Restrictions on mobile internet in Russia have unexpectedly brought businesses back to an old advertising channel – SMS. When familiar digital tools may not work, companies are increasingly choosing messages that reach phones even without internet access.

The most significant surge occurred in April 2026. MegaFon reported that the volume of advertising SMS increased by 37% year-on-year, and budgets for such mailings grew by an average of 20%. Retail, financial companies, and clothing and footwear manufacturers were the most active users of this channel.

A similar picture was observed at MTS AdTech. In April, the number of launched SMS campaigns increased by 35%, the total volume of messages sent by almost 37%, and the average number of campaigns per platform client increased by 50%. In Moscow and the Central region, growth was 24%, while from January to April, the Northwestern region stood out the most with a 71% increase.

Beeline AdTech did not disclose absolute figures but also noted an increase in demand for SMS mailings during the quarter. Stable dynamics were observed in May, and the positive trend continued in June. T2 declined to comment.

However, the advertising market is not rushing to declare the return of SMS. Mindbox, on the contrary, notes a reduction in integrations or a complete abandonment of the channel by some companies due to its high cost. Over the past year, the service's clients sent 26 times fewer SMS than emails, although messages still have strong delivery rates – 91–96% – and a conversion rate of up to 10%.

The main drawback is the price. One SMS can cost up to 37 rubles for a message 70 characters long. In addition, after operators introduced package tariffs, inter-operator shipments in some cases almost doubled in price.

NMi Digital believes that SMS is more expensive than advertising in messengers and digital channels, and significantly inferior to modern tools in terms of engagement and targeting capabilities. SberMarketing also notes that push notifications are often more profitable for brands: they are cheaper, more flexible, and better suited for personalization.

Therefore, the current growth does not look like a full-fledged revival of SMS advertising, but rather as business insurance in case of internet outages. Companies are not returning to the past permanently – they are simply keeping a channel at hand that works even when online becomes unreliable.