The Russian government has extended the permission to use optical fiber produced outside the Eurasian Economic Union until June 30, 2027. This allows cable manufacturers to use foreign optical fiber, and the easing of requirements is intended to ensure a smooth transition to full localization of production.
The reason for this is that the only optical fiber plant in the EAEU, "Opticovlokonnye Sistemy" (OVS) in Mordovia, ceased production after equipment damage, CNews reports. Production is not expected to resume before the end of 2027. Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade presented a draft resolution that postpones the requirement to use Russian optical fiber in cables until 2028.
According to government decree No. 1026 of August 19, 2026, the permissible share of foreign components in the cost of optical cable has been increased from 40% to 70%. The return to the 40% standard has been postponed until January 1, 2028.
Dependence on imports of optical fiber itself is close to 100%. After the shutdown of OVS, the market completely switched to Chinese fiber. Approximately 20 Russian cable factories require about 4 million km of fiber per year – the annual capacity of OVS, and demand from drone manufacturers and IT infrastructure construction has led to an increase in global fiber prices.