Digital Twin Created for Moscow's Telecommunications Infrastructure
Moscow has deployed a digital twin of its telecommunications infrastructure through a joint project by the Interindustry Production and Technical Center and ARGUS Research and Technology Center. The initiative creates a unified digital environment for managing one of the city's largest communications infrastructure networks.
Russia is expanding the use of digital twins to improve the management of infrastructure across multiple industries. At the same time, the scale of these projects continues to grow. Increasingly, digital twins are moving beyond isolated deployments to encompass entire layers of critical infrastructure.
Russian Software Takes Priority
The Interindustry Production and Technical Center (ANO MPTTs) and ARGUS Research and Technology Center joined forces to create a digital twin of Moscow's telecommunications infrastructure. Together, they established a unified technology environment for asset inventory, operations and commercial management covering the city's cable infrastructure and cable network facilities.
"Our objective was to improve data accuracy, move to comprehensive infrastructure analysis within a single environment and accelerate decision-making. When selecting a platform, we evaluated not only functionality but also technological maturity, including Russian software origin, proven industrial deployment, web-based access without installing software on employee workstations, scalability and the quality of technical support. Among the solutions available on the market, ARGUS NRI was the one that met these requirements," said Viktor Durygin, IT Director of ANO MPTTs.
One of the project's primary objectives was to consolidate information that had previously been stored across multiple asset management systems and spreadsheets. Specialists from ARGUS Research and Technology Center migrated and structured the data, creating a unified database of infrastructure assets together with all related documentation.
Clearly Defined Operational Workflows
Today, the ARGUS NRI platform reflects the current status of ANO MPTTs' cable duct infrastructure, aerial cable support systems, cable networks and telecommunications facilities. The digital twin covers more than one million meters of company-owned cable infrastructure and over 2.5 million meters of leased assets. Personnel now interact with infrastructure through a virtual map. Different user groups are assigned different access privileges, allowing everyone to work within the same digital environment while using only the functions required for their responsibilities.
Another major focus of the project was developing tools for field personnel. Maintenance crews now receive work orders linked to specific infrastructure assets, use digital versions of technical documents and record completed work and photographic evidence directly from the field.
Potential Beyond Moscow
The project has significance well beyond a single city. It demonstrates not only the creation of a digital twin for a large-scale telecommunications infrastructure network but also the ability to build such a system entirely on Russian software. Similar approaches could be adopted in other major Russian cities, improving both the efficiency and transparency of infrastructure management.
It is also worth noting that the development of digital twins for urban infrastructure in Russia began several years ago. In 2024, Rostelecom upgraded the public lighting system in Nakhodka by installing 4,400 new energy-efficient LED luminaires and 95 outdoor lighting control cabinets. All of those assets were integrated into a single information system.
A Digital Twin for an Entire Region
In 2025, one of Russia's national telecommunications operators announced the deployment of a "digital twin of a region" in the Perm Territory. The project consolidated large volumes of data on a single platform, combining geographic information systems, artificial intelligence, streaming analytics and data exchange technologies for remote monitoring and control. That enabled regional and municipal authorities to significantly improve oversight of infrastructure assets across their jurisdictions.
Looking ahead, digital twin projects are expected to expand further in both scale and complexity. Russia is building practical expertise in infrastructure digitalization that could also find applications beyond its borders, particularly in CIS countries, the Eurasian Economic Union, Central Asia, the Middle East and other markets where urban telecommunications infrastructure is expanding and demand exists for technology solutions independent of Western suppliers.
