The number of mobile phone calls increased by a third after restrictions in messengers

Blocking calls to Telegram and WhatsApp (part of Meta, the organization is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) has influenced Russians to call each other more often on regular mobile numbers. As the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia, in August, the growth of voice traffic in communication networks was about 20-30%.

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Instant messenger calls were relevant for those who communicated with subscribers in other cities or countries.

The data on the growth in demand for telephony was confirmed in T2. After the partial restriction of calls in messengers (Roskomnadzor officially announced this on August 13), voice traffic increased by 9% on average in Russia, and in some regions this figure is up to 30%, Daria Kolesnikova, a representative of the operator, told Izvestia. The company did not specify how the traffic structure (local, long-distance and international calls) has changed.

Mobile voice traffic in Russia has been steadily falling under the pressure of messengers so far. According to Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research, over the past decade and a half, people have become accustomed not only to chatting in messengers, but also to calling through them even within the same city. Initially, this method of communication was used to save on roaming charges or calls abroad.

"With the blocking of voice calls in messengers, some of the traffic (primarily local, that is, within the city or region) returned to cellular networks. Operators have long become unaccustomed to such loads, and the networks are clearly unable to cope, although 15 years ago this happened only on New Year's Eve," he said.

TelecomDaily estimates that phone traffic in Russia has increased by 15-20% over the past two weeks, with 40% of these calls being long—distance and international. It is logical to assume that with an increase in traffic, citizens' communication costs may also increase. According to Denis Kuskov, by the end of the year, subscribers' communication costs may increase by about 7%, and for active users of long—distance calls - up to 500 rubles per month.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Call attempted: the number of mobile phone calls increased by a third after restrictions in messengers