Almost 71% of Russians have sent text messages in the last six months due to mobile internet restrictions. Brands and commercial companies have also started using SMS mailings. This is confirmed by the results of a survey by the "Anketolog" service, in which more than 2 thousand people participated.
About 82% of respondents stated that they had to use SMS instead of messengers or calls. At the same time, about 16% of them regularly resort to this method of communication due to internet outages. Another 11% connected tariff plans with an increased limit or purchased additional message packages.
Almost half of Russians (48%) noted that over the past six months, the number of incoming SMS has significantly increased. 84% of respondents began to receive messages from brands and commercial companies. Most of them are mailings from banks (70%) and telecom operators (66%). 36% of respondents rated this method of informing negatively, 45% – neutrally, 20% – positively.
Trend analyst Kristina Mishalkina stated that the return of SMS as a communication method is a unique situation. Previously, mobile operators mainly earned money from selling internet traffic, and messages were considered "a relic of the past". But due to restrictions, everything has changed, she concluded.
In the spring of 2026, access to mobile internet began to be restricted in various regions of Russia. Communication outages were also recorded in large cities. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that this is necessary to ensure security.