Russian telecom operators are proposing to ban voice calls in foreign messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram. The initiative was put forward by the "big four" mobile operators at a strategic session on the development of the telecommunications industry. It is designed to solve several problems related to the economic situation of companies and cybersecurity at once.
Telecom operators claim that they need additional funds to maintain and improve their infrastructure. They explain this by the increased cost of equipment caused by sanctions, and a significant increase in mobile Internet consumption, which may lead to a slowdown in network development and a decrease in access speed. The operators' proposal to significantly increase tariffs was not approved by the antimonopoly authority.
From the operators' point of view, this decision has three key advantages: it will return a significant amount of voice calls to traditional networks, improving their financial situation; it will significantly reduce the number of cybercrimes, most of which, it is claimed, are committed through WhatsApp and Telegram; and, finally, it will remove the main claims from law enforcement agencies, thereby preventing the complete blocking of these popular services.
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