Russia's Tax Service to Spend $1.07B Rubles on IP Telephony for Dubna and Gorodets Data Centers

Scope of the Modernization

Russia's Federal Tax Service (FNS) has announced a modernization of the hardware-software systems powering its departmental phone network, located at the Dubna and Gorodets data centers. The project budget is set at 1.069 billion rubles. A contractor is expected to be chosen on October 20, 2026, through electronic auction No. 0337100017726000177. The overall implementation period runs from October 2026 to June 2027.

Goals and Technology Choices

In its technical specifications, the FNS laid out the modernization's core objectives. First, the agency wants to unify employee access to a single departmental telephone system, making internal and external communications more convenient. Second, it aims to improve call accessibility for taxpayers by organizing standardized employee groups across tax offices.

Additional benefits include cutting spending on public telephone services by introducing a unified outbound call routing system, and improving manageability of the departmental network through a single control hub. All of these solutions are built on IP telephony and VoIP technology.

Hardware and Software

The equipment list includes: • servers (several types) • switches (several types) • transceivers

Any foreign-made equipment must clear all customs and other procedures required under Russian law.

The required software covers operating systems and communications software. The FNS is asking for: • a communications platform supporting up to 1,000 simultaneous sessions • mobile client connectivity (smartphones, tablets) • connection of employee workstations from external networks via WebRTC • an "Audio and Video Chat" module scalable to 2,798 simultaneous participants across all chats • a unified communications platform with the ability to expand the add-on service package to more than 86,000 subscribers, with redundancy built in

A Project Timeline With Hard Deadlines

The work schedule is compressed and tightly regulated. The first phase includes:

By November 20, 2026: • planning the work and drafting and approving a production plan — no more than 60 calendar days from the signing of the state contract • delivering equipment and transferring non-exclusive software usage rights — no more than 60 calendar days • installing and mounting equipment — no more than 20 calendar days • developing a program and methodology for preliminary testing

Second phase (by June 20, 2027): • migrating the departmental network's telephony services to the upgraded platform for subscribers connected to the network core • conducting acceptance testing

The project reflects the FNS's comprehensive approach to modernizing its communications infrastructure, aiming to boost efficiency for both agency staff and taxpayers.