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- Union communications: The Ministry of Digital Services will continue to support telephone tariffs for citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus
Union communications: The Ministry of Digital Services will continue to support telephone tariffs for citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus
The Ministry of Finance of Russia has announced the continuation of work to ensure comfortable mobile communication tariffs for residents of Russia and Belarus in both countries. Izvestia investigated exactly how tariffs work now, how Moscow and Minsk unify services and strengthen economic cooperation.
Convenient conditions
Starting from March 1, 2025, Russia and Belarus will have more convenient mobile communication and Internet conditions throughout the Union State, the press service of the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia. During trips, subscribers can use the connection almost the same way as at home, without a noticeable increase in costs.
Under the new rules, operators provide up to 300 minutes of conversations per month — at least 150 minutes for incoming and 150 for outgoing calls — without additional charges to the regular tariff. There is also 5 GB of mobile Internet available at prices close to "home", and this volume comes in addition to the basic package.
"Special tariffs are activated automatically when all operators cross the border. The changes are aimed at reducing the costs of citizens and improving the quality of customer service," the ministry said.
The Russian Ministry of Finance, together with relevant departments of Belarus and telecom operators, will continue to work to ensure that these parameters remain comfortable and predictable for citizens, said Artem Sheikin, first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and state Construction, Senator from the Amur Region.
Moscow and Minsk are bringing the rules of work in the field of communications closer step by step, forming common tariff principles and developing the telecommunications infrastructure in a coordinated manner.
— In fact, we are talking about removing barriers within the common space.: It becomes possible for people to use communication when traveling the way they are used to at home. This strengthens economic cooperation, stimulates mutual tourism, business activity, and generally makes the integration of our countries more tangible in the daily lives of citizens," the senator stressed.
In the near future, it is planned to bring the number capacity closer, so that subscribers will be able to save their phone number when moving between countries, as well as form a unified database for working with prepaid services, Sergey Grishunin, managing director of the NRA rating service, told Izvestia. These steps complement the economic dynamics: by the end of 2024, mutual trade between Russia and Belarus amounted to $57.6 billion, an increase of 7.4%, while over $8 billion accounted for products from the agro-industrial sector. This figure is expected to exceed $60 billion in 2025.
"The convergence of telecommunications regulations should significantly reduce operational and transaction costs for approximately 2.5 million companies operating in the two countries," he said. — This creates conditions for the accelerated development of cross-border electronic commerce, the growth of which is estimated at 20-25% by 2027, as well as for the launch of joint digital services with a potential market volume of up to 5 billion rubles.
Large-scale work
The abandonment of roaming is one of the elements of a broader digital strategy, Dmitry Osyanin, associate professor at the Basic Department of Financial Control, Analysis and Audit of the Main Control Department of the City of Moscow, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia. The convergence of rules in the field of telecom services is becoming part of the course towards technological integration and the overall development of digital infrastructure. Currently, the countries are jointly developing coordinated approaches to key areas, from the introduction of fifth—generation networks and cyber protection issues to data exchange and regulation of digital platforms. This creates clear and stable working conditions for telecom operators and IT businesses on both sides of the border.
At the same time, joint projects in the IT sector are being implemented, he noted. Common technology clusters are being created, proprietary software is being developed, and digital services are being developed for two countries at once. Among them are integrated government platforms, electronic documents and other digital solutions that citizens of Russia and Belarus can use on equal terms.
— The Russian Ministry of Finance and its Belarusian partners are consistently working to harmonize legislation in the field of communications, personal data protection and digital rights. This reduces administrative barriers for businesses and makes the digital environment more convenient for users," the expert said.
In parallel, the development of a common telecom infrastructure is being financed. In particular, data transmission channels between countries are being updated, backup lines are being created, and network reliability and stability are being improved. In addition to communications, other collaborative digital solutions are emerging, from applications for navigation and public transport to services that make everyday tasks easier and more convenient.
In 2021, Russia and Belarus approved a package of 28 union programs covering key areas, from tax and financial policy to the formation of common markets for fuel, energy and transport, Maxim Pshenitsyn, an expert at the Popular Front, told Izvestia. Analytics".
— At the beginning of 2024, these directions were revised and extended until 2026. An agreement on the mutual recognition of visas entered into force in 2025, and in parallel, convergence continues in the social sphere: issues of pensions, medical insurance and employment of citizens are simplified," he recalled.
The overall course towards integration was further confirmed in March last year at the highest level. At the same time, it is the changes in the field of communications that have become the most visible effect for ordinary people — you feel them immediately when crossing the border. However, behind this convenience there is a large-scale and lengthy work to harmonize the rules and bring the economies of the two countries closer.
The abolition of roaming and the unification of tariffs have tangible economic and practical effects, Petr Shcherbachenko, Associate Professor of Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the Financial University, noted in an interview with Izvestia. For logistics, financial, industrial, and tourism businesses, operating costs are reduced because there is no need to pay for roaming charges and you can use your own communication systems for monitoring and management.
At the same time, it increases convenience for tourists: you can use navigation, calls and the Internet without searching for local SIM cards, which reduces costs and makes trips more comfortable.
"The unification of communications is included in the 28 integration points of the Union State, including the possibility of providing public services in electronic form, the use of electronic documents and signatures," he stressed. — Support for comfortable tariffs in the future will allow transport and logistics companies to implement automated cargo and transport tracking systems in real time via GPS and ERA-GLONASS, which will ensure long-term cost reduction and accelerate the development of joint digital infrastructure.
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