The operators saddled the branches – Newspaper Kommersant No. 236 (7437) of 12/20/2022

Mobile operators have more than doubled, up to 74 Mbps, increased the connection speed in the Moscow Metro, according to TelecomDaily. At the same time, the backlog in connection speed of the Wi-Fi network of MaximTelecom from the networks of operators has also almost doubled, and the traffic of the latter has increased by 40-45%. Operators, as a rule, plan construction projects in the subway in advance due to long coordination with the mayor’s office, so they managed to purchase the necessary equipment even before the sanctions, experts explain. In their opinion, in such conditions, Wi-Fi in the subway is becoming less relevant.

“Kommersant” got acquainted with the TelecomDaily report on Internet speed indicators in the capital’s metro in 2022. It follows from it that the average speed of the Internet on hauls has more than doubled, up to 74 Mbps, towards the subscriber (Download). At the end of 2021, the average connection speed in hauls, on the contrary, decreased by 4.5 Mbps, to 31.6 Mbps. (see Kommersant dated December 14, 2021).

The absolute leader in terms of connection speed in the subway in December was Vimpelcom — 100 Mbps. versus 60 Mbps. a year ago. In second place was MegaFon with 90.1 Mbps. (39.5 Mbps), followed by MTS with 89.5 Mbps. (38.5 Mbps). And only in fourth place is the Wi-Fi network of MaximTelecom with 58.2 Mbps. (36 Mbps a year ago). Closes the list of Tele2 with 31.3 Mbps. vs. 12.2 Mbps. a year earlier. Only cellular networks were tested at the stations, the study notes.

TelecomDaily clarified that MaximTelecom’s Wi-Fi network was in last place in terms of connection continuity. At the same time, in terms of average speed on hauls from the user (upload), it turned out to be the leader with 57.7 Mbps, while VimpelCom’s closest competitor has 32.7 Mbps.

MaximaTalecom assured that “they provide Internet speed and connection availability with a margin” in the free Wi-Fi network in the metro: “We continue to develop our network in the metro and improve user experience.”

In 2022, VimpelCom invested 27 billion rubles in the development of networks in Moscow, part of the funds went to communications in the subway, the company explained: “We have improved the continuity of the signal during the movement of trains. To increase the speed of coverage in the tunnels, an additional 237 base stations were launched.” Thanks to the increase in speed, the operator’s traffic in the metro increased by 40% year-on-year, VimpelCom says. MTS reported that metro traffic increased by 45% year-on-year: “The final modernization of the network will end in the fall of 2023.”

Tele2 expanded its network capacity on all metro lines and included previously uncovered sections on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya, Nekrasovskaya, Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya, Kaluga-Rizhskaya, Kalininskaya branches and the Bolshaya Koltsevaya line, the company assured. MegaFon only noted that more than 90% of the operator’s subscribers use mobile Internet in the metro.

Projects for the construction of communication networks in the metro require detailed coordination with the authorities, so operators plan investments in them and purchase equipment in advance, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily: agreed with vendors back in 2021, so the sanctions did not affect.”

For several years, the activity of mobile operators in the Moscow metro was limited by the decision of its administration, which supported MaximTelecom’s Wi-Fi networks, says MForum Analytics analyst Aleksey Boyko. However, due to the increase in the speeds of operators, he believes, the Wi-Fi network “has practically lost its value, many of the users connect to it rather by inertia.”

Timofey Kornev