Russia's top mobile providers launch first commercial 5G networks in 16 cities
MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Russia's largest mobile service providers - Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) , Vimpelcom , MegaFon and T2 - have put their first 5G networks into commercial operation, the Digital Development Ministry reported.
In this first phase the 5G services have become available in 16 cities that are home to 10 million people.
All four providers have launched 5G networks in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The new service has also been launched in Novosibirsk and Kazan by MegaFon and MTS, in Samara by Vimpelcom and MegaFon; in Veliky Novgorod, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod and Tver by MegaFon; in Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Perm and Chelyabinsk by T2; in Ufa by MTS and in Yaroslavl by Vimpelcom.
All users with Android devices will soon be able to use 5G services in these cities. Access to 5G for iPhone users "depends on the decisions of the Apple corporation," the ministry said.
The rollout of 5G in Russia will involve the steady expansion of coverage, the ministry said. Work is underway on launching the technology in another 50 cities before the end of 2026.
Initially, 5G services will use frequencies that were previously allocated to providers for LTE networks. This will make it possible to increase network throughput capacity by 20-25%. In addition, providers received an equal amount of bands in the 4.63-4.99 GHz range free of charge, which will make it possible to preserve a high degree of competition among them and guarantee affordable rates, the ministry said.
Residents of another 50 Russian cities are expected to get access to 5G by the end of this year, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev said in the press release.
"Fast mobile Internet is needed by absolutely everyone today, always and everywhere. Fourth generation mobile communication networks already cover 90% of the whole populated area of our country, 95% of mobile communication subscribers use LTE services every day. Fifth generation networks provide significantly faster mobile services, which is particularly important for advanced urban users," Shadayev said.
Mobile internet traffic in Russia has more than tripled in the past six years, so the rollout of 5G is particularly important for large cities, the ministry said.
5G technology is a comprehensive ecosystem intended for the digital transformation of the economy. Its rollout will not only increase the speed of mobile Internet services - 5G networks can be used for digitalizing industrial enterprises, managing unmanned transport and robotic systems, developing telemedicine, operating smart city systems; connecting sensors, meters and other Internet of Things devices, and creating private process networks at industrial facilities.
