Russia’s four major operators – MTS, Beeline (VEON), MegaFon and Tele2 Russia – had all asked for the original August 15 date to be put back after FAS gave them just two weeks to end domestic roaming charges.
FAS has now agreed to a four month extension of the deadline, giving the operators until 15 December to comply. All four operators have reportedly agreed to the new deadline, and will also provide the regulator monthly progress reports about efforts to end the charges.
The roaming costs, which see Russian mobile users hit with charges if they travel to regions not covered by their own services provider, have been labelled unfair by FAS, who said they “significantly exceed” the costs of the service.
