Ericsson and Nokia, which together account for a large share of the telecoms equipment market and close to 50% in terms of base stations in Russia, make everything from the telecom antennas to the hardware that connects optical fiber carrying digital signals.Maksut Shadaev, minister of communications and mass media, said earlier this week that four telecoms operators were signing contracts to spend more than 100 billion roubles ($1.45 billion) on Russian-made equipment.Rural areas will start breaking down first as operators remove equipment to bolster urban networks, the telecoms experts said, while a lack of software updates may lead to network outages, or expose them to cyber attacks.Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei, the biggest vendor in Russia last year with more than a third of the market, will continue to provide software updates and continue maintenance work, but has stopped selling new equipment in Russia, according to sources familiar with the matter.Software unifies a range of equipment that makes up a telecom network, converts analogue and digital signals; monitors and optimizes network traffic; and protects infrastructure against cyber attacks."