The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has identified specific telecommunications equipment subject to a new mandatory non-tax technology fee. The list includes base stations, switches, routers, and data transmission hardware. This fee applies to both manufacturers and importers of electronics and electronic components.
The implementation of the fee will be phased, starting December 1, 2026. Initially, the payment will only apply to smartphones and laptops. As of October 15, the fee is set at 250 ₽ per smartphone and 500 ₽ per laptop, provided the devices are registered in the Chestny Znak marking system.
The fee structure includes a 33% reduction for registered products and a 33% increase for those lacking such data. For unregistered devices, the cost rises to approximately 496 ₽ per smartphone and 992 ₽ per laptop. The government aims to synchronize this fee with existing industrial localization lists.
Industry representatives express concerns regarding the financial impact on operators and potential price hikes for budget-segment hardware. Experts suggest that the fee could pressure capital expenditures, potentially affecting the modernization timelines for corporate networks and data centers.
