MTS planning to produce 10,000-20,000 base stations per year

MOSCOW. April 9 (Interfax) - Irtea LLC (a subsidiary of MTS, specializing in the production of base stations) plans to produce 10,000-20,000 base stations annually from 2025, MTS President Vyacheslav Nikolaev said.

"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," Nikolaev said at the Telecom 2024 forum organized by the Vedomosti newspaper.

MTS currently has no problems with equipment shortages, he said. "We have enough equipment now, we are building networks, nothing has stopped. We continue to work on import substitution," Nikolaev said.

Megafon CEO Khachatur Pombukhchan, in turn, said that Russian telecom operators have managed to overcome equipment shortage problems.

"I believe that telecom operators have overcome the first two years successfully. You see that we can maintain the network without vendors. Nothing has become worse with communications in Russia, it has become better, it has become faster. And we have learned how to deal with the deficit: about 50% of all network equipment items already have coutnerparts that can be used to replace equipment from manufacturers that no longer operate in Russia. The remaining 50% is probably more about 3G, which is already out of service," he said.

"So the most difficult part is behind us, I don't see any big problems. Local manufacturers are demonstrating better and better equipment, it will be improved constantly, tested on networks, installed and expanded upon," Pombukhchan said.