Mobile communication in Russia has started to become more expensive, Izvestia writes. Several operators announced changes in tariff costs. MegaFon increased prices for some plans by approximately 14% from July 26, Beeline increased prices by 12% from July 1, and from July 28, changes will affect some VTB Mobile services. The Federal Antimonopoly Service is already checking how justified these changes are.

The changes mostly affected old tariffs that new customers can no longer connect to. For example, Beeline's package costing 1,000 rubles increased to 1,120 rubles. MegaFon also reported that they are adjusting the cost of archived tariffs that have not changed for a long time.

Operators link the price increase to the need to develop networks, purchase and maintain equipment, pay for electricity and other resources. MegaFon noted that these costs are directly related to maintaining communication quality and further developing telecom infrastructure. At the same time, for VTB Mobile, the changes will affect less than 1% of customers – the company revised a number of archived tariffs for the first time in six years.

Experts believe that the price increase is due to several factors: increased operator costs, the need for network modernization, equipment procurement, and compliance with new security requirements. According to Oleg Yablokov, an NTI expert in wireless communication, the increase could affect up to 25% of subscribers, primarily users of old tariff plans.

At the same time, communication costs in Russia remain among the lowest in the world, the Ministry of Digital Development stated. The agency emphasized that any increase must be justified, and prices for telecom services are under control along with the FAS.