Sales of pagers and paper maps rise in Moscow due to internet outages

Residents of Moscow have begun buying pagers, handheld radios, landline phones, road maps and foldable paper maps following internet outages in early March.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: According to data from Wildberries, one of Russia's largest online retailers, sales of handheld radios are up 27% compared with early February, sales of landline phones have increased by 25%, and pager sales have soared by 73%.

Sales of paper road maps saw the sharpest increase – 170%. Foldable maps were purchased 70% more often.

Background:

• Mobile internet has been switched off in Moscow since 5 March. Local mobile operators said the disruptions have been caused by "external restrictions" beyond their control.
• The internet outages in Moscow have caused losses of RUB 3-5 billion (about US$38-63 million), or around RUB 41 million (US$510,000) per hour.

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