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- Long wires: MGTS prices for access to its cable infrastructure were considered too high
Long wires: MGTS prices for access to its cable infrastructure were considered too high
Moscow providers appealed to the Federal Antimonopoly Service with a request to stop overcharging for access to the cable sewerage of the Moscow City telephone network, which is part of the MTS structure. According to them, MGTS, being a monopolist in the sewage market, has raised prices twice in six months. Rent is a significant component of home Internet and TV tariffs, and its growth leads to an increase in the cost of these services for users, market participants warned. In addition, limited access to networks in residential buildings makes it difficult to connect alternative operators. In particular, when the Lovit provider, which was the only operator in the homes of the developer PIK, failed, residents lost the opportunity to quickly use the services of competitors.
How sewer access rates affect the cost of the Internet
In March, several Moscow providers complained to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) about unjustified price increases for access to linear cable facilities (LCS) from the Moscow City Telephone Network (MGTS, owned by MTS). Izvestia reviewed the documents. Among the applicants are YESK LLC and Expert—Telecom Group of companies, whose representatives confirmed the fact of the appeal. The ministry said that the materials had been received by the Moscow Federal Antimonopoly Service and would be reviewed in due course.
MGTS, which has been in charge of about 90% of Moscow's cable sewerage since Soviet times and is effectively a monopolist in this market, has raised rental rates twice in six months. From July 2025 to January 2026, they rose by 14.6% — from 6.75 rubles per 1 meter to 7.74 rubles per 1 meter, according to the statement of the ESC, which was reviewed by Izvestia. Another notable operator of cable sewerage is Rostelecom, although it operates mainly in the regions.
"Payment for the use of MGTS sewerage is a significant cost component in the formation of tariffs for communication services for end users. Operators outside the MTS group are forced to include the increased costs of LCS services in their retail tariffs," the statement said.
The increase in tariffs for the use of LCS translates into an increase in retail prices for telephone services, Internet access and other digital services, which have long acquired the character of socially significant benefits, the authors of the appeal emphasized. They ask the FAS to recognize MGTS's actions as a violation of the law "On Protection of Competition" and issue an order to eliminate it.
Rinat Bedretdinov, CEO of the Expert-Telecom group of companies (an appeal to the FAS on behalf of the group was sent by Communications Typhon LLC) called the problem of access to the Moscow cable sewerage system complex. According to him, it is not limited to the increase in tariffs from MGTS — the advantage in using the infrastructure and accessing customers is given by MGTS parent company, MTS PJSC. This gives it unjustified advantages over its competitors. Moreover, MGTS can actually block the operator's access to the sewer system leading to a particular facility (for example, by not extending the contract), which is why it is necessary to stop customer service, he told Izvestia.
The increase in MGTS tariffs has no economic justification — the infrastructure has not been upgraded for decades, said Alkhas Mirzabekov, General Director of the Moscow-based operator of the ESC. At the same time, the monopolist charges a fee for issuing technical conditions, imposes additional services, including rent payments before work begins and fines, creates barriers to connecting to new residential complexes and imposes bonded demands on developers, he listed. All this leads to a direct increase in retail prices for subscribers, Alkhas Mirzabekov pointed out.
Izvestia sent inquiries to MTS, as well as other major independent operators operating in both the Moscow and federal markets, Er—Telecom Holding and Vimpelcom.
MGTS has not received information about complaints from third parties about tariffs, according to the MTS press service. MGTS's tariffs for access to linear cable facilities remain among the lowest in the Moscow region.
— Such conflicts over the conditions of access to cable sewerage are systemic in nature and are reproduced with enviable regularity — both in Moscow and in the regions. The seriousness of the problem for independent providers cannot be overestimated, because cable sewerage is not just a convenient option, but actually an alternative infrastructure for laying cables in urban environments," said Alexander Terentyev, a forensic expert at the Veta expert group.
According to him, if MGTS provides its own structures and affiliated companies with access to line-cable facilities on more preferential terms than third-party providers, this constitutes a violation provided for by both antimonopoly legislation and special rules on non-discriminatory access. The applicants' arguments are more than justified and understandable. However, in an attempt to justify its actions, MGTS is likely to cite the general increase in operating costs — inflation, increased cost of equipment and infrastructure maintenance.
Monopoly access to cable sewerage and other infrastructure necessary for connecting subscribers leads not only to an increase in tariffs, but also to the inability to service residential buildings and offices, said Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. As an example, he cited last year's failure at the Lovit provider. The operator was the only service provider in the residential complexes of the PIK developer, and when he had problems, the residents could not reconnect to other networks, they simply did not exist.
What can be opposed to infrastructural monopolists?
Over the past 15 years, MGTS has raised tariffs for third-party operators for laying in cable sewers by more than 2.2 times, ComNews Research partner Leonid Konik estimates. The tariffs of MGTS are similar to those of other monopoly owners of cable sewerage. The largest of them, Rostelecom, charges 8.45 rubles for providing space in the cable sewer system in St. Petersburg, 6.46 rubles in Novosibirsk, and 13.60 rubles in Yekaterinburg, the expert said.
— Due to the fact that both MGTS and Rostelecom provide communication services to organizations and private users, there is a conflict of interest. Other operators who need access to the cable sewer compete with them. By making it more difficult for competitors to access this infrastructure, telecom monopolists can gain an advantage using a non-market method," he explained to Izvestia.
Owners of cable sewers often do not let competitors in there, citing "lack of technical capability," the expert added. At the same time, municipal authorities in many cities advocate for "clear skies", demanding the transfer of overhead cables underground, he said. In his opinion, it would be possible to solve the problem with cable sewerage by taking it away from monopolies such as MGTS and Rostelecom and transferring it to a neutral infrastructure operator that would allow all participants in the communications market to use it on equal terms. In Moscow, there is already a prototype of such a structure — it is the ANO "Intersectoral Production and Technical Center", subordinate to the Department of Information Technology of the Government of the capital, Leonid Konik said.
Rostelecom stated that it provides equal and non-discriminatory access to infrastructure for all market participants.
— In recent years, we have recorded a minimal number of requests from other operators regarding tariffs for access to cable sewers. This is due to the fact that the company strictly adheres to the law: tariffs are set and applied in accordance with the rules of non—discriminatory access, and their change does not exceed the inflation rate.
Problems with access to cable sewers are typical not only for Moscow, but also for other regions where, for historical reasons, there is a monopoly on access to underground pipes, power transmission poles and lighting, said Karen Ghazaryan, director of the Internet Research Institute. Monopolists in this area not only set unreasonably high tariffs for access to infrastructure, but also hinder the work of operators on it (for example, if they compete with affiliated telecommunications companies), the expert claims.
The way out of the situation would be to recognize such structures as official infrastructure monopolists and extend to them the existing rules of non-discriminatory access for telecommunication networks, Karen Ghazaryan believes. At the same time, when designing housing and developing territories, the infrastructure necessary for the provision of communication services must be laid, he concluded.
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