MOSCOW, November 7. The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation proposes to remove the discount for operators on payment for the allocated radio frequency spectrum of the LTE standard (4G) in 2024, follows from the text of the project order and explanatory note to it, documents are published on the Federal Portal of Draft Regulatory Legal Acts.
“»The draft order provides for the suspension of the provisions in the Methodology for calculating the amounts of one-time fees and annual fees for the use of the radio frequency spectrum in the Russian Federation, approved by Order of the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia dated April 24, 2023 No. 400 (hereinafter referred to as the Methodology), provisions regarding discounts on payment by telecom operators for use dedicated radio frequency spectrum of the LTE (4G) standard,” the explanatory note says. The draft states that the provisions “shall not apply from January 1 to December 31, 2024.”
The explanatory note clarifies that, in particular, the effect of “reducing coefficient values” is suspended, which take into account the prospects of the technology used when using the radio frequency spectrum for the LTE standard technology and its modifications, as well as in the case of using several cellular radio technologies (analog and digital) in one frequency band.
Earlier in November, the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, told reporters that the abolition of the preferential rate for the use of 4G will not lead to an increase in the cost of communication tariffs above the inflation rate for Russians. He recalled that since 2011, Russia has had a preferential rate for paying for the use of LTE. According to the minister, the rate stimulates the penetration of new technologies, and LTE is no longer a new technology, so the issue of increasing the fee is being considered.
In October, the Izvestia newspaper, citing sources, wrote that the costs of mobile operators may increase due to a new methodology for calculating fees for the use of LTE frequencies, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Digital Development.