Rostelecom, the Russian state-owned telecommunications company, has expressed concerns over possible legal risks in developing the National Mobile Operational System (OS) based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). According to sources cited by Kommersant, Rostelecom is worried about legal infringement due to the use of AOSP, which is an open-source operating system. AOSP does not include Google mobile services (GMS), cloud services and popular applications that are available only under a Google license.
The Open Mobile Platform Company, owned by Rostelecom, develops Aurora OS and AOSP, although the latter system platform is absent. The cost of creating a national mobile ecosystem on the Aurora OS is estimated at 480 billion rubles.
Rostelecom has commissioned an American law firm to assess the legal risks of creating a “Russian Android” and its applications. The law firm confirmed the presence of risks. The issue of risks was discussed during a recent meeting that included representatives from Sber, Yandex, Rostelecom and Astra Group of Companies, according to a source close to the Ministry of Cyphra.
Despite the risks, the Russian Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO) is considering AOSP as the optimal choice to develop a version of “Russian Android”. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized that the companies, together with ANO Digital Economy, are exploring and discussing different possibilities, but no specific decisions have been made yet.