As of 2014, phones with only GPS will be illegal in Russia, Moskovskiy Komsomolets writes. In order to be imported into the country, mobile devices will have to support GLONASS - satellite navigation system, developed in Russia.

A new bill claims that in order to guarantee stable operation of a unified telecom network in Russia regardless of conditions it's necessary that the satnav system used by devices on its territory was controlled by the Russian Federation.

The daily also notes that creation of conditions for effective use of GLONASS by all cellphones in Russia is one of priorities of the development of the system. Thus, new requirements for mobile devices with satellite navigation capabilities are soon to follow.

The bill's authors note that after the bill is adopted, its requirements will cover all manufacturers and vendors of cellphones, making it impossible to cell a mobile device without GLONASS support on the territory of the country: the Telecom Ministry and industry watchdog Roskomnadzor will oversee the changes.

Source: Voice of Russia