A dispute between banks and operators over call labeling may affect customers and military personnel.
Telecom operators and major Russian banks continue the dispute over payment for mandatory call tagging. MTS, Megaphone, Beeline and T2 warned the credit institutions about possible blocking of unmarked calls. In an agreement with the Ministry for Digital Development, the introduction of the restrictions was postponed until November 13.
Tagging of calls from legal entities and individual entrepreneurs is valid from September 1, 2025. However, the issue of cost allocation remains controversial. The operators charge an average of 30 kopecks per call attempt, regardless of the fact of the connection. According to market participants, the costs of one large bank can reach a billion rubles a year, the entire sector - up to 20 billion.
The banks believe that the law requires the operators to provide labeling, but does not establish an unconditional obligation for the credit institutions to pay for it under the proposed conditions. The National Council for the Financial Market contacted the FAS, seeing signs of abuse of a dominant position in the operations of the operators.
As Reedus points out, the consequences of a possible blockade may affect not only the banks, but also their customers. We are talking about the risks of unavailability of calls about accounts and transfers, warnings about suspicious transactions and other important messages. The publication pays special attention to military personnel in the Northern Military District region, where, due to limited access to the Internet, regular telephone communication may remain the only way to quickly solve financial problems and communicate with family.
Even when we discussed the labeling mechanism, the representatives of the State Duma expressed different assessments regarding its effectiveness and risks:
- Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Sergey Boyarsky warned against the insufficient development of the new mechanism and the possibility of its use by fraudsters.