• T2 launched 5G in seven Russian cities using existing tariffs, lowering the initial barrier for customers with compatible devices
  • Coverage maps and handset checks will shape early access before T2 expands into the 4.63–4.99GHz band

The fact

Russian mobile operator T2 launched commercial 5G in seven cities: Moscow, St Petersburg, Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Perm and Krasnoyarsk. The operator said customers can initially access 5G through their existing tariffs, with dedicated 5G offers planned later. T2 said the launch follows regulatory permission to use spectrum already assigned to existing mobile services for 5G. The operator also plans a later rollout using the 4.63–4.99GHz band.

Alongside the launch, T2 published a 5G coverage map and an online tool for customers to check whether their phones support the service. It also said it had selected compatible devices for sale through its shops. The announcement did not state that 5G coverage is continuous across all seven cities.

In Yekaterinburg, T2 separately described network work carried out for a youth festival. The operator said it upgraded outdoor and indoor base stations at event locations and installed additional indoor equipment in buildings where outdoor signals could not provide the required coverage.

RTVI reported separate estimates for the potential reach of 5G in Russia. Its report contrasted a government estimate with a lower near-term estimate from a mobile-market analyst. The figures were estimates of potential availability rather than reported counts of active T2 5G users.

The assessment

T2 has taken a relatively low-friction route into 5G. Reusing spectrum that is already available and keeping access on existing tariffs lets the operator put the new radio standard in front of customers before its later 4.63–4.99GHz build is complete. This first phase is therefore closer to an extension of the existing mobile network than the finished 5G footprint T2 ultimately plans.

That puts devices and buildings directly into the commercial equation. A company may already pay for a tariff that includes 5G but see little benefit if its phones cannot connect or if the signal does not reach the places where staff actually work. T2's Yekaterinburg deployment provides a useful example: some indoor locations needed additional equipment because the outdoor network could not penetrate the buildings.

Keeping 5G on existing tariffs also removes a pricing decision from the first round of testing. Customers with compatible devices can see how the network performs before T2 introduces dedicated plans. When those plans arrive, there will be a clearer basis for comparing any extra cost with the improvement available at the locations that matter.

For BTW readers, the seven-city launch starts that comparison rather than settles it. Wider device support, usable indoor coverage and the later deployment of the new frequency band will determine how quickly 5G moves from something customers can test to a service businesses can routinely depend on.

What to watch

Watch T2's coverage maps and supported-device list, followed by the launch and pricing of dedicated 5G tariffs. Expansion into the 4.63–4.99GHz band and further indoor deployments will show how quickly availability moves beyond the initial launch areas.