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The Internet has steadily come into the life of many Russians. In Moscow alone 42% of adult population have access to the world web. However, the capital city is the greatest Internet user in the country. The figures for the rest of Russia are lower. Only 14% of Russians use the Internet in their everyday life.

Of course, in relative numbers Russia is far behind the other countries in what regards the development of the Internet. For example, in Sweden 74% of adult population is connected to the world web, in the Netherlands 73%, in Australia 72%, in the U.S. 59%, even in Poland and Turkey 24% and 17% respectively. Nevertheless, these figures, which at first sight seem to be modest, in reality represent 20 million Russians who get information from the Internet.

Along with the Internet, new culture and new entertainments are gradually coming into the life of Russians. As the information transfer technologies were developing, it became possible to use not only the electronic mail or ICQ. Today it is possible to download films, music, games from the world web while sitting at home or in the office. People join service clubs, make their own Internet pages, and keep personal diaries.

Of course, the Internet did not become so widely used all at once. The year 1990 is considered to be the birthday of the Russian segment in the world web. For the small number of users at that time the Internet was only the dark screen of the monitor with endlessly running figures and special symbols. One could not use the Internet without special training.

Russia has gone far in the last 16 years. New software has emerged, which simplified access to the Internet. New technologies have appeared. But only when dial up was replaced with ADSL data transfer technology, a revolution happened in the Russian segment of the world web: it became more democratic, and the number of active users rose sharply. It is not surprising. ADSL technology makes it possible to transfer data from computer to computer using ordinary telephone lines. Moreover, transfer speed increased tenfold. It is easy to get connected to the Internet using the new technology. It is necessary to buy a small special adapter block, which is called a modem only by force of habit.

At the same time this technology dealt a blow to tariffs. For example, a rather big file of 1 MB can be downloaded within a minute, you do not have to do it all night. Subscription fee is charged monthly, and not per volume of material downloaded. Moreover, the telephone line is not busy.

Moreover, Russians have received access to Internet television. But this technology is still new for Russia. Only in Moscow and St. Petersburg more than 50% of Internet users use the new technology. On the whole, the share of technologies similar to ADSL throughout Russia is a little more than 20%. The Russian hinterland is still trying to exchange information via modem connections of dial up type. Meanwhile, the modern site developers are beginning to use flash animation, in particular making advertising banners. It is impossible to enjoy these innovations if you try to download an Internet page using traditional connection.

However, most regional enterprises are ready to connect local inhabitants to the Internet using modern technologies. Moreover, there is an alternative way of connecting to the Internet - with the help of satellite TV antennas. This technology provides even more opportunities for Russians. But in all cases the tariff is the main obstacle limiting access to the Internet in the Russian hinterland. The average price of such services in the Russian hinterland is about 2,000 rubles per month. For reference, in Moscow a similar service is provided for $20.

Nevertheless, the Internet is becoming more and more popular in Russia. The year 2005 has witnessed a record high number of deals on the Russian telecommunications market. And the year 2006 is promising new achievements. The Russian IT segment is growing at an average rate of 15-20% per year. According to the forecasts of analysts, by the end of 2006 the number of home computers in Russia will increase by another 2.5 million pieces. And the Russian modern user is not interested in a computer without access to the Internet.

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