The number of Russian mobile OS is increasing, but they are unlikely to break through beyond the public and business sectors.

Russia’s mobile operating system market is demonstrating a robust growth pattern as several domestic operating systems have emerged over the recent years. A mix of established technology companies such as Rostelecom and Kaspersky Lab as well as budding startups have ventured into this realm.

The motivation behind these endeavors is a desire to diminish reliance on foreign solutions and provide a high level of security and data privacy. Notable players in this market include Rostelecom, Kaspersky Lab, Red Soft, Yadro, GK ‘Astra,’ and NTC IT ROSA, reports Kommersant.

Noteworthy products include ‘Aurora,’ a mobile OS based on the Finnish Sailfish OS. Initially designed for the public sector, the Ministry of Industry and Trade now recommends ‘Aurora’ for integration by Russian smartphone manufacturers. Another prominent OS is KasperskyOS, designed for the corporate sector with a robust cybersecurity infrastructure.

In 2023, NTC IT ROSA and 65apps studio introduced ROSA Mobile to the market. This Linux-based OS incorporates proprietary drivers for hardware components, thereby enhancing its safety profile. Other Linux-based systems include Red Soft’s ‘Red OS’ and GK ‘Astra’s’ Astra Linux Mobil. Yadro designed Kvadra OS, based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

Although these domestic mobile OSs are growing, they have not achieved mass-market competition with Android and iOS, mainly due to a limited number of compatible devices and a shortage of adapted applications. Nevertheless, they find success in niche sectors such as governmental entities and classified enterprises where security is a prime concern.

As noted by ‘Kommersant,’ limited resources and specialist shortages pose major barriers for competition with foreign OSs. Building a fully functional OS requires a large team of developers, designers, analysts, testers, among others. Budgets for developing a mobile OS in Russia can start from 1 billion rubles.

Yet, Russian mobile OSs demonstrate promising prospects due to unique security features. “For instance, ‘Aurora’ allows the complete deployment of its solutions within the customer’s security perimeter. Thus, all push notifications and apps installed by the user are within this domain. Even Android and iOS do not offer this functionality,” explains mobile developer Alexey Gladkov.

According to Konstantin Negachev, co-founder of the VRT group of companies, for Russian projects to successfully compete with Android and iOS, a compelling application ecosystem is necessary. The Chinese HarmonyOS from Huawei exemplifies this approach by constructing a brand-new ecosystem and maintaining a robust development trajectory.