Communication (Belarusian market)

Cellular communications (Belarusian market)

Main article: Cellular communications (Belarusian market)

History

2024: Telecommunications market growth by 7.1% to 4.98 billion Belarusian rubles

In 2024, the costs of the telecommunications market in Belarus reached 4.98 billion Belarusian rubles (about $1.52 billion at the exchange rate as of July 1, 2025). This is 7.1% more than in the previous year, when the sector was estimated at 4.65 billion Belarusian rubles. Such indicators are given in the Nexign review, which TAdviser got acquainted with in early July 2025.

Analysts note that the telecom sector of Belarus is showing steady growth, characterized by improving the quality of communication services, expanding networks/ 4G, developing LTE digital services and preparing for the introduction of new technologies, including 5G. The main sources of income are cellular communications and data services, which in 2024 accounted for 27% and 52% of the total market volume, respectively.

The total number of cellular subscribers in the republic at the end of 2024 was 11.88 million, of which more than 8.4 million used mobile Internet. The mobile penetration rate reaches 129.3 subscribers per 100 people of the population (some residents own several SIM cards). Cellular communications cover 99.3% of the country, which is home to 99.9% of the population. By 2030, it is planned to cover 99% of the country with 4G networks.

The study says that Belarus is actively working to launch 5G services. Their deployment is planned to be carried out according to the model of a single infrastructure operator with the inclusion of the existing 4G network. The 5G platform will be shared by regional mobile operators, while the customer of the work and the investor will be Belarusian Cloud Technologies LLC (beCloud). At the first stage, the 5G network will cover 70% of the territory of Minsk, and until 2034 it will cover the whole of Belarus. After the launch of 5G, a fourth mobile operator may appear in the country - from Beltelecom (it received a license for the right to provide cellular services in 2022).

Belarus, as noted in the study, became the first country in the world to introduce "basic tariffs": from April 1, 2025, the country's mobile operators are required to offer tariff plans with a basic volume of cellular services. It is expected that this initiative will help increase the availability of mobile communications, including in rural areas. The profitability of such tariffs is limited for the operator - no more than 25% of the cost of services.

The largest player in the telecom market of Belarus is SOOO Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) with revenue of 1.79 billion Belarusian rubles ($0.55 billion) in 2024. In second place is UP "A1" (JSC "A1 Group") with 1.58 billion Belarusian rubles ($0.48 billion), and closes the top three RUEs of telecommunications "Beltelecom" with 1.08 billion Belarusian rubles ($0.33 billion). Next comes the Belarusian Communications Network CJSC (BeST; brand life:)) with a result of 175.5 million Belarusian rubles ($53.63 million).

The report says that the active introduction of domestic software and open source products continues in Belarus, which is associated with the general strategy of digital sovereignty. Companies and government agencies are required to switch to local or import-independent IT solutions, thereby stimulating demand for new technologies and local developments. In addition, projects of the state program "Electronic Belarus" are being implemented, aimed at creating a single information space of the country. Local operators should annually direct 20% of the net profit from the implementation of mobile communications services to finance state projects for the development of networks and digitalization. One of the significant tools to support the digitalization of the economy is artificial intelligence.^[1]

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