Identification of Critical Telecommunications Infrastructure in Russia: A Geographical Approach

Abstract

There are no approaches to identifying critical telecommunications infrastructure based on the concepts of human geography. The aim of our study is to develop such an approach and to test it using the example of the united fiber-optic network of the Russian Federation. The theoretical basis of the approach is the concept of economic and geographical location and its expansion in the form of infocommunication and geographical location. This makes it possible to estimate the position of any critical element through the parameters of the network formed by this element. In this context, critical telecommunications infrastructure are nodes and communication lines which, if disconnected, lead to the subsequent disconnection of other nodes and lines. It is proposed to distinguish between ordinary, critical, critically dependent, and dependent nodes, as well as ordinary and critical lines. The methodical basis of the approach is the author’s algorithm for identifying critical nodes. The initial information is taken from the author’s database on domestic telecommunication lines and Rosstat data on the population of Russian cities as of January 1, 2022. A total of 1111 out of 1117 cities are considered, since six cities are not connected to the united Russian fiber-optic network. The implementation of the geographical approach makes it possible to detect more than 100 critical nodes (cities). The characteristics of the ten most critical nodes are given. The distribution of the number and population of cities across four types of nodes and federal districts of Russia has been carried out. It is established that most of the critical lines are laid to small towns. The results are discussed from the standpoint of research limitations, the simulation of simultaneous disconnection of several critical elements, and recommendations for laying new telecommunication lines. The practical significance of the results may be related to the development of telecommunication measures to improve the stability of the fiber-optic network. Three directions of further research are proposed.