Russian mobile operator MegaFon has announced the second phase of its rollout of biometric terminals in retail stores, aimed at supporting SIM card activation for foreign citizens using Russia’s Unified Biometric System. The company says the expanded deployment will begin in January 2026 and will extend biometric verification capabilities beyond its wholly owned outlets into franchise locations.
According to reporting by RIA Novosti, MegaFon began the first phase of the program in June 2025, equipping more than 1,000 of its own retail stores with biometric terminals. These locations were selected primarily in areas with high foot traffic from foreign citizens. The newly announced second phase will see terminals installed in more than 800 franchise stores operating under the MegaFon and Yota brands. Industry outlet ComNews reports that MegaFon expects the total number of equipped stores to exceed 1,800 by the end of January 2026.
The rollout is occurring against a backdrop of tighter regulations governing SIM card issuance to foreign citizens and stateless persons. Rules that took effect on January 1, 2025 require such customers to complete SIM purchases in person at an operator’s retail location. The process also requires the customer to have a SNILS personal insurance number, a verified Gosuslugi government services account, and biometric enrollment in the state Unified Biometric System. Operators must verify the customer’s identity through the system before activating service. ComNews additionally notes that the framework includes a limit of 10 mobile numbers per individual.
Prior to the wide availability of in-store biometric hardware, operators were permitted to rely on biometric confirmation through the Gosuslugi portal as a temporary mechanism. RIA Novosti and ComNews report that this temporary approach was paired with an end-of-year deadline for operators to equip retail outlets with biometric terminals. While a draft order circulated by the Ministry of Digital Development in early December 2025 proposed extending the Gosuslugi-based activation option, it remained at draft stage, and operators continued preparations for physical terminal deployment.
MegaFon executive Igor Glebov is quoted as saying that the use of biometric terminals reduces activation time and helps address language barriers. According to his comments, the in-store biometric process can reduce contract completion from up to 30 minutes under the temporary scheme to just over five minutes. Reporting by Lenta.ru attributes the biometric equipment to vendor Ovision and describes the terminals as incorporating liveness checks and verification through the state GIS EBS system, though these technical details are presented as company statements rather than independently verified assessments.
Sources: RIA Novosti, ComNews, Lenta.ru
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
