The Ministry of Digital Development is discussing fees for over-limit international Internet traffic in 5G networks

The Russian authorities have returned to the project of introducing fees for the use of above-limit international Internet traffic, writes Kommersant (Kommersant). According to the publication, which named the possible payment threshold, the Ministry of Digital Development is now discussing with telecom operators the mark of over 50 gigabytes in 5G networks.

According to the publication's interlocutors, the ministry stated that the system should be operational in October, but telecom operators now do not have a technical solution on how to implement such a proposal. Since 5G traffic goes through LTE networks, this cannot be done quickly, and therefore “the timing may shift.” At the same time, the very issue of introducing traffic fees “has not been removed from the agenda” and in its context, various options continue to be discussed, the source clarified.

5G was launched in Russia in September for 10 million subscribers from 16 cities, and, for example, iPhone owners at the current stage will not be subject to such tariffs.

Moreover, in 2025, according to experts, a private subscriber spent an average of about 24 gigabytes of total mobile traffic per month. “Over 50 gigabytes of total traffic was consumed by 13.8 percent of subscribers; for international traffic only in 5G the circle is even narrower. The one who distributes mobile Internet to other devices can quickly overcome the threshold,” noted Sergey Kudryashov from Strategy Partners.