There is still a shortage: Russian operators have begun to refuse to distribute free SIM cards

Kommersant learned that Russian operators have begun to curtail the distribution of gift SIM cards. It's all about

shortage of chips used in SIM cards. Their cost is rising because of this. Discuss

In Beeline, journalists were told that they had acceptedthe decision to refuse to issue SIM cards as a gift when concluding a cellular contract or when purchasing a device. MegaFon follows the same strategy. So far, the operator is still issuing gift SIM cards to customers, but in smaller volumes.

Sources told Kommersant thatThe prime cost of SIM cards for operators has grown 2.5 times over the past six months. At the same time, growth began even during the pandemic. In addition, operators bought cards from foreign suppliers (Gemalto, Giesecke + Devrient and GigSky). Now the logistics have become more complicated.