In compliance with the amendments to Russia’s "Communications Law", T2 provides users with channels to opt out of bulk SMS. Starting from August 1, 2025, users shall have the right to refuse bulk messages and advertising SMS delivered via short codes and alphanumeric sender IDs. Users may submit an application by presenting their ID card at a T2 retail store, or via the online customer service chat; the operator will cease relevant bulk deliveries on the next calendar day following the submission of the application.
This mechanism is designed to reduce the volume of spam SMS, frequent promotions, and unwanted commercial notifications received by users. However, T2 specifically notes that operators are generally technically unable to accurately distinguish advertising content from service content sent from the same sender number. Therefore, if a user chooses to fully opt out of bulk SMS, they may also fail to receive bank login or payment verification codes, e-commerce order and delivery reminders, doctor appointment alerts, beauty or lifestyle service notifications, as well as service messages from other commonly used apps and platforms.
Certain types of messages are exempt from the opt-out restriction and will be delivered normally, including emergency alerts, MNP (Mobile Number Portability) process notifications, messages that the operator is legally required to send, messages sent by government authorities and state extra-budgetary funds, messages related to Roscosmos (the Russian state space corporation), and communications from medical insurance institutions. Such exemptions are intended to ensure that public safety, statutory procedures, and critical social services are not interrupted by individual opt-outs.
If a user finds that important SMS have stopped being delivered, they may check whether they accidentally submitted an opt-out application, and withdraw the application via customer service chat or at a retail store. After restoration, bulk SMS delivery will resume. For critical communications such as verification codes, T2 recommends that users prioritize push notifications from banking or service provider apps, voice bot calls, or other alternative verification methods.
For enterprises, the new regulation means that SMS marketing and transactional notifications cannot simply use the same sending channel. If advertising, verification codes, and order reminders are mixed under the same short code or alphanumeric sender ID, users who fully opt out may lose access to critical service notifications at the same time. Enterprises should consider separating marketing and service messages, and maintaining records of user consent, opt-outs, and message categories.
