Starting in 2026, Russians will be able to keep their phone numbers when changing operators in different regions. This was announced to journalists by the Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy, Artyom Sheikin.
Russia is on the verge of an important change in the field of mobile communications: the launch of the interregional number portability service.
According to him, currently, it is possible to keep the number only within the same region. The senator explained that a person moving from Moscow to Kazan, or from Yekaterinburg to Krasnodar, had to get a new number.
Interregional portability will make it possible to keep the familiar number when moving to another region of the country. The service has already undergone pilot testing and should be fully operational in 2026.
The senator added that the ability to keep a phone number when changing operators is not just a convenience, but also a real saving of time and effort. He added that today a phone number is not only a means of communication, but also access to banking services, messengers and other digital platforms.