Mobile phone industry in Russia is a trade industry of cell phone devices and mobile network services in Russia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1991 it had seen a great expansion over the last decades becoming one of the largest in the world. In terms of number of smartphone users, Russia is the 4th biggest smartphone market in the world sitting behind only China, India, and USA. [1]
In 1963, USSR's first mobile phone network using the car phone came into operation. [2]
Initial selection of technological mobile standard in Russia had been left for market forces by issuing licenses for different standards. Later, regulatory authorities have developed stricter policy. However, there still exists a great variety of both analogue and digital standards. NMT standard was a first generation analogue mobile technology that still has footstep in Russia, employed by commercial mobile operators since the early 90s. [3]
Regional operators have deployed the GSM [4] networks in Russia since 1995, originally in the 900 MHz frequency band. GSM standard is dominating in Russian mobile market with small number of NMT-450, AMPS/DAMPS subscribers.
In 1994, a joint venture of Moscow City Telephone Network, T-Mobile and Siemens, which later became part of Mobile TeleSystems, offered Russia's first mobile phone service for the public in Moscow. [5] In the same year in June, VimpelCom also started Beeline mobile phone service. [6]
In 2002, MegaFon was formed to provide all-Russia service, amalgamating Sonic Duo of Moscow, Mobikom-Novosibirsk, and other companies. [7] In that year also, the number of mobile subscribers in Russia soared by 130% to 18mn, implying penetration of 12.3%, compared with 5.4% at the end of the previous year. The continued strong growth of the cellular subscriber base was largely due to the accelerating regional rollout of the major national cellular operators. In 2007, MegaFon started Russia's first 3G service in Saint Petersburg. [8]
Russian WiMAX operator Scartel (Yota brand), finished in 2010 its implementation of a trial LTE network in Kazan and plans to deploy LTE networks in Novosibirsk and Samara. In July 2010 Scartel received approval from regulator Roskomnadzor to abandon WiMAX for LTE, re-using its existing spectrum. the regulator had however previously insisted that the frequencies allocated to Scartel for WiMAX could not be used for other access types.
On the Amur Highway at the beginning of October 2011 MTS, Vimpelcom and Megaphone completed the construction of a joint network to provide mobile communication. Operators built across the highway 102 towers (of 140 towers) for base stations, 32 of which have launched MTS and "MegaFon" and 38 by VimpelCom, now Veon Ltd (due to the fact that it has only in the Far East 3G licenses, and in some regions of the Federation, GSM-1800).
The 2012 tender of the Ministry of Communications awarded licenses to deploy LTE networks in the lower (720–790 MHz, 791–862 MHz) and upper (2500–2690 MHz) bands to the "big 3" (Megafon, MTS and Veon) and to the national fixed-line operator Rostelecom. Each of the winners relies on two lanes wide in the upper range of 10 MHz and 7.5 MHz in the lower. The upper range of frequencies considered to be free and is suitable for deploying LTE. However, the lower, mostly occupied by the security forces and navigation and radar systems. [9]
On September of that year MTS launched the country's first TD-LTE network, using the TD-LTE spectrum in the 2595–2620 MHz band it secured in February. [10] Nokia Siemens had provided its Single Radio Access Network using energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Stations as well as its Liquid Core-based Evolved Packet Core platform.
In November 2013 Megafon began to provide the LTE network in the Republic of Kalmykia, the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the Altai Krai. The network was launched in major cities in the regions Elista, Noyabrsk, Novy Urengoy and Gorno-Altaisk. [11] On the same month Mobile phone retailer Svyaznoi started selling SIM cards under the Svyaznoi Mobile brand in November, becoming a new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), using MTS infrastructure. Interregional TransitTelekom said a month later that it also plans to launch an MVNO in April 2014 targeting migrant workers, offering low cost calls to Central Asian countries.
In December 2013, Minister of Communications, Nikolay Nikiforov recalled that in 2011 270 base stations of LTE were launched, in 2012 about 4,000, in 2013 10,000 and it is planned that in 2014–2015 more than 15 thousand such stations. [12] On the same month it was announced that the "biggest four", Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline and Megafon completed the construction of communication facilities in the areas of transport corridor "North – South" and "East – West", with a total length of more than 11 thousand km. Work was done to ensure that these routes support advanced cellular communication, and operators spent money under the federal program to improve road safety and implementation of the "Glonass Era". Objects were built on federal roads M5 Ural, M6 Caspian, M53, M55 Baikal and M60 Ussuri according to the press service of the Ministry of Communications of Russia. Costs for the construction of antenna towers were divided by the operators on an equal share, and the cost to provide power to the communication infrastructure undertaken by the state. [13] At the end of this month Scartel (Yota brand) launched LTE network in the cities of Cheboksary, Irkutsk, Kirov, Omsk, Penza, and Ulyanovsk. [14]
There are four nationwide mobile phone service providers who possess 2G and 3G licenses in every region of Russia (so called Big-4):
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS, in Russian : МТС; Мобильные ТелеСистемы), 51% owned by AFK Sistema, provides mobile phone service, using 2G GSM technology, 3G service, using W-CDMA technology. It also provides fixed broadband services and fixed-line telephony services (in Moscow via its 99% subsidiary MGTS).
As of June 2012, MTS was the biggest mobile operator in Russia in terms of subscriber base with 69.6 mln subscribers (31% market share). It also had 35,7 mln subscribers in several CIS-countries, including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus. [15] As of January 2012, MTS had 2.1 mln residential fixed broadband subscribers (11% market share) being the biggest player on the Moscow market (940,000 subscribers, or 27% market share). [16]
Veon Ltd (fully incorporated in Bermuda) provides mobile services under Beeline brand, using 2G GSM and 3G (W-CDMA) technologies. In April 2011, Veon closed the combination with Wind Telecom and turned into a global carrier operating in roughly 20 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Italy (Wind), Algeria (Djezzy), CIS countries and other.
As of June 2012 it had 55.7 mln subscribers in Russia (24% market share in terms of subscribers) [15] and over 209 mln subscribers worldwide. [17]
MegaFon (in Russian : МегаФон) is owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. The company provides 2G (GSM) and 3G (W-CDMA) mobile phone services. In April 2012, MegaFon was the first of Big-3 operators to launch 4G services. [18] It is the only Big-3 company which remains private, yet rumours about company's possible IPO were circulating for several years. In June 2012 (after significant changes in shareholders structure) [18] MegaFon confirmed that it is looking for going public in second half of the year in case market conditions will become «favourable» [19]
As of June 2012, MegaFon had 55.7 mln subscribers in Russia (27% market share). Unlike MTS and Veon, Megafon has neither developed operations outside Russia (it has only 1.6 mln subscribers in Tajikistan, Ossetia and Abkhazia) [15] nor has focused on residential broadband services (its market share is below 4%, with most of subscribers in Moscow). [16]
Rostelecom the largest fixed-line operator and former monopoly, together with its subsidiary T2-Mobile provide mobile services on the territory of 65 regions of Russia, serving more than 36.5 million subscribers. During the 2010s, Rostelecom and Tele2 built mobile networks of the third generation in 40 regions of Russia. Total planned to install more than 8 thousand base stations. Suppliers of equipment and solutions for the 3G+ network are Ericsson and Huawei. [20] Delta Telecom (in Russian: Дельта Телеком) offers Sky Link (in Russian: Скай Линк) service in northwest Russia and other areas, using 2G, 3G and LTE-450 technology. [21]
The mobile phone service provider licensing in Russia is under the control of Rospechat, the Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of Russia.
For new technologies, Russia's mobile phone industry has depended on overseas companies. [22] For example, in 2009, MegaFon revealed that Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) was selected as the winner of its tender to building 3G network and that the following companies together would collaborate on MegaFon's 3G deployment and upgrades until 2010: [23]
The Russian mobile phone service operators have been active in their presence in the CIS and other foreign countries. Beeline is already in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Armenia. MegaFon is in Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. Mobile TeleSystems is in Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India (using CDMA).
On December 4, 2013, the first Russian smartphone, Yotaphone was launched. The idea of YotaPhone was created in Russia, but manufacturing and assembly of the phone is done in China. [24] [25] YotaPhone is a smartphone with support for fourth generation networks, LTE. Feature of the device is the presence of a 4.3-inch screens on two sides: The LCD one is on the front, while the black and white screen with "electronic ink" is on the back side. The first device was awarded to Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev by Rostec state corporation head, Sergei Chemezov. [26] [27]
Number portability officially became available in Russia on December 1, 2013. An appropriate legislation signed into law by President Vladimir Putin a year earlier, on December 26, 2012. Operators have repeatedly stated that the time allotted is not enough to run services. [29] Within 12 days since the law came into force, 9090 subscribers filed applications to move to another operator, of which only 57 until satisfied. [30]
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. GSM is also a trade mark owned by the GSM Association. GSM may also refer to the Full Rate voice codec.
The telecommunications in Russia has undergone significant changes since the 1980s, radio was a major new technology in the 1920s, when the Communists had recently come to power. Soviet authorities realized that the "ham" operator was highly individualistic and encouraged private initiative – too much so for the totalitarian regime. Criminal penalties were imposed but the working solution was to avoid broadcasting over the air. Instead radio programs were transmitted by copper wire, using a hub and spoke system, to loudspeakers in approved listening stations, such as the "Red" corner of a factory. This resulted in thousands of companies licensed to offer communication services today. Due to the enormous size of the country Russia today, the country leads in the number of TV broadcast stations and repeaters. The foundation for liberalization of broadcasting was laid by the decree signed by the President of the USSR in 1990. Telecommunication is mainly regulated through the Federal Law "On Communications" and the Federal Law "On Mass Media"
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a 3G mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP, UMTS is a component of the International Telecommunication Union IMT-2000 standard set and compares with the CDMA2000 standard set for networks based on the competing cdmaOne technology. UMTS uses wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) radio access technology to offer greater spectral efficiency and bandwidth to mobile network operators.
Celcom Axiata Berhad was the oldest mobile telecommunications provider in Malaysia. Celcom was a member of the Axiata group of companies. Celcom was merged with Digi to form CelcomDigi on 1 December 2022.
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is the largest mobile network operator in Russia, headquartered in Moscow, operating on GSM, UMTS and LTE standards. Apart from cellular network, the company also offers local telephone service, broadband, mobile television, cable television, satellite television and digital television.
Beeline, formerly Bee Line GSM is a telecommunications brand by company PJSC VimpelCom, founded in Russia.
MegaFon, previously known as North-West GSM, is the second largest mobile phone operator and the third largest telecom operator in Russia. It works in the GSM, UMTS and LTE standard. The company serves 62.1 million subscribers in Russia and 1.6 million in Tajikistan. It is headquartered in Moscow.
Dialog Axiata PLC, is one of Sri Lanka's largest telecommunications service providers, and the country's largest mobile network operator with over 17 million subscribers which amounts to 57% of the Sri Lankan mobile market. Dialog is a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad which owns 73.75% controlling stake of the company, while Bharti Airtel owns 10.36%.
Rostelecom (Ростелеком) is Russia’s largest provider of digital services for a wide variety of consumers, households, private businesses, government and municipal authorities, and other telecom providers. Rostelecom interconnects all local public operators’ networks into a single national network for long-distance service. In other words, if one makes a long-distance call or originates Internet contact to or from Russia, it is likely that Rostelecom is providing part of the service. The company's stock trades primarily on the Moscow Exchange.
Telecom Armenia OJSC is an Armenian broadband and telecommunications company. Telecom Armenia, an integrated telecommunications services operator, is headquartered in Yerevan.
bmobile is a Mobile Phone, Home Security provider, and fixed wireless provider of Trinidad and Tobago, operating as a division of TSTT.
Kcell is the Cellular Communication Operator in Kazakhstan, part of Kazakhtelecom.
MagtiCom, LLC. is a Georgian telecoms company founded on February 12, 1996 by Dr. George (Gia) Jokhtaberidze. On September 22, 1997, the Company made the first commercial call from its mobile network. The services offered by MagtiCom involve as follows: mobile telephony; mobile internet - embracing different technologies of mobile network development, such as: 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G; Cable fixed telephony (VoIP); internet television (IPTV) and fiber-optic internet. Since 2016 MagtiCom started to provide IPTV, VoIP and fiber-optic internet.
Yota was a Russian mobile phone brand and mobile broadband manufacturer. Yota was a trademark of Skartel LLC. Yota later suffered bankruptcy due to a lawsuit.
VEON Ltd., also known as VEON Group, is a multinational telecommunication and digital services company. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company is publicly traded on Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ. VEON operates in six markets in Europe and Asia, including Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Specific brands include Banglalink in Bangladesh, Jazz in Pakistan, Kyivstar in Ukraine, and units operating in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan under the Beeline brand. In 2024, the company had 160 million total customers, 1.8 million fixed line customers, and 111 million monthly active users of its digital services, with products and services in areas such as mobile financial services, entertainment, health, and education among others.
3G mobile telephony was relatively slow to be adopted globally. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially so to achieve high data transmission rates. Other delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for UMTS, whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers delayed acquisition of these updated capabilities.
PJSC VimpelCom is a Russian telecommunications company started in 1992 when its co-founders, Dr. Dmitry Zimin and Augie K. Fabela II came together to pioneer the Russian mobile industry. Augie Fabela, who was then a young entrepreneur from the US, and Dr. Zimin who was a Russian scientist in his 50s, together launched the Beeline brand.
t2 is a Russian telecommunications company originally founded by Swedish Tele2. It has been operating since 2003. Since 2020, Tele2 Russia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rostelecom. At year-end 2019, Tele2 Russia provides wireless services to more than 44.6 million subscribers.
Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), doing business as Jazz, (Urdu: جاز) is Pakistan's largest mobile network and internet services provider formed by the merger of Mobilink and Warid Pakistan.
The Service-Telecom Group of Companies is an independent wireless telecommunication infrastructure operator that constructs and leases antenna-mast structures (AMS) to place telecom equipment.
