Russia rolls out long-delayed 5G, but not for iPhones

Vanguard News | 11-09-2026 02:38pm |

Russia announced on Friday that it was rolling out its long-delayed 5G mobile network, but said iPhone users would be unable to connect until Apple coordinated the move with Moscow. The government first announced plans for 5G internet in 2019, but Russia's Security Council blocked the move over concerns it would overlap with frequencies used by military and security agencies, according to Russian media reports. The rollout comes amid widespread frustration in Russia over repeated internet blackouts introduced to counter Ukrainian drones, which authorities say use mobile internet to navigate. Russia's digital ministry said 5G services have gone live in 16 cities, providing approximately 10 million people with access to high-speed fifth-generation mobile internet.

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