After 2025, MTS plans to gradually turn off 3G (UMTS) mobile networks as subscribers abandon obsolete phones. This was reported in a press release from the company.
It is noted that in 33 regions of the country, MTS has already transferred the 2100 MHz frequencies allocated for 3G to the modern 4G (LTE) communication standard. As a result, the speed of data transfer in mobile networks increased by an average of 30%, and their capacity – by 28%. By the end of 2023, the company plans to carry out the main work on refarming 3G frequencies in another 14 regions, including Moscow.
According to Viktor Belov, MTS vice-president for technology, today only 6% of the mobile operator’s subscribers use 3G devices without LTE support. This proportion is expected to continue to decline in the coming years. “After 2025, as the use of 3G phones stops, we will be able to gradually turn off the remaining UMTS networks, which will give an increase in speed in LTE networks by another 12%,” Belov added.
The company’s press service said that refarming in the 2100 MHz band improves coverage on the ground and signal penetration inside buildings – an LTE base station at a frequency of 2100 MHz has a greater range than in LTE 2600 MHz. An increase in the LTE coverage area also expands subscribers’ access to high-quality VoLTE voice transmission technology.
In addition, in 83 regions of Russia, MTS carried out the main work on the transfer to LTE of the 1800 MHz band, which was allocated for the second generation mobile communication standard.
“In an environment where Internet traffic consumption is growing from year to year, and there is not enough frequency spectrum, refarming is the most effective and cost-effective way to modernize mobile networks. As part of technological neutrality, MTS was the first in Russia to master the frequencies of obsolete standards for the construction of modern LTE-Advanced networks,” Belov emphasized.
According to him, MTS launched a program to build 2100 MHz LTE mobile networks at 3G frequencies in 2018, and 1800 MHz LTE networks at 2G frequencies in 2015.
