Russia Finally Admits 5G Reality: Old Tech and Wrong Frequencies Until 2031

Telecom operators in Russia have officially received their marching orders for building next-generation networks, but the grand blueprint looks suspiciously like recycling yesterday's leftovers. Under proposals submitted by the Ministry of Digital Development to the State Commission on Radio Frequencies, carriers including Beeline, MegaFon, MTS, and T2 are allowed to launch 5G by cannibalizing existing LTE spectrum and utilizing already installed foreign hardware until September 2026.

Instead of granting access to the globally standardized 3.4–3.8 GHz "golden band" — which remains firmly locked down by military and security agencies — officials are handing out slivers in the 4630–4990 MHz range. Telecoms previously pointed out that deploying infrastructure solely on these high frequencies turns network economics into a comedy, with estimated payback windows stretching between 20 and 30 years due to the absurd density of base stations required.

The mandate dictates that all cities with populations exceeding one million must have active commercial networks by the end of 2027. Yet the transition away from Western infrastructure has been pushed into a phased schedule beginning in 2027, giving domestic manufacturers until the end of 2031 to conjure up viable homegrown base stations out of thin air, despite ongoing multi-billion-ruble auction price tags dangling over the designated bands.

Subscribers in major metropolitan areas will eventually see a shiny new icon in their status bars, powered entirely by re-labeled legacy hardware and frequencies chosen by committee rather than physics. It remains a fascinating exercise in digital sovereignty to declare victory on next-gen telecommunications while quietly running the entire show on borrowed gear and bureaucratic compromises.