In Short:
Russian company Irteya, a subsidiary of MTS, plans to start producing 4G LTE and 5G base stations this year, with production expected to reach 10,000-20,000 units annually by 2025. They will be adopting OpenRAN architecture and partnering with the Advanced Technologies fund. Russian operators like MTS and Megafon aim to use domestic technology exclusively by 2028, with about half of network equipment already being Russian-made.
Russian company Irteya, a subsidiary of the operator MTS, has announced plans to commence production of 4G LTE and 5G base stations in the current year. According to a report by TelecomTalk, Irteya had initially intended to manufacture the equipment at a plant belonging to Tomsk-based company Mikran, but a decision was made to shift production to its own facilities, with preparations already underway as per a report from Vedomosti.
Joint Production Plans
The production collaboration will involve partners, as mentioned by MTS in a recent statement. Following the investment by Advanced Technologies fund in January 2024, production of base stations is expected to kick off in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of this year.
Irteya aims to manufacture 10,000-20,000 base stations annually starting from 2025, with partner investments exceeding 4 billion rubles by 2027.
At the Telecom 2024 forum organized by Vedomosti, MTS stated, “This year we have already built several hundred base stations; we will reach 10,000-20,000 starting next year. We will produce 10,000-20,000 per year.”
OpenRAN Architecture Adoption
Irteya is set to develop 4G/5G mobile base stations utilizing OpenRAN open architecture. The roadmap outlines the start of serial production of base stations in September 2024, aiming to scale production up to 20,000 units per year by June 2026.
Russian Telecom’s Transformation
By the end of December 2022, Russian operators including Tele2 Russia, Beeline, Megafon, and MTS have inked contracts with local manufacturers for base stations. The plan is to have Russian telecom equipment in commercial operation by 2025, with complete transition to Russian base stations by 2028.
Currently, about half of the network equipment used by telecom operators in Russia is of domestic origin. The remaining 50 percent mainly consists of 3G base stations, which are expected to be phased out gradually, as stated by operator Megafon.
