Phone numbers of Russian mobile operators by region - list of codes

In Russia, three companies stand out among mobile operators - MTS, Megafon, Beeline. They have the largest number of subscribers. The remaining mobile operators have significantly fewer clients and are represented only in certain regions of the Russian Federation. Popular operators, but not included in the “Big Three”, can be called Tele2, Rostelecom, Smarts. The total number of active cellular operators in Russia is more than a hundred. Some regional operators are subsidiaries of large Russian ones in Tula, and Belgorod Cellular Communications belongs to Tele2.

Determine operator, region and city by cell number

List of codes

List of involved mobile codes:

900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999

Operator and region by phone number:

Operator by code:

Of the 100 possible cellular codes, 79 are used and 21 are free. Free codes: 907, 935, 940, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 957, 959, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976 , 979, 990, 998. They are in reserve and do not yet belong to any operator. The Big Three operators own entire series of numbers:

• MTS - 910..919, 980..989 (26 codes in total);
• MegaFon - 920..929, 930..939 (25 codes in total);
• Beeline - 902..906, 960..969 (24 codes in total).

See also operator codes by region and other operator codes:

• Rostelecom - 901, 902, 912, 930, 939, 955, 958, 970, 971, 991, 992, 993 (12 codes in total);
• Tele 2 - 900, 901 ... 996, 999 (19 codes in total);
• MTT - 901, 904 ... 996, 999 (36 codes in total);
• Tinkoff Mobile - 995 (1 code);
• SberMobile - 901, 930 ... 995, 996 (14 codes in total).

Mobile operators of Russia

In 2021, according to Rossvyaz, more than 80 companies are registered that provide cellular communication services in Russia. Many cellular operators in Russia are public and provide communication services to the population on a commercial basis. Any citizen can become their client. Small operators were created exclusively to provide cellular communications between employees of government organizations and institutions. An ordinary citizen cannot become their client.

There are four major cellular operators: MTS (Mobile TeleSystems), Beeline (Vympel-Communications), Megafon, Tele2 (T2-Mobile). They have the largest number of subscribers and operate in all regions of the country (Tele2 operates in most regions). In some regions of the country, coverage is provided by renting a network of local operators. In the 2000s, the name “Big Three” (MTS + Beeline + Megafon) was popular; in recent years, the concept of “Big Four”, which included Tele2, has been used more often.

Currently, the owner of Tele2 Russia is Rostelecom.

Other cellular companies have a much smaller customer base and coverage area in the Russian Federation. Among them are the famous SberMobile, Rostelecom, Yota. The latter was previously known as an Internet provider with a 4G network in Moscow, but since 2014 it has been actively advertised as a new cellular player. In October 2013, MegaFon completely acquired Scartel/Yota, which holds 4G/LTE licenses. Since September 2021, Yaroslavl-GSM JSC has been merged with MegaFon PJSC.

At the end of 2021, a new cellular operator Tinkoff Mobile was added. The operator was created in partnership with Tele2: it works as a virtual operator and uses the technical equipment of Tele2. The operator is related to Tinkoff Bank and is actively advertised by it.

In 2021, SberMobile, a mobile operator from Sberbank, launched. Licenses were received back in 2021, in fact, advertising began in 2021, the operator’s services became available to any Russian.

Popular mobile operators

We consider popular mobile operators to be: 1) operators with the largest subscriber base, 2) operators that advertise frequently and are actively increasing their subscriber base.

* Information on the number of subscribers is taken from official company reports. Last data check - early 2021.

List of all mobile operators

We list all mobile operators in alphabetical order, indicating the codes and the number of telephone numbers allocated to the operator. The allocated numbers constitute the number of numbers that the operator can use. It does not mean the actual number of subscribers of the company.

In Crimea, cellular communication services were provided by Ukrainian operators, whose mobile numbers corresponded to the Ukrainian numbering system (+380 ХХХ ХХХ ХХ ХХ). After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, there were no technical capabilities to quickly switch to Russian operators and switch to the +79xx number format. Organizational and legal issues also arose. The transition process took a long time, new codes were allocated. Until now, in the Crimea, a number of services of cellular operators are provided with restrictions.

In the early to mid-2000s, there was an active attraction of new numbers due to the rapid emergence of new subscribers. Operators' ranges were expanded and new codes and series of codes were issued. Now there is an increase in the number of registered numbers among subscribers due to the use of SIM cards in various devices - phones, smartphones, tablets, routers. Up to 3-5 registered numbers per subscriber is the norm. Thus, the trend of increasing the number of numbers remains, so new numbers and codes are used.

Which operators work in the Russian Federation

In terms of the number of connected subscribers, the leaders in the telecommunications services market are 4 companies. It is these providers who own the largest number of towers, which indicates the largest coverage area. Thanks to a colossal range of services and favorable tariff plans, more and more subscribers are connecting to these operators.

Among the four leaders in the mobile communications market are:

1. MTS company. This service provider is among the world's leading mobile operators. The number of subscribers using MTS services exceeds 100 million. A distinctive feature of this provider is the largest retail network, numbering almost 6 thousand retail outlets.
2. Megaphone. This operator has about 76 million Russian subscribers. A variety of offers are designed for various categories of subscribers, including pensioners and schoolchildren. SIM cards from this operator are very popular in South Ossetia, Tajikistan and Abkhazia. This provider positions itself as the provider of the fastest Internet for mobile devices.
3. Beeline. The number of subscribers connected to the network of this company in Russia exceeds 60 million. Beeline also has the largest number of partner countries in roaming. This advantage allows subscribers of this operator to receive additional benefits from cellular and Internet services.
4. Tele2. This operator has only recently taken its place in the top four and has only 40 million subscribers. The bulk of users are in the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions. This company has a large number of towers, by the number of which it ranks 3rd in the Russian Federation. The distinctive qualities of this provider are the high speed of the Internet connection, as well as the low cost of tariffs with access to the global network.

The user needs to study the capabilities of each provider and weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of tariff plans. Choosing the optimal service provider must take into account your personal needs and interests.

Mobile number format

Mobile operators in Russia have telephone codes in the 9xx format. Telephone numbers of mobile operators are ten-digit and start with +79xx or 89xx. A common option for recording a Russian mobile phone number is: +7 (9хх) ххх-хх-хх. If a call is made from abroad to a mobile phone of a Russian operator, then the number is dialed from +7. Since mobile codes are not tied to a specific geographic location (unlike landline codes), they are also called non-geographic dialing codes or def codes.

In total, cellular operators can use 100 codes: from 900 to 999. Currently, 79 codes are used, 21 codes are in reserve. Select the code of interest from the list to view detailed information: names of mobile operators, regions of presence of operators, volume and range of allocated telephone numbers.

Changing operator while maintaining number

In Russia, until the spring of 2014, subscribers had to change their phone number when changing mobile operators. Subscribers who did not want to part with their usual number were forced to stay with the old operator. Thus, they were tied to him and were "in bondage." In the USA, Canada, and a number of European countries, the concept of “mobile slavery” has long been gone - people can change their mobile operator while keeping their phone number. Now this exists in Russia too. Since April 2014, when it was about, subscribers can switch from one mobile operator to another, leaving behind their favorite phone number.

This fact means that it is not always possible to unambiguously determine the mobile operator by phone number. Electronic directories, balance replenishment terminals, cellular payment sites and other services may display inaccurate information, since it is often shown based on a table of codes corresponding to operators. For example, a subscriber with a phone number at +7 (903) xxx-xx-xx moved from Beeline to MTS, and the terminal, when replenishing the balance, can identify the number as belonging to Beeline. It is worth noting that changing a mobile operator in Russia is not widespread, so determining an operator by mobile phone number or code is generally correct and is in demand.

See also how to call from abroad and how to call emergency services.

Information about Russian mobile operator codes is presented based on open data from Rossvyaz. The date for updating the codes on the website “kodificator.ru” is 02/18/2020.

What is a cell phone number

A ten-digit identifier consisting of a provider code and a unique set of numbers is a mobile phone number. In the international format there is also a country index (for Russia +7). Def codes (operator identifiers) consist of three digits; numbering starts from nine. These are non-geographic telephone indexes, thanks to which it is possible to determine the subscriber's communication service provider, but companies no longer have a monopoly on them. You can switch, for example, from MTS to Megafon while maintaining the same set of numbers.

The transfer service is still available to a small number of people, and it is still possible to find out where an unknown person is calling from. For the same reason, number codes of Russian mobile operators remain in demand. Def are not considered classified information and are located in open databases. They encode not only information about the provider, but also about the region in which the number is registered (within a range of regions, and not a specific city or region).

• Nizoral cream
• What to eat to strengthen your immunity to coronavirus
• Pension for a disabled child: benefits and amount of benefits

Mobile operator codes

The Federal Communications Agency (Rossvyaz) distributes codes for Russian cellular operators. A table with a list of def identifiers is posted on the official website of the institution and is updated regularly. It is available for download to any Internet user. To make your search easier, you can enter the code into a special form on the website and quickly find information about the corresponding network provider and region.

Russian cellular companies

The leaders of the list are Megafon, MTS and Beeline. Besides them, there are other companies in the TOP. The most popular mobile operators in Russia:

• Megaphone. A leading company covering all regions of the Russian Federation, as well as the republics of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Tajikistan. Megafon's subscriber base includes more than 75 million active numbers. This is a leader in providing mobile Internet.
• MTS. Belongs to the list of leading providers. Provides high quality voice communication services, cable television, and Internet access. Has its own retail network.
• Beeline. A brand owned by, which is part of a concern that serves more than 235 million subscribers. The company provides a wide selection of tariffs and high-quality coverage.
• TELE 2. The work of this group of companies is highly appreciated by users. It serves more than 38.9 million subscribers.
• Iota. It has gained popularity as an innovative company providing voice mobile communication services and high-speed 4G Internet.
• Rostelecom. Leader in providing cable television and broadband Internet access. Reviews about the quality of the services provided are positive, but many clients criticize the work of technical support.
• MTT. Large cellular provider. Serves 2 million subscribers.

• How to Get Rid of Parasites Hiding in Your Guts
• Cancellation of pension indexation in February and April 2021
• 10 Signs You Have Low Testosterone