Russian carriers start blocking unlabeled mass business calls

Russian mobile operators have begun blocking mass and automated calls from legal entities and individual entrepreneurs that have not signed contracts for mandatory call labeling, Kommersant reported, citing market participants. Megafon and VimpelCom confirmed the blocking.

Mandatory call labeling has been in effect since September 2025: incoming calls must display the company name or entrepreneur's details, as well as the call category, on the phone screen. To enable the service, businesses must sign a separate contract with their operator.

Among the "big four" operators — MTS, Beeline, Megafon and T2 — labeling costs an average of 30 kopecks per call attempt. The fee is charged regardless of whether the connection is established. The cost is borne by the company initiating the call; the service is free for the receiving subscriber.

Megafon told the newspaper that it blocks detected mass calls without the required contracts. The operator noted that since the start of 2026 it has recorded a 155% increase in calls "with signs of mass distribution" and reminded that such calls without a contract are considered illegal. VimpelCom (Beeline) said it "consistently fulfills the requirements of legislation on call labeling" and had warned corporate clients in advance about the new requirements.

T2 said that 99.9% of corporate clients conducting mass call campaigns have signed labeling contracts. The operator reportedly does not block other calls, but redirects the most active spammers' calls to a voice assistant. MTS declined to comment.

Mandatory labeling was intended to serve as an additional barrier against phone fraudsters. However, some banks have not signed contracts with operators: in January 2026, calls from Sber, VTB and Alfa-Bank ceased to carry the "bank" label.

Market participants believe that the fee for each call attempt makes cheap mass calling economically unviable, while labeling and call verification become a new source of revenue for operators. Earlier, the costs for Russian businesses to comply with the requirements were estimated at more than 20 billion rubles.