February 2 10:53
In December 2025, Rostelecom, as part of the second stage of the federal project for eliminating the digital divide (UCN 2.0), launched two base stations in the village of Dikson, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Thanks to this, residents of the country’s northernmost settlement now have stable mobile communications and the Internet.
Dikson is located above the Arctic Circle, on the Taimyr Peninsula on the shores of the Kara Sea. It is located 500 km north of Norilsk and 2,500 km north of Krasnoyarsk. The village is divided by a strait into mainland and island parts. In winter, you can move between them by ice crossing, in summer – by boat, and in spring and autumn – only by helicopter. The harsh Arctic climate, with winter temperatures below 40 °C and polar nights lasting several months, complicates the life of residents and the development of infrastructure in Dikson.
“This is a complex and unique project, implemented taking into account Arctic conditions. We have built 2G and 4G base stations on the Dixon mainland and islands to ensure maximum coverage. We connected them via a satellite channel, since laying terrestrial communication lines there is not yet possible,” said Alexey Usatov, director of the Krasnoyarsk branch of Rostelecom.
Previously, the village had a radio station, a hydrometeorological station and a sea port, which made it an important center for scientific research and transport logistics in the Arctic. Today the population is just over 300 people.
In order for Dixon residents to have communications by the New Year, network equipment and materials for the construction of base stations were delivered during the navigation period on cargo ships along the Yenisei.
“On the mainland, the equipment was installed on the existing antenna mast structure of the Regional Radio and Television Transmission Center – this became the optimal technical solution. On an island that lacked the necessary infrastructure, we built a new telecommunications tower. Two teams of specialists worked on the project: one was engaged in construction and installation work, the other carried out commissioning. It was a challenge for our team, but we successfully completed it,” said Evgeny Sintishevsky, deputy technical director of the Krasnoyarsk branch of Rostelecom.
“The emergence of modern communication services in Dikson is a great achievement, which became possible thanks to the national project “Data Economy”. Now residents of the village can use stable mobile communications and the Internet. As part of federal and regional programs, we will continue to develop the digital framework in the northern territories of the region,” emphasized Nikolai Raspopin, Minister of Digital Development of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
The list of settlements where base stations according to UCN 2.0 are installed is determined by the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia on the basis of an open vote, which is also held on the State Services portal. You can view the full list of settlements connected under the project on the Rostelecom website.
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