Megafon Signs Contract to Deploy 1,500 Russian-Made Base Stations from YADRO
Megafon will procure 1,500 base stations from Russian manufacturer YADRO, marking another major step in the sector’s transition to domestic telecom infrastructure. The equipment supports GSM and LTE and is designed with a scalable architecture ready for 5G deployment.
Import Substitution Accelerates
Russia’s leading telecom operators continue shifting toward network equipment produced domestically. Import substitution is not limited to replacing older infrastructure; it is intended to create a modernization foundation for long-term development. Megafon is following that roadmap. The operator announced a contract for the supply of 1,500 base stations from YADRO, a company within the ICS Holding group.
A Two-Stage Supply Agreement
The agreement details a two-phase delivery model, with Megafon receiving 750 base stations in each stage. The shipments include all required components: the YADRO NMS management suite, controllers and supporting modules needed to ensure stable network performance.
The stations support GSM (2G) and LTE (4G). The absence of 3G is intentional rather than a technical limitation. Operators view 3G as obsolete and have been phasing it out in favor of more efficient standards. The hardware architecture is built with full readiness for future 5G rollout.
Fully Certified Domestic Equipment
Megafon highlights that YADRO’s equipment has passed certification and is included in the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s registry of Russian industrial products. The telecom hardware meets regulatory requirements and can be adapted to diverse deployment environments, from dense urban areas to remote regions.
“And equipment from YADRO is approaching the quality level required for carrier-grade networks. Direct access to the developer, combined with a production and engineering base inside Russia, enables flexible configuration for the operator’s network architecture. We plan a thorough evaluation of the stations under various scenarios to confirm their scalability and real-world adaptability,” said Andrey Konstantinov, Director of Strategic Infrastructure Planning at Megafon.
YADRO representatives also expressed confidence in the performance of their hardware under field conditions.
“The contract with Megafon confirms the maturity of our hardware-software platform and demonstrates that a domestically produced base station can deliver the stability, security and performance required by one of the largest operators in the country,” added Yulia Klebanova, Head of Telecom Development at YADRO.
Growing Demand for Russian-Made Base Stations
Throughout the year, Megafon has replaced multiple infrastructure components with domestic solutions. For example, the operator upgraded DWDM multiplexers to improve flexibility and reliability on Far Eastern backbone routes and deployed Russian CGNAT systems to accelerate user access to online services.
YADRO’s production base is located in Dubna near Moscow. The plant, launched in 2023, provides a complete manufacturing cycle, including a testing zone, surface-mount PCB lines and conveyor assembly. In 2024 the company announced plans to invest 10 billion rubles in further site development.
Another supplier, Bulat (owned by Rostelecom), has also begun delivering its first base stations. By early November, about 1,000 Bulat stations were active across various regions.
Irteya, whose controlling stake is owned by MTS, is expanding its base-station production as well. In June 2025 the company unveiled Russia’s first 5G-compatible base station.
The contract between Megafon and YADRO is clearly not an isolated case. The Russian telecom industry is entering a phase of mass transition to domestically produced base stations. If the equipment proves its reliability in live networks, it will accelerate broader deployment and strengthen the country’s technological sovereignty. Moreover, Russia may eventually shift from being a major importer of network equipment to becoming an exporter.
High-quality Russian devices are likely to find buyers in friendly international markets.
