Vimpelcom plans to occupy 25% of the market of virtual mobile communications operators

Vimpelcom plans to occupy 25% of the virtual telecom market (MVNO) by 2028, which now occupies less than 1%. She calculates this due to new projects in banking MVNO, joint projects with Internet providers and increasing investment in the development of the network by 15%. Now more than half of the market is occupied by operators working on the T2 network, and Kommersant’s interlocutors believe that the boat of virtual operators is not yet expected in Russia.

By 2028, Vimpelcom intends to occupy 25% of the market of virtual mobile communications operators, Kommersant said Sergey Bykov vice president of the operator business. According to him, Vimpelcom intends to cooperate with key players of the banking sector, retail and technological industry, as well as work according to the “partnership convergent” scheme-interaction with Internet providers, when the latter offer subscribers to broadband access services (APPD), and a mobile operator-mobile services under another brand. “This approach will strengthen the MVNO market, expand the client base and strengthen the integration of telecom services into related industries,” said Mr. Bykov.

According to him, in Russia 400-600 APD operators work and many of them are interested in adding a mobile connection to their services. To achieve a share of 25% of the market, says Sergey Bykov, the company plans to increase investments in expanding its own network by 15%. He refused to disclose a specific amount of investment. Earlier, Vedomosti wrote that the virtual operator of Alfa-Bank would start on the networks of Vimpelcom.

Now, according to the general director of the Analytical Agency of Telecomdaily Denis Kuskov, Vimpelcom occupies less than 1% of the MVNO market.

According to the agency, 40% of the market subscribers in Yota (operating on MegaFon network), another 27% of T-Mobail (on the T2 and MTS network), 15% of the RTK (on the T2 network), 6% of Sbermobail (on the T2 and Megafon network).

In total, according to Telecomdaily, MVNO last year 4% of the mobile market with 10 million active SIM cards and the same share in money with 38 billion rubles occupied. MVNO revenue in 2023 increased by 17%, and growth was primarily associated with an increase in the client base of telecom operators included in the banking structures. Vimpelcom estimates the share of MVNO subscribers at 9–10% of the mobile communications market (7.9% in 2023) and predict that it will grow by 2028 to 13-15%.

“We join new partnerships and expand the presence in the market,” they say “Kommersant” in T2. According to the company representative, more than 25 operators operate on their networks, and according to the results of 2024, it discusses 54% of virtual operators in the Russian market: “We offer partners digital products of Rostelecom Group of Companies: not only mobile communications, but beams, MIXX multi-subscription and WINK online cinema”.

MTS believes that MVNO is a “niche story”, since such operators are not able to develop technologically, since they work on the infrastructure of the classic operator of communication. “Practice shows that today MVNO mass cases have only banks that offer integrated services within the framework of ecosystems,” the company says. The Megafon refused to comment.

“In order for MVNO to profit, you need to be able to work with this market. So far, only T2 is able in Russia. They approached this not as a project, but as an operating activity, putting it on a stream, ”explains the independent telecom-analyst Alexei Skyukin.“ If Vimpelcom decided to do this, then he has good chances. ” Its advantage is a greater coating, and T2 still has a federal coating. ” However, the source of Kommersant, however, does not agree with the telecom market, which doubts the possibilities of Vimpelcom to occupy a quarter of the MVNO market: “Plans are unrealistic due to the existing distribution of the market in which two players are the leaders, and also the MVNO boat is not expected.”

Alexey Zhabin