Russia’s communications market could shrink by up to 3% this year if the industry does not receive emergency state support.
Quoting Oleg Ivanov, the deputy head of the Ministry of Communications, speaking during a Vedomosti online conference, Kommersant reports that the belief that telcos have gained significantly during the pandemic have not been confirmed.
The negative outlook is based on the fact that revenues from roaming had practically disappeared, mobile retail sales were down by 33% and network expenses increased sharply.
Opinions within the industry are divided, with VimpelCom and ER-Telekom predicting a fall in revenues and Tele2 being more optimistic.
The Russian telco market grew by 2.1% to reach R1.73 trillion (€22.48 billion) in 2019.
