Russians bring net to distant regions

Connecting Russian schools to the Internet cannot be easy in a country as large as Russia, but that is the mandate of the national project simply called "Education", reports the Itar-Tass News Agency

Connecting Russan schools, especially in extremely remote areas, has exceeded expectations, according to the Ministry of Communications. Thus far, over 28,700 schools have been connected to the Internet in Russia - 1,420 more than was planned. That's over eight million students with access to the Internet.

"Despite a harsh climate, work to provide connection in the Kamchatka region, the Koryak and Chukotka Autonomous Areas is proceeding ahead of schedule," the ministry's press service on Wednesday.

Seventy percent of secondary schools are connected via VSAT satellite due to being located in rural and hard-to-access areas.

According to Deputy Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister Boris Antonyuk, the "Education" project provides the first two years of connectivity for free. Schools that don't need satellite hook-ups will have broadband, said First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Two years ago, only 5 percent of Russan schools were connected to the Internet.

"Then we looked at it from a different side and decided to develop the Internet itself. This is how the idea of unlimited access to it for all schools came by," he added.

Medvedev said half of 50,000 Russian schools have broadband access to the Internet. "By the end of the year all schools will be connected to the Internet," he said.