Traffic has returned to schedule // VPN use may become paid

Traffic has returned to schedule VPN use may become paid Mintsifry is again discussing with telecommunications operators the introduction of a fee for using international traffic exceeding a certain limit. According to "Kommersant," this refers to a payment for the volume exceeding 50 GB of international traffic, but specifically in 5G networks. Telecommunications operators currently do not have the necessary technical capability for this, as 5G traffic runs through LTE networks, so if such a decision is made, it will not be possible to implement it quickly. Photo: Evgeniy Razumny / Kommersant The authorities have returned to the idea of introducing a fee for international traffic on mobile networks, according to a source familiar with the discussion. According to him, Mintsifry is discussing with telecommunications operators the introduction of a fee for using over 50 GB of international traffic in 5G networks. According to him, the ministry previously stated that the system should be operational in October, but telecommunications operators currently do not have a technical solution to implement such a proposal. "Deadlines may shift," he adds. Another source on the market says that the issue of introducing a fee for traffic "has not been taken off the agenda": different options are being discussed, including based on traffic volume, but there is no specific solution yet. However, he says that implementing the idea of charging for international traffic in 5G networks "is technically impossible" as 5G traffic currently runs through the LTE network. In early September, the "Big Four" operators officially launched 5G in 16 Russian cities, and 10 million subscribers gained access to the high-speed network then (see "Kommersant" from September 11). Mintsifry did not respond to "Kommersant." "Vympelkom," MegaFon, MTS, and T2 Mobile refused to comment. In the spring, Forbes wrote that Mintsifry asked telecommunications operators to introduce a fee of 150 rubles per gigabyte for international traffic exceeding the 15 GB limit by May 1, 2026. Then, sources reported that the authorities do not plan to oblige mobile operators to introduce a fee for international traffic for subscribers until the autumn elections to the State Duma (see "Kommersant" from May 21). The task before Mintsifry is to reduce the use of VPNs by Russians. As "Kommersant" reported, for this purpose, the ministry has developed several measures that should force IT companies and digital platforms to restrict users with VPNs from accessing their services (see "Kommersant" from April 10). However, in July, at a State Duma meeting, Deputy Minister Ivan Lebedev stated that Mintsifry is considering introducing a fee for VPN traffic. According to Anton Prokopenko, the product director at Vigo, it is possible to technically implement the tariffing of foreign traffic without detailed separation by service types: "At the mobile network level, the operator will consider the volume of traffic allocated to foreign networks, for example, by IP addresses. This will require configuring elements of the packet core and billing." Signaling traffic for 5G does indeed run as LTE, but there are technical metrics on the network that can be used in billing to separate subscriber traffic into 5G and LTE, but the question remains whether this is possible in real-time, he adds. 24 gigabytes of mobile internet traffic was spent by private mobile subscribers in 2025 on average, according to expert estimates Realizing the idea of charging for international traffic on 5G networks is possible, but the most difficult thing is to determine what traffic to consider international, agreed in practice by the "Digital Transformation" company Strategy Partners Sergey Kudryashov: "The operator will have to consider the volume per subscriber during switches between 5G and LTE, classify addresses, and set up tariffing." Furthermore, Mr. Prokopenko says that commercial 5G networks currently operate in a limited number of cities, mainly in the center: "The potential reach of such a measure will still be relatively small; it will affect users who are continuously in the 5G coverage area and actively use it above all else. Moreover, 5G is not yet available on all devices—for example, iPhone owners will not be subject to this tariffing at the current stage." At the same time, the threshold of 50 GB of international traffic through 5G is high: in 2025, a private subscriber spent an average of about 24 GB of mobile traffic per month, as Mr. Kudryashov notes. "More than 50 GB of total traffic were consumed by 13.8% of subscribers; only for international traffic in 5G is the circle yet. Those who distribute mobile internet to other devices can quickly cross the threshold," he says.