Leave a SIM card: Russia will keep outdated 2G networks for 10 years
Russia will retain cellular communications of the outdated 2G standard for at least 10 years, Izvestia has learned. In June, the State Radio Frequency Commission plans to extend the frequency allocation period for it until 2036-2037 in a number of Russian regions. Unlike 3G networks, which operators are already shutting down as demand for them decreases, the 2G standard remains in demand: without it, millions of residents of the regions may lose voice communications and SMS. In addition, many ATMs, payment terminals, security systems and other equipment are still connected to second-generation networks, which will require significant costs and time to retrofit.
Why is it impossible to collapse 2G networks
At the end of June, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCR) plans to extend until 2036-2037 the permits for the use of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies previously issued for the provision of GSM (2G) services. This follows from the materials of the commission, which were reviewed by Izvestia. The documents refer to the Stavropol Territory, Buryatia, Irkutsk and Kaliningrad regions, Dagestan and other regions.
GSM is the oldest cellular communication standard used in Russia. The first 2G networks in our country appeared back in the 1990s. Despite the fact that LTE has been operating in the Russian Federation for many years and preparations are underway for the introduction of 5G, operators cannot abandon outdated technology, although they incur the cost of maintaining old networks, a network frequency planner explained to Izvestia. According to him, GSM coverage is still wider than 3G and LTE, so disabling 2G can leave millions of subscribers disconnected.
GSM networks continue to operate in Russia, as they provide voice communication and SMS messaging services to millions of subscribers, said Daria Kolesnikova, a representative of T2.
— Many devices, including old mobile phones, security systems and ATMs, depend solely on GSM technology, and their massive replacement would require significant financial costs. Operators are gradually upgrading their infrastructure, but completely disabling GSM is not economically feasible as long as there are a significant number of devices using this standard, she said.
It will take more than one year to transfer this infrastructure to LTE — it is possible that the abandonment of the 2G standard in Russia will be discussed in 2032-2035, the network frequency planning specialist did not rule out.
In addition, GSM remains an important backup communication channel in case of failures in more modern networks, Daria Kolesnikova added.
Megafon also noted that 2G remains the basis for providing voice coverage and redundancy, as well as for the operation of devices using this standard.
— In the next three to five years, we expect a gradual reduction in the load on previous generation networks, as well as the gradual phasing out of 3G. This is in line with international trends and is due, among other things, to a reduction in long-term support for this standard by foreign suppliers, as well as the lack of 3G base stations in the portfolio of domestic manufacturers, the experts added.
MTS experts also believe that it is premature to turn off 2G, since operators cannot neglect the interests of subscribers.
"There is still a small but stable demand in Russia for voice communication using push—button GSM phones, and M2M SIM cards designed to transmit small data packets in meters, ATMs, trackers, and sensors continue to work in 2G networks," the company noted.
GSM base stations have a maximum coverage radius, the 2G signal passes better through thick walls of buildings, reaches basements and spreads along federal highways, explained Timofey Voronin, project manager at Intelligent Analytics, TechNet NTI market expert. If a subscriber, for example, loses LTE in an elevator, in an underground parking lot or on a country road, the phone seamlessly switches to GSM, allowing you to make a regular call, he explained.
How will the cellular market develop?
In the next decade, LTE will become the dominant standard in Russia — both data and voice will be transmitted through it using VoLTE technology, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. At the same time, GSM will continue to be used for voice communication in areas where LTE is unavailable, as well as to ensure the operation of various devices that do not require high data transfer speeds. 3G networks will be phased out, and 5G will spread primarily in large cities, and enterprises and organizations will use it, the expert believes.
There is a worldwide trend towards decommissioning second- and third-generation communication networks, the Ministry of Digital Affairs noted. It is not profitable for operators to support outdated technologies, the demand for which is decreasing. Therefore, they are interested in transferring the released frequencies to more modern communication standards, primarily 4G (LTE) networks, which serve the bulk of traffic, the agency said.
— Telecom operators often decide to decommission 2G later than 3G. And Russia is no exception here. The process of phasing out third-generation communication networks in the country has already started. This happens unnoticed by subscribers, primarily because there are practically no 3G-only smartphones left today," the Ministry of Digital Affairs reported.
As for the GSM standard, the timing of disconnection of such networks should depend on the resolution of a number of technical, economic and social issues, according to the department. This process will take place gradually as the coverage of new generation networks expands and the IoT infrastructure is upgraded.
It is troublesome and expensive for mobile operators to maintain networks of all generations (2G/GSM, 3G/UMTS, 4G/LTE, 5G), explained Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research. But first of all, they are abandoning 3G, not 2G, as the least effective: voice services from them can be shifted to GSM, and mobile Internet to LTE (or 5G in countries where such networks exist).
In Russia, MTS is most actively dismantling third-generation networks: this operator has already turned off 3G base stations in about 50 cities, and it intends to completely abandon 3G by 2027, the expert noted.
"These processes are moving faster in the world: for example, in China, Japan, Australia, Singapore, all cellular companies have abandoned GSM and 3G, retaining only LTE and 5G, while in the United States AT&T and T-Mobile have done so," said Leonid Konik.
According to the international organization GSA, which Izvestia has reviewed, a number of European operators are gradually decommissioning second-generation networks, and countries that used the cdma2000 standard for 2G, such as the United States, have already turned them off. According to GSA, by the end of 2025, 37 2G networks in the world were already in the process of being shut down, and plans for decommissioning had been approved for another 140.
But in general, the dismantling of 3G networks is faster than GSM. Operators retain GSM because they need them for guaranteed voice and SMS transmission, Leonid Konik explained.
Timofey Voronin acknowledges that when the mobile Internet is temporarily turned off or jammed in the region for security reasons or due to accidents, GSM networks become the only stable communication channel. Russia has adopted a strategy for phasing out the frequencies of the old standards to meet the needs of LTE, he said. However, 3G is turned off first, and only then GSM / 2G.
— 3G turned out to be the most inefficient. It occupies valuable frequencies, but it does not provide either voice capacity or modern Internet speeds. The complete abandonment of 3G in Russia should occur by 2027-2030," Timofey Voronin believes.
Now it is difficult to talk about the specific timing of the complete shutdown of GSM in the country, but the operation of 2G networks will be supported at least until 2030-2035, since the amount of critical infrastructure that depends on this standard is quite large, the expert believes.
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