'll be able to launch the first version of such a marketplace in May," Shadayev said.

The marketplace will have a search function for software, comparisons with foreign analogues, and customer reviews stating the pros and cons of the product, he said.

There is now the ability to start co-financing the costs of online promotion of Russian products, Shadayev said. "First of all, thanks to the law on social advertising, there is now the ability to have a quota for free promotion of Russian products. Second of all, we have resources allocated for co-financing the costs of online promotion of Russian software programs, which is also very important," he said.