Mobile data and voice tariffs in Russia 2021-2023, by basket

A mobile-data basket of two gigabytes (2 GB) cost around four U.S. dollars per month on average in Russia in 2023, whereas the monthly price of a fixed-broadband basket cost was recorded at approximately 6.2 U.S. dollars. For all baskets, the tariffs were less expensive than in the previous year. 

Determinants of low pricing

One gigabyte of mobile internet in Russia amounted to 0.48 U.S. dollars in 2022, which was one of the lowest prices in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Several factors influence the inexpensive mobile data in Russia, such as the generally lower income of the population and competition among internet providers. At the same time, Russia was one of few CEE countries where mobile internet prices in 2022 grew relative to the previous year, reflecting the impact of Western sanctions and accelerated inflation as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.

How good is the internet in Russia?

In the fixed broadband internet speed ranking, Russia ranked seventh by download speed and fourth by upload speed in the CEE region. More specifically, data downloading in Russia amounted to approximately 69 megabits per second (Mbps) while uploading stood at around 74 Mbps as of May 2022. In terms of mobile broadband internet speed, Russia ranked second last among CEE countries. Data downloading via mobile internet in the country was recorded at approximately 21.2 Mbps, which was more than 74 Mbps lower than the speed of the top performer Bulgaria in May 2022. Furthermore, Russia’s mobile internet ping speed was measured at 33 milliseconds, being the second lowest among CEE countries in 2022. In other words, there was a higher delay in data transmission between sending a signal to a server and receiving a response back than in most other countries in the region.