Since the beginning of 2026, Chinese manufacturers have increased prices for fiber optic cables for Russian customers by 2.5–4 times. This was announced by Anastasia Bidzhelova, Development Director of the "Telecom Exchange", and the information was confirmed by the operator "TransTeleCom".
Leonid Konik, CEO of ComNews Group, explained that China accounts for about 60% of global fiber optic production.
At the beginning of 2025, G.652D fiber cost 16 yuan per kilometer, by the end of the year – 25 yuan, and in January 2026 it reached 40 yuan.
Market players attribute the price increase to the growing shortage of fiber optic cables not only in Russia, but also worldwide. The reason for this is the boom in artificial intelligence, which requires infrastructure development.
Russian manufacturers of optical cable "Eurocable-1" and "Inkab" confirmed the change in suppliers' pricing policy. Telecom market companies also express concerns about the physical availability of fibers in the near future.
As a reminder, the only plant in Russia for the industrial production of optical fiber is JSC "Optical Fiber Systems" from Saransk. Currently, the company's capacity is about 4 million kilometers of fiber per year. Also, by 2027, they planned to build the first plant for the production of components for fiber optic cables, with investments estimated at 20 billion rubles.
