The Megafon base station appeared in the right-of-way of the M-12 highway

Megafon has installed a base station in the right‑of-way of the federal highway M-12 in Tatarstan. The project was implemented three months after the entry into force of amendments to the law allowing the construction of telecom infrastructure near highways, the press service of the operator said.

"The installation of a base station within the right‑of‑way made it possible to provide high-quality coverage on the M-12 section near the village of Verkhniye Pinyachi in Tatarstan on the 1030th kilometer of the highway, where there was previously an unstable signal. Now cars driving at high speed remain in the stable coverage area," Megafon noted. They explained that the choice of location is dictated by a real need — over the past year, mobile traffic consumption along the entire length of the highway has increased by 34%.

A right—of-way is an area where the highway itself runs and gas stations, cafes and shops are located. Previously, the construction of telecom facilities in right-of-way lanes was possible only on toll sections of highways. Operators were forced to set up base stations at a distance of at least 200 meters from the road. Now, taking into account the new regulations, Megafon plans to build communication facilities in the right-of-way lanes on 90% of federal highways.

"The location of telecom facilities in the right-of—way lanes is only part of a large-scale program to develop communications along the highways. In general, we plan to build and modernize several hundred base stations by the end of the year, and more than 1,400 by 2031. This will make communication stable and accessible even on the longest and most remote sections of roads," said Sergey Sorokin, Director of Megafon's Infrastructure Project Implementation Department.

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