Russia Launches First Commercial 5G Networks For First Time Since Nearly a Decade of Delays

Russian mobile phone operators launched their first commercial 5G networks following nearly a decade of delays caused by Western sanctions and regulatory disputes. Russia’s Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Ministry announced the decision on Friday, Sept. 11, noting that it was carried out on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin himself. According to the Ministry, company executives marked the launch at events organized in Tver, Samara, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Fast mobile internet today is needed for absolutely everything, always and everywhere,” Maksut Shadayev, Russia’s minister of digital development, communications and mass media said, according to TASS. “The fourth-generation mobile networks already cover 90% of the total inhabited territory of our country, 95% of mobile subscribers use LTE [‘Long Term Evolution,’ an advanced version of 3G] services every day,” he continued. Coverage across the country All four of Russia’s major carriers – MegaFon, Beeline, T2 and MTS – launched the 5G simultaneously in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Elsewhere, coverage varies by operator. For example, MegaFon and MTS will cover Novosibirsk and Kazan, Beeline and MegaFon Samara, and MegaFon alone will cover Veliky Novgorod, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod and Tver. In Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Perm and Chelyabinsk, T2 is responsible for launching the service. Additionally, MTS is operating by itself in Ufa and Beeline in Yaroslavl. Other Topics of Interest Lukashenko Floats Mobilization, Says Attacking Neighbors Would Be ‘Tantamount to Death’ Belarus says its troop command system is ready for wartime deployment as Minsk expands military readiness inspections. “Mobile internet traffic volume has grown more than threefold over six years,” the Ministry said, adding that “the rollout of 5G is especially important for large cities, where network load is highest.” By the end of 2026, the Ministry plans to extend 5G coverage to 50 more cities. Iphone compatibility remains uncertain The Ministry said Android users will gain access to the service “in the near future,” without providing a specific timeline, while iPhone compatibility remains uncertain. Russian mobile operators were allocated the 4.63-4.99 GHz frequency band rather than the 3.4-3.8 GHz range used internationally for 5G, since the military and security services have kept exclusive control of that spectrum. Because iPhones operate at a lower frequency, they won’t connect to Russian 5G networks unless Apple Corporation decides to make direct changes on its end. “In the first stage, we use the existing infrastructure, which allows us to increase the speed of data transmission by 20-25%,” Dmitry Grigorenko, Russian Deputy Prime Minister said, according to TASS. “Next, we will go to new frequencies that have already been provided to telecom operators. At the same time, we will consistently increase the share of domestic equipment. Our task is to bring the share of Russian 5G base stations to 100%,” he continued. A rollout nearly a decade in the making Russia first discussed launching 5G in 2017, with test zones appearing in Moscow the following year, IntelliNews reported on Aug. 21, 2024. However, the project stalled repeatedly, missing launch dates in 2020, 2022 and 2023, largely due to a lack of domestically produced base stations and financial strain on operators. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, several telecom equipment giants closed their business activities in Russia. According to Reuters on Aug. 29, 2022, Ericsson began gradually exiting the market that August, while Nokia said it would leave the country entirely by the end of the year. The exit pushed carriers like MTS and Tele2 toward Chinese suppliers such as Huawei, prompting Moscow to lean on Beijing to sustain its telecom buildout – one small part of a much broader dependency. Since the beginning of the invasion, China has emerged as one of Russia’s most important allies, despite officially portraying itself as a neutral party in the war. More than 550 Chinese soldiers took part in internships at Russian military institutions under bilateral training programs, according to Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) on July 8. The intelligence agency also said that more than 180 Russian troops underwent similar programs in China during November 2025 alone. Beyond military training, the alliance extends to weapons hardware. Russia has been expanding its use of jet-powered drones fitted with Chinese-made engines, which can reach speeds of up to 400-600 kilometers per hour (around 249-373 miles per hour) – up to three times the speed of previous Shahed versions provided by Iran – making them significantly harder to intercept. Earlier on Friday, Russian jet-powered Shahed drones struck a building belonging to Ukraine’s largest telecom company and deliberately targeted gas stations across Kyiv, killing two and injuring at least nine people. The strikes come as President Zelensky said Thursday, Sept. 10 that Moscow intensifies attacks whenever diplomatic efforts gain momentum. Following the departure of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who traveled to Kyiv and Moscow throughout the weekend in an effort to broker an end to the war, Russia increased its strikes on Ukraine nationwide, killing seven people and injuring more than 120 through Thursday.