Russia has begun providing 4G mobile communications to the Taliban in Afghanistan

Russian telecommunications equipment developer STC Proteus has installed its own hardware and software complex, the core of the 4G mobile network, at base stations in four regions of Afghanistan, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reports.

The development of the base station core cost approximately 2 billion rubles ($25 million). The installation of this equipment will provide mobile communications to up to 10 million subscribers in Afghanistan, where more than 44 million people live.

The costs are expected to be returned to Russia by 2029 in the form of taxes.

After the Taliban terrorist organization seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, leading international companies, including Ericsson and Nokia, left the country's market due to sanctions.

Chinese giants Huawei and ZTE have also restricted their operations in the country. Against this backdrop, Russian involvement in the Afghan telecom sector has grown significantly.

The Kremlin's gradual rapprochement with the Taliban, which the Russian Federation has removed from its list of terrorist organizations, has intensified against the backdrop of a full-scale war in Ukraine.

The Moscow Times writes that in late May, the Taliban suggested that Russia transfer mutual payments to rubles and afghani. This concerns an annual trade turnover of about $300 million.

Russia also plans to build a railway in Afghanistan, and Russian automakers are interested in supplying freight and passenger vehicles.

In addition, Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian wheat flour, purchasing $80 million worth of products in 2024.