Rostelecom Expands 4G LTE Networks, Bridging the Digital Divide Across Russia

Russian national operator Rostelecom announced deploying LTE base stations across multiple regions in December 2023 to address digital inequality. Wireless connectivity and fiber infrastructure were extended as part of the UCN 2.0 program, aiming to provide voice communication and mobile internet to previously uncovered areas. New base stations were operationalised for the first time, enhancing connectivity for residents across these regions.

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Collaboration and Program Focus

Rostelecom said it collaborated with the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media (Ministry of Digital Affairs of Russia) to eliminate mobile digital inequality. The federal program focuses on settlements with populations ranging from 100 to 500 people, where constructing base stations for commercial operators is economically unviable.

Also Read: Rostelecom Expands 4G Coverage Across Multiple Regions to Reduce Digital Inequality

Recent Deployments

The company consistently updates the public on its network expansion initiatives, with the latest report by TelecomTalk on December 18, 2023. Continuing these efforts, Rostelecom announced the construction and launch of two base stations in Vardane-Verino (Adler district) and Semenovka (Khostinsky district) in Sochi, connecting over 500 residents. In 2024, Rostelecom plans to extend mobile communication to seven settlements around the resort city.

Network Expansion Initiatives

The impact of Rostelecom’s initiatives extends across various regions:

• In Krasnodar Krai, Rostelecom installed 123 base stations over three years, accompanied by the construction of 230 km of fiber infrastructure.
• In 2023, Rostelecom established 59 base stations in small Tyumen region settlements where sustainable mobile coverage was lacking. These towers, connected mainly to fiber lines covering 65 km, provide high-speed data transmission and wide coverage. In 2024, the plan is to install 21 more base stations in the region.
• Rostelecom introduced 4G (LTE) cellular communication to five villages in the Tomsk region by building eight kilometers of fiber and installing base stations, meeting the 2023 target.
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In the Novosibirsk region, Rostelecom built and upgraded around 875 km of fiber-optic lines in 2023, doubling the previous year’s efforts. This initiative granted more than 40 thousand families access to modern communication and stable high-speed internet.
Similarly, Rostelecom commissioned 17 base stations in the Vladimir region, deploying over 30 kilometers of fiber. Additionally, eight more base stations were activated in the Tambov region, bringing the total built in the year to 34, with another 22 stations planned for 2024 in the region.
Rostelecom expanded mobile internet to seven more small villages and towns in the Khabarovsk Territory. The telco built approximately 1.5 km of fiber infrastructure to connect the base stations. For settlements in hard-to-reach areas, satellite channels provide communication, with 78 km of fiber lines built in the region over the past two years.
Over two years, Rostelecom constructed 64 mobile communication base stations in the Arkhangelsk region, deploying a total of 780 km of fiber optic cable.
In Udmurtia, Rostelecom launched 67 base stations, including 12 in hard-to-reach villages. The company laid 270 km of fiber infrastructure, connecting 20 small settlements in Pitkyaranta, Karelia. Additionally, Rostelecom installed 29 base stations in the Sverdlovsk region, covering 47 small settlements in the Kursk region, and 28 in the Penza region.
The Kirov region saw coverage for around 58 villages, with 65 km of fiber lines built to serve 12,000 residents. Rostelecom deployed LTE base stations in 27 villages in the Republic of Mariy El in December 2023, expanding coverage to an additional 7,000 residents.
In the Amur region, Rostelecom built 23 base stations, providing 4G/LTE mobile communication and high-speed internet to over six thousand residents.

User Access and Tele2 Services

Following the deployment and activation of base stations, users in these regions gained access to voice communication and high-speed internet via LTE (4G) technology. Rostelecom deployed 2G/4G LTE technologies at these base stations.

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Post-launch, Tele2, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, provides services to residents, allowing them to choose tariffs, seek advice, or order SIM card delivery through its website. Rostelecom said Tele2 acts as a competence center, coordinating design solutions, planning network architecture, and supplying equipment for construction.

Public Involvement and Future Plans

Rostelecom emphasised that locations for base station installation are determined annually through public voting organised by the Ministry of Digital Development and Russia on the public services portal. Settlements receiving the most votes, including farms, towns, and villages, are included in the program. The overall plan aims to make mobile communication available in over 24 thousand settlements by 2030.