MTS not expecting significant expenses on 5G in next two years

10:41, 26.11.2019 1 min read

MTS is not planning "significant" capex on developing 5G in Russia in the next two years, company head Alexei Kornya said during the company's Investor Day.

MTS is currently planning capex of 180 billion rubles in 2019-20. The sum could decrease somewhat next year in connection with MTS's exit from Ukraine. These funds are not intended to be used to build 5G networks.

Kornya said that in Russia, the problem of frequencies has yet to be solved, so the operator is not ready to commit funds to developing 5G.

The key range for 5G is 3.4-3.8 GHz, but in Russia it is used by a large number of participants. The matter of clearing the range would be decided by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media and the Defense Ministry.