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- On an unknown frequency: there are no smartphones in Russia with support for domestic 5G networks
On an unknown frequency: there are no smartphones in Russia with support for domestic 5G networks
There are practically no smartphones in Russia capable of operating on domestic 5G networks, market participants and experts told Izvestia. The vast majority of devices do not support the 4.6–4.99 GHz band, which the State Radio Frequency Commission allocated to operators on August 31 for the development of fifth-generation communications. At the same time, companies were also allowed to use frequencies previously used in LTE networks for 5G, but in this format, mobile Internet speed will increase slightly, experts say.
How many subscribers in Russia will get access to 5G
In Russia, as in the global market, there are practically no smartphones that support 5G in the range of 4.6–4.99 GHz (n79). Experts and market participants told Izvestia about this. On August 31, the State Radio Frequency Commission (GCRF) allocated these frequencies to operators for the deployment of fifth-generation networks. Operators also got the opportunity to provide 5G services on already used bands that were previously allocated to other standards, in particular LTE. This approach is called technological neutrality.
The Vimpelcom press service noted that there are still few devices with support for the new range. At the same time, there are significantly more smartphones capable of operating in the frequencies that are planned to be used in the technological neutrality mode. The actual share of such devices will depend on smartphone manufacturers and their willingness to activate 5G support for the Russian market, the company said.
According to various estimates, from 3 to 10% of all smartphones in our country support the 4.4–4.99 GHz band, said Oleg Yablokov, NTI wireless expert. According to calculations by Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, about 3% of smartphones with 5G support are currently running on n79. If you do not take into account the iPhone, which technically supports these frequencies, but access to 5G is blocked by the manufacturer, the share of such devices is less than 1%.
At the same time, there are significantly more smartphones with 5G capable of operating in the ranges that operators can use in technological neutrality mode — about 40% of all devices used by Russians, the expert said. Svyaz agrees with this assessment.He": according to their data, about 40% of smartphones in Russia support 5G. However, the emergence of a new generation of networks is unlikely to be a significant factor in choosing a new device. Therefore, a noticeable increase in smartphone sales is not expected in connection with the launch of 5G, they added.
Although the share of 5G-enabled smartphones implemented on Wildberries is well over half, this is primarily due to the fact that the technology has been around for several years and has actually become a standard feature of the devices. Almost all models are equipped with 5G support, with the exception of budget models, noted in RWB. We do not expect sales growth due to the advent of 5G, as the technology has long been present in smartphones, the company added.
— Not all users will get the long-awaited 5G badge. This is especially true for iPhone owners due to possible restrictions from the manufacturer and regional software profiles. In addition, in the technocrality mode, you should not expect a significant increase in speed: the effect will depend on the available frequency resource and network load," said Nikolai Seredin, Director of Project Activities at ANO Telecommunications Equipment. — In 5G mode, the smartphone can also consume more power, especially with poor coverage and frequent switching between LTE and 5G. With automatic switching, the device can constantly switch from one standard to another, which increases power consumption.
According to various estimates, the 4.63–4.99 GHz band allocated for 5G in Russia is supported by only 3 to 20% of smartphones used by subscribers, Marvel Distribution agrees. Therefore, for most users, the launch of networks will remain unnoticeable for the first time.
Today, about 40% of all smartphones on the MTS network technically support 5G. However, not all 5G smartphones registered in the networks of Russian operators will be able to work in commercial 5G networks in our country: the activation of the corresponding functionality depends on the manufacturers, the company said. The operator's retail has already introduced several models from various manufacturers that will be able to operate at 4.6–4.99 GHz. The data transfer rate in it can reach about 1 Gbit/s, whereas in the existing ranges used in the technological neutrality mode, it will be comparable to the LTE speed, the company added.
One should not expect a multiple increase in speed, since the LTE frequency resource is already loaded by existing subscribers, Nikolai Seredin believes. Therefore, the increase will depend on the load of a particular network segment and the 5G configuration. In the free range of 4.6–4.99 GHz, it is possible to provide significantly higher capacity and higher speeds, since a separate resource will be allocated for 5G. However, due to the lack of mass coverage at the first stage, access to the network is likely to be "island-based" — only in places where appropriate base stations are installed.
Are manufacturers ready to adapt smartphones for Russia
In the current realme line, the n79 range supports the flagship GT 8 Pro, the realme Russia press service told Izvestia. At the same time, the GCRG solution allows operators to deploy 5G in areas that are currently used for LTE. These frequencies are supported by almost the entire 5G range of smartphones, and in the future, the fifth-generation network will become available to owners of already sold gadgets, they said.
— The Russian Federation is one of the key markets, so we plan to take into account the support of bands in demand by Russian operators in future devices. Now that the frequency plan has been fixed, we have a clear guideline for planning configurations of future models," the company noted.
The current vivo line includes smartphones with support for the 5G range NR n79 (4.4–5.0 GHz), the company said. At the same time, the ability of devices to work in Russian networks will depend not only on the hardware support of the appropriate range, but also on the network configuration of a particular operator, software and necessary certification procedures, they said.
— Vivo is closely monitoring the development of the network infrastructure and the requirements of operators in the Russian market. The company does not rule out that devices with support for the n79 range will be introduced in the Russian market, the company added.
Izvestia sent inquiries to other major global smartphone manufacturers, but most companies did not respond or declined to comment.
"We consider the launch of 5G in Russia as an additional factor that could support demand for smartphones in the future and accelerate the renewal of the device fleet,— M.Video noted. — At the same time, global practice shows that the effect of the introduction of a new communication standard usually manifests itself gradually — as coverage expands, the number of compatible models increases and 5G appears in different price segments.
Russia has chosen a non-standard range for Europe instead of more common frequencies, Oleg Yablokov explained. According to him, global versions of Samsung, Google Pixel and Motorola often do not support n79 — it is found mainly in Chinese and Japanese versions of devices. Massive parallel imports have brought smartphones with 5G support to Russia, but without compatibility with the required range. The owners of such devices may not even be aware of this, the expert warned.
The n79 band is relatively rarely used for fifth-generation communications: networks on these frequencies operate, in particular, in Japan and Hong Kong, said Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research. Therefore, there is little equipment in the world, including base stations, that supports this range. For the same reason, only individual smartphone models work in the n79, mainly the flagships of Chinese manufacturers Honor, Huawei and Xiaomi. For some Chinese brands, such as OnePlus, n79 support is provided only in models for the domestic market and is not available in global versions, he said.
"Such modern and popular smartphones as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and S25 Ultra do not support the n79 range," the expert added.
In his opinion, 4.63–4.99 GHz is unlikely to become the main one for the deployment of 5G networks in Russia. The frequencies that can be used within the framework of technological neutrality are at least twice as low — 2.5–2.6 GHz and below. Therefore, to cover a comparable area, the operator will need significantly fewer base stations, the expert explained.
Thus, with the development of 5G networks in our country, it is likely that the already allocated LTE frequencies will be actively used. They are supported by both a large number of smartphones and the existing infrastructure of base stations, Leonid Konik concluded.
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