Digital Ministry proposes disconnecting smartphones not registered through Gosuslugi...
The Digital Ministry proposes disconnecting smartphones that have not been registered through Gosuslugi from mobile networks
The ministry is preparing a requirement for mandatory IMEI registration for smartphones brought into Russia without customs clearance, RBC reports, citing sources.
The Digital Ministry explained that the requirement would apply to people who bought a phone abroad and brought it into the country themselves, or purchased a counterfeit device. Smartphones could be registered on Gosuslugi within two weeks.
If owners decline to register them, these devices will not be serviced on networks once the prescribed period expires,
the Digital Ministry said.
Devices that were operating on Russian networks before April 2027 will continue to work without registration, regardless of how they were imported.
Two RBC sources suggested that owners would have to pay to register their “gray market” devices. The new version of the decree allows for this.
The requirement will not affect retail sales: officially imported devices are entered into the database automatically.
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Phone Service Comes With Registration Conditions
The ministry proposes disconnecting some imported smartphones unless their owners register them.
Register the phone with the state before making a call.