Russia is set to abolish international mobile roaming with incoming calls from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia by 2025. This information was reported by Eurasia Today citing Vedomosti.
According to the publication, this was mentioned in an appendix to the request from the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) sent to major mobile operators of the union states and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation in March 2023. The authenticity of the document was confirmed by sources in two operators of the "big four."
The EEC requested information on fair tariffs for mobile communication services in international roaming. In the letter, the commission asked for data on the number of subscribers, the volume and cost of mobile communication services provided to subscribers of EAEU countries from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022, as well as information on the revenues received.
In the roadmap for the abolition of roaming in the EAEU attached to the request, it is stated that by the end of 2024, telecom companies should develop "rules for using fair tariffs for communication services within the territories of the member states."
By the first quarter of 2025, operators must reduce international interconnect rates and introduce corresponding tariffs for mobile communication services for subscribers of EAEU countries.
According to an MTS representative, the plan includes "logical stages of implementation," but the outcome will depend on the execution of necessary measures by all participants. He did not rule out a possible decrease in revenues for all communication operators due to the new regulation.
Previously, it was reported that communication operators had lowered prices for roaming services in countries that had become popular among Russians after the start of partial mobilization in September 2022. The new roaming conditions became available in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and other countries.
