Experts assessed the prospects for the rapid introduction of 5G in Russia

The capacity of fourth—generation networks (4G, LTE) in Russia is almost exhausted - it's time for operators to switch to 5G. This opinion was expressed to Izvestia by leading analysts of the telecom market.

"In Russia, there is a problem with the capacity of LTE networks, despite the refarming of 3G frequencies. 4G networks are quite dense, the amount of data being transmitted is growing, so new capacities are needed," said Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group. According to him, it will not be possible to provide them simply by expanding the number of base stations, we need a fundamentally different technology — 5G, which the MTS operator announced as part of its new advertising campaign.

According to the expert, so far the fifth generation of communication is positioned as a premium service: higher speed, more filling of tariffs with neural network functions. Due to this, operators can get out of a situation where the regulator does not allow to raise tariffs. At the same time, the transition to 5G will remain voluntary, Murtazin believes.: anyone who wants to will switch and pay, while others will stay on simpler LTE tariffs.

The Mobile Research analyst also noted that 5G technology already exists, and the transition to it is underway. One of the directions is Private LTE/5G networks, which corporations are building at their enterprises. MTS is actively developing this area: from 2018 to 2025, the operator launched 69 commercial and pilot Private LTE networks, occupying 43% of the market. The company is also expanding its portfolio of B2B products. In 2024, a marketplace of business solutions was launched: IoT, geoanalytics, platforms for collecting data from sensors, and cloud services. The operator also has a partnership with Yandex to develop infrastructure for unmanned vehicles, another area where 5G capabilities are in demand.

Denis Kuskov, CEO of the TelecomDaily news agency, recalled that LTE became the main technology in Russia only in 2018. On average, each technology has been at its peak for 7-8 years, however, due to legislative barriers, lack of equipment and frequencies, the introduction of 5G in Russia is taking place later than in other countries.

"The operators are ready and waiting for the state's permission. Clearer coverage can be expected next year. After the introduction of fifth—generation networks, traffic migrates there quite quickly — much faster than LTE replaced 3G," said Kuskov.

The expert added that the B2C market is saturated to the limit, and the main growth of 5G will be provided by the corporate segment. The fifth generation has advantages beyond speed: there are no restrictions on the number of devices around the base station, and the signal delay is minimal — which is critical for business.

MTS noted that the company is systematically preparing the infrastructure for the launch of the fifth generation of communications. "Since 2022, we have invested more than 30 billion rubles in the development of the network, including in preparation for 5G. This made it possible to significantly increase the share of 5G-Ready equipment across the country and prepare channels for data transmission at speeds above 1 Gbit/s," the operator's press service said. Investments of another 18 billion rubles are planned for 2026-2027.

MTS recalled that the company's subsidiary, the developer of Irteya base stations, has repeatedly demonstrated the work of a domestic 5G station of its own design. "MTS is ready to launch a full range of products and services for customers immediately after the government's positive decision on frequency allocation," the company stressed.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.