Operators will have to build 4G in villages at their own expense

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCRF) in August will extend the permission to use frequencies of 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 2.5-2.7 GHz for fourth-generation cellular networks (LTE) for another 10 years, Vedomosti reported with reference . to the commission's draft But for this, cellular companies will have to meet new requirements.

The permit was issued in 2011 and expires on 8 September. In order to be renewed, a number of conditions must be met:

• From 2023, operators will have to build LTE networks only on domestic equipment from the unified register of Russian electronic products. The software must be included in the register of domestic software.
• By 2028, companies will be required to cover 99% of settlements with a population of 500-999 people with LTE.
• By 2030, 99% of federal public roads should be covered by LTE.

Vedomosti calculated that the costs of operators could amount to 15-35 billion rubles. Installing an LTE base station in a village where there is a tower and an optical communication line will cost 3-5 million rubles, without a tower - up to 7 million rubles, the source of the newspaper in the cellular company specified.

A representative of the Ministry of Digital Development said that the department is implementing several projects to provide Russians with communication services and access to modern telecommunications services. The Mintsifra did not comment on the draft decision of the SCRF.

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We talked about how the introduction of 5G networks is slowing down in Russia here , about what to expect from 6G - here .