TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Transportation complex plays an important role in the development of the republic’s economy.
Mordovia has a favourable transportation and geographical position at the crossroads of important railroads connecting the Centre with the Urals and Siberia, the North with the Volga Region. Operational length of rail-roads makes 546 km.
The net of general use automobile roads is also an important element of transport infra-structure. Such automobile roads as Moscow – Chelyabinsk (M5), Moscow – Ryazan – Samara – Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod – Saransk – Penza – Saratov are located in the territory of the republic. The length of automobile roads makes more than 5 thousand km.
Transportation branch of the republic operates substantially and efficiently. Among the regions of the Volga Federal District automobile transport of the republic occupies the third place among the fourteen regions according to growth dynamics of goods traffic volumes in all branches of economy and the third place in specialized enterprises and individual entrepreneurs. The share of auto enterprises is 37 % in general volume of goods traffic. Approximately 243 thousand passengers are daily transported by passenger, auto bus and city electric transport.
The airport of the republic provides passengers, post and urgent cargo transportation. Landing strip is capable of receiving all types of air-crafts.

Branch of OJSC “VolgaTelecom” in the Republic of Mordovia has modern infrastructure of communication means. It allows to offer services of international, inter-city, local and inter-zoned telephone communication, telegraph communication, data transfer, access to high-speed Internet and digital television and radio for economic entities and residents of the republic.
Digital electronic stations as well as centres of data transfer network with the capacity of 1 Gbyte/sec operate in all district centres of Mordovia. All municipal districts of the republic are connected by fibre-optic communication lines.
New ADSL technology allows getting high-speed access to Internet from a standard telephone number. Furthermore telephone line stays free for usage. This new modem technology transfers standard subscription analogue telephone lines into high-speed access lines.
Taking into account that rural residents make 40 % of the republic’s population much is done for the development and reconstruction of rural telephone communication net. Development of rural telephone communication is considered as one of conditions for complex development of the rural area. In this respect Government of the Republic of Mordovia adopted Republican Special Purpose Programmes “Development of telephone communication in the rural area in the Republic of Mordovia in 2002-2006” and “Social development of the rural area until 2010”. In 2007 transmission equipment at inter-station communication lines was modernized; as a result the number of digital channels increased.

First mobile operator started up in the Republic of Mordovia in 1998. Branches of three major all-Russian mobile operators such as “MTS”, “Megafon”, “Beeline” as well as “SMARTS” and “RTKOM” offer services in the republic and cover 100 % of its territory.
Mobile operator companies are active in the development of their network in the republic. It is especially relevant for district centres. This way rural residents can get an expert consultation and carry out any subscriber-based services in the territory of their district. A whole complex of services primarily aimed at uniting separate social groups on the basis of flexible rating system and service priorities is offered. Access to Internet on the basis of EDGE technology is available in the whole territory of radio coverage network. Thanks to this system subscribers can get access to Internet by using ordinary mobile phones as modems.
The Republic of Mordovia is one of the first regions in Russia to apply digital television. Presently all the districts of the republic are covered with digital television. Population is able to receive 24 TV- and 6 radio-channels.