Belarus: many goods expiring online 2026

In Belarus, many internet service providers will face penalties starting January 1, 2026.

Belarusian operators will be penalized if their networks offer low-quality services or insufficient speed: Pavel Tkach, first deputy minister of Communications and Informatization, announced this on television, explaining that the application will start on January 1, 2026 based on official measurements of service quality.

Tkach also recalled Presidential Decree No. 335 (August 26, 2024), which requires operators to reinvest a portion of their profits to enhance networks rather than merely distributing dividends. Specifically, the regulation sets a minimum 20% of net profit dedicated to infrastructure development.

What actually changes

• Penalties from 2026: if official tests confirm that service quality does not meet established requirements, the operator is sanctioned. The quantitative details of fines have not been disclosed in the interview; the sanctioning mechanism stems from Belarusian administrative law.

• Quality and coverage standards: with the Council of Ministers' decision No. 1073 of December 31, 2024 (in implementation of Decree 335), annual mobile network coverage and quality requirements for the period 2025–2030 were approved, along with rules for control and monitoring.

• Speed targets: public benchmarks indicate average user speeds of 135 Mbit/s in Minsk and regional capitals, 110 Mbit/s in district centers/small cities, and 30 Mbit/s across the rest of the territory by 2030.

• Who measures quality: regular checks ("drive tests" and other field measurements) are conducted by the state enterprise BelGIE, covering cities, rural areas, and major road/rail corridors.

• Basic package and user protections: the same decision 1073 introduced a basic tariff plan (200 minutes, 2 GB data, 50 SMS) and updated quality rules and consent for information services, effective April 1, 2025.