Rostelecom, the national telecom operator, announced the purchase of a 51% stake in a Russian company called KorKlass. The seller was Forpost, another domestic company owned by Anton Cherepennikov. The telecom operator opted not to disclose the deal’s value.

KorKlass owns and develops a platform that enables the creation of a special hardware and software complex called “Safe City.” Following the transaction the national operator now expects to boost its competencies in ensuring multi-strata public security and environmental safety.

The KorKlass products include data analysis centers to monitor Russian regions, tools to develop environmental monitoring solutions, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions as part of broader smart city concepts.

The solutions have already been implemented in a number of Russian regions, including Arkhangelsk (Northwest Russia), Tyumen (West Siberia), Vologda (some 700km north of Moscow), Sverdlovsk (Central Urals), and the Republic of Altay (South Siberia). Another region to host the key components of the Safe City system will soon be the Irkutsk region by Lake Baikal where KorKlass is doing hydrochemical monitoring of the lake in partnership with Rostec, the huge umbrella for many Russian government-owned technology companies.