VimpelCom boosts number of cities with 5G to 17 by launching network in 13 additional locations

MOSCOW. Nov 5 (Interfax) - PJSC VimpelCom , operating under the Beeline brand, has launched a 5G network in 13 additional Russian cities, namely in Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk, Kursk, Tula, Kostroma, Stavropol, Nalchik, Kazan, Ufa, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Gorno-Altaysk and Vladivostok, the company said.

VimpelCom's press service told Interfax that the operator's 5G network is now active in 17 cities.

VimpelCom previously carried out extensive infrastructure preparations for the rollout of 5G technology in Russia, including an upgrade to its network core. This enabled the use of existing equipment for 5G services within the available frequency spectrum. Furthermore, the company is working to expand the range of compatible user devices.

"The number of Beeline customers using 5G has grown by 24% since the launch [of 5G technology]," VimpelCom CEO Sergei Anokhin said.

The Big Four mobile operators have been granted the authority to deploy 5G networks starting in September 2026, following a decision by the State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF). This allows them to roll out such networks using the radio frequencies they already hold, which were previously allocated for the 4G LTE standard. Furthermore, the SCRF has decided to allocate a 90 MHz frequency band within the 4.63-4.99 GHz range to each of the operators, without the need for an auction.

VimpelCom in September projected that the 5G market in Russia would reach 35-45 billion rubles by 2027, with 80% of revenue expected to come from B2B clients.