YAKUTSK, June 10. /TASS/. Russia's major telecommunications infrastructure project, Arctic Synergy, will come to 25 settlements in Yakutia in 2027 and to 28 settlements in 2028, Yakutia's Minister of Innovation, Digital Development and Information and Communication Pyotr Nikolaev told TASS.
On November 28, 2025, during the Digital Diamond federal forum, Yakutia launched Russia's biggest telecommunications infrastructure project - Arctic Synergy. The ceremony featured Russia's Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadaev and Yakutia's Governor Aisen Nikolaev. The Arktiktelecom regional telecom operator is implementing the project.
"In 2026, fiber-optic communication lines will be installed in eight settlements, in 2027 - in 25, and in 2028 - in 28. By the end of 2028, about 50,000 residents in the region's 61 settlements will be connected to the fiber-optic communications line," the minister said.
Work on the project continues as planned, Arktiktelecom's CEO Andrey Kolesnik said. "The key stage, being actively implemented now, to supply fiber‑optic cables for the entire project, will be completed by the end of 2026. This guarantees the continuity of construction and installation works. We have chosen main contractors for the 2026 facilities - they are local construction companies that know very well the specifics of work in Yakutia," he said.
Since 2012, more than 14,500 km of fiber-optic lines have been laid in Yakutia, and due to the Arctic Synergy project, the total length of cable lines in the region will exceed 20,000 km - half the length of the equator.
"The project's implementation is complicated by extreme conditions: permafrost, low temperatures, difficult terrain, and significant distances between settlements," Director of the Arctic Synergy Project at Arktiktelecom Victor Sergeev said. "The lack of year-round roads in many areas makes logistics extremely difficult, which is why we are paying special attention to detailed study and serious preparation for delivery of equipment and materials."
Access to the Internet
According to Yakutia's minister, the region's 93.53% residents - about 942,000 people - currently have access to the Internet via fiber-optic communication lines.
"This is one of the highest rates among the Far Eastern regions, taking into account our vast territory and difficult natural and climatic conditions," the minister noted. "Once the Arctic Synergy project is completed, the region's 97.85% users will have access to high-speed Internet connections. Due to the construction of new fiber-optic communication lines, more than 50,000 of the region's residents in the Arctic and remote regions will have access to modern digital services."
The Arctic Synergy project will offer using in the Arctic a full range of digital services. According to the regional authorities, the project is about the construction of communication lines, as well as about conditions where every resident in any location will be able to use modern digital products.