The operators of the LTE-1800 range were obliged to cover the cities with a population over 10,000 people by their networks.

      The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCRF) of Russia introduced the obligations for the operators deploying LTE networks in the 1800 MHz range to cover all cities with a population over 10,000 people. The Minister of Telecommunications Nikolai Nikiforov told this in his twitter.

      The SCRF also allowed the operators to deploy the LTE networks in the GSM-range of 1800 MHz and 3G network in the 900 MHz range.

      The state commission also approved the planned encumbrances for the operators in other ranges. The operators launching mobile networks at frequencies below 1 GHz will be required to cover all cities and villages with a population of over one thousand people; in the range of 1 to 2 GHz - with a population of more than 2 thousand. The obligation is valid if these inhabited locations have the already installed fiber optic trunk circuits.

      LTE is out of the experimental stage and is being deployed worldwide. Despite early adoption of LTE in northern Europe and North America, Asia–Pacific (APAC) and Latin America (LATAM) account for the majority of the networks that are planned for launch by 2018. Operators in all markets are in the process of implementing LTE, but the emergence of the APAC and LATAM regions is set to challenge European and North American operators' early lead. LTE network planning, trials and deployments are progressing in emerging and developed regions now.