FAS Clears Russian Operators on 'Unlimited' Internet Claims Despite Speed Throttling to 128 Kbit/s
The Federal Antimonopoly Service has decided not to pursue complaints against Russian mobile operators over their marketing of unlimited internet and roaming access without restrictions.
The Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers filed the complaint, highlighting that operators Vimpelcom, MegaFon, MTS, and T2 Mobile advertise unlimited plans while imposing speed limits of 128-512 Kbit/s once initial high-speed traffic volumes are exhausted. Additional data packages must sometimes be purchased to restore normal speeds, although the connection itself is never fully disconnected.
According to the association, this practice turns activities such as video streaming, file downloads, and access to many websites into slow, frustrating experiences resembling a meditation session with a progress bar. Operators defend the use of the term unlimited by noting the absence of any overall data volume cap; only connection speed changes, with all conditions clearly stated in service descriptions.
T2 Mobile specifically stated that 128 Kbit/s remains sufficient for messaging apps and social networks. The complainants reject the FAS position and plan to seek a substantive review of the matter.
Legal experts point out that the service examined only pages containing technical parameters, while the original complaint also covered banners, promotional news items, search advertising, SMS messages, and push notifications. These additional materials could potentially qualify as advertising under Russian law, yet they received no separate assessment.
As a result, the label unlimited continues to apply even when speeds drop to near-obsolete levels, provided the connection remains technically active. Whether such access meets practical user needs appears to remain a secondary consideration for regulators.
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