Domestic online stores have opposed the pre-installation of applications on smartphones, as they believe it contradicts the basic principles of competition and supports specific marketplaces rather than domestic developers. ACIT (Association of companies that form more than 60% of the Russian online commerce market) sent a corresponding letter to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, writes RBC.

"The draft decree contradicts basic principles of competition, as it creates artificial preferences for a single player," the letter reads.

The association said that the share of foreign companies in the market of online commerce in our country does not exceed 14%, and foreign applications are pre-installed on smartphones on a commercial, not gratuitous basis.

Therefore, according to ACIT, the decision of the Russian authorities does not solve the problem of supporting domestic companies against foreign competitors, but only helps a particular marketplace. "The prescription is actually a financial measure of support for marketing expenses for a particular business entity," follows from the letter.

Since this spring, manufacturers have been required to pre-install domestic software on gadgets imported into the Russian Federation. At the moment, the government is considering a decree that will make it mandatory to pre-install software for the purchase of goods from marketplaces. Manufacturers will be required to pre-install the application of a single company or two companies if the difference between the number of users of their mobile applications is less than 5%.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Ksenia Gustova