Starting September 1, 2026, new rules for mobile number portability came into effect in Russia: subscribers can keep their old number when moving to another region and switch to a local tariff plan without changing their number, including when changing telecom operators. The document was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and published on the official portal of legal information.
To keep the number, the subscriber simply needs to submit an application to their operator. The government emphasized that the development of the number portability procedure is provided for by the strategy for the development of the communications industry until 2035. The new measure should make communication services more flexible and convenient, as well as strengthen competition in the market.
The possibility of inter-regional number portability was discussed back in 2022. At that time, proponents of the idea pointed out that in most countries, such a service operates without territorial restrictions. Now Russian subscribers have gained the same freedom.