Russia Has Decided To Limit Connection To 5G Networks
- 19.03.2026, 12:26
This will only be possible through the Russian Grasshopper.
Connection of mobile devices to Russian fifth-generation (5G) networks will be possible only through the domestic encryption algorithm NEA 7 ("Grasshopper"). This follows from the draft requirements for the use of equipment of new generation communication base stations developed by the Ministry of Digitization, which was familiarized by "Izvestia". Foreign algorithms - European SNOW, American AES and Chinese ZUC - can be used in the transition period, which will last until 2032, although before that the Ministry of Digital Communications allowed equal use of domestic and foreign solutions.
Encryption algorithms remain one of the most acute problems in the deployment of 5G networks in Russia, said market participants interviewed by the publication. According to them, the use of exclusively Russian algorithm will lead to the fact that the fifth generation networks will be almost impossible to deploy, and it will be extremely difficult to find smartphones compatible with them. While it is technically possible to integrate domestic solutions into network equipment, it is unlikely to convince global smartphone manufacturers to use them without formal fixation in international standards, said one of Izvestia's interlocutors.
The standard for fifth-generation networks was developed 10 years ago and no Russian company took part in it, so encryption algorithms were agreed upon without Russia, said ComNews Research partner Leonid Konik. "You can demand as much as you want from foreign manufacturers of network and user equipment to add GOST encryption, but hardly anyone will go for it. The Russian Federation accounts for no more than 2% of the world market of cellular communication services and mobile devices, and for the sake of such an insignificant share no one will make efforts," the expert noted.
The lack of smartphones capable of working in Russian 5G networks will lead to the fact that subscribers will have to make do with 3G or LTE services, says Denis Kuskov, general director of TelecomDaily. According to him, this will lead to limited access to fast Internet, and some applications in the future may be developed specifically for 5G networks.
The Ministry of Digitization said that the use of a domestic encryption algorithm is necessary to ensure security. At the moment, the ministry, together with law enforcement agencies, is working on the possibility of supporting foreign crypto-defense algorithms for 5G base stations to speed up the launch of next-generation networks. "At the same time, domestic cryptocurrencies should become a priority in the future," the Ministry emphasized.