Three sources in Russia’s telecom industry told the Russian business news outlet RBC that the deadline for introducing an additional charge for mobile data consumption of more than 15 gigabytes of international traffic per month would be delayed.
Two of them said the deadline was being discussed for a period “closer to fall.” A third said the additional charge had been postponed until after elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, scheduled for September 18–20.
Sources told the Russian business daily Kommersant that the authorities were not planning to introduce the additional charge for international traffic before the fall State Duma elections. No document specifying a timeline for the charge or setting out operators’ obligations currently exists, the sources said.
A source told the business magazine Forbes Russia also that the decision would be put off until fall. A second source said the launch of the international traffic charge would likely be delayed until the end of the year because of the technical complexity of implementing such a system.
In late March, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev convened a meeting with mobile carriers and digital platforms and asked them to take measures against the use of VPN services. Among the options discussed, according to reports, was a charge for consuming more than 15 gigabytes of international traffic per month. Carriers treat VPN traffic as international traffic.
BBC Russia reported that Russians could be required to pay roughly 150 rubles for each additional gigabyte of mobile VPN traffic.
The measures were initially set to take effect by May 1. As the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported, some Russian carriers were unable to configure their systems and tariffs in time. That deadline was later pushed to June 1.
In Russia, demand for VPNs surged sharply following the blocking of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram. In response, Russian authorities intensified their efforts to combat the circumvention of these blocks. For example, by mid-April, major Russian internet platforms, at the authorities’ request, restricted the ability to use their sites and apps while connected to a VPN.
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