New BRICS IT products to change situation in this sector

The cooperative development of IT products by the BRICS countries could change the balance of power in this area, Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov told the delegates at the opening ceremony of the 7th International IT Forum in Khanty-Mansiysk. "In the next three years, five years at the most, we'll see the first serious changes in the global IT landscape, and we'll see brand new software products, made jointly by the BRICS countries, on the member states' market as well," Mr Nikiforov said, adding that participants in the upcoming Ufa Annual Summit of the BRICS countries would also discuss this issue.

He said a joint BRICS countries policy to develop international system software, databases, server and mobile operating systems would help to achieve this goal. There are plans to chart this policy during the annual meetings of BRICS IT ministers. Mr Nikiforov also said this initiative had to be reassessed in the context of growing threats and the need to ensure information security.

The sufficiently large BRICS market can help leading IT companies pay their own way by ensuring demand for their products. He also believes that the population of the BRICS countries would soon account for 50 percent of the global Internet market and IT users.

The Minister believes that the de-monopolisation of the IT ecosystem should be discussed at the BRICS and SCO Summits in Ufa. Today basically all countries are using software and key technologies from just one country and a handful of companies. "Monopolies are always bad, but the issue of a national system software is also troublesome. No single country should become self-sufficient in terms of its technological development, and international products are always essential," Mr Nikiforov added.

In conclusion, Mr Nikiforov noted that the BRICS ministers of communications and IT would meet throughout 2015, followed by meetings of experts from leading IT companies.