UrBC, Moscow, December 20, 2018. The bill On Changes in Articles 46, 54 of the Federal Communications Act was adopted by the State Duma in the third reading this week. Under the new changes, mobile carriers will now charge their customers the same amount of money regardless of which part of Russia the user is currently in.

According to the lawmakers behind the bill, the national roaming, that is, charging mobile connection users more or less depending on which federal constituency (their ‘home’ one or otherwise) they are in is ‘essentially a very outdated practice that prevents communication services from becoming more affordable throughout Russia.’ Inside-Russia roaming is seen as ‘an extra source of income for the mobile carriers.’

It is also stated that the no-national-roaming principle will boost the communication market development, make mobile connection users more proactive, and enhance transparency in the sector through making the carriers’ pricing policies clearer to customers.