During summer 2025, Russia witnessed an unexpected rise in SMS traffic for the first time in over a decade, primarily driven by growing mobile internet disruptions. Market sources cited by Izvestia revealed this development.
Data indicates SMS usage grew by 12-15% between June and July 2025 compared to early-year figures, encompassing both automated alerts and personal communications. Mobile operator Megafon reported a 15% surge in subscriber SMS activity, while T-2 noted a more modest 2% increase.
Eldar Murtazin, principal analyst at Mobile Research Group, attributes this shift to unreliable mobile internet connections disrupting push notifications, forcing businesses to revert to SMS systems. For instance, delivery firm DPD introduced SMS-only shipment alerts in late May, abandoning messenger-based notifications. Similarly, mobile payment systems now require SMS confirmations for parking transactions.
Izvestia further reports that Russian consumers purchased twice as many home internet routers during June-July 2025 compared to the previous year, with mobile internet instability being the key motivating factor.