More Than 50% of Backbone Fiber-Optic Lines in Russia Have Exceeded Their 25-Year Warranty Period

⚡ The gist in 5 seconds - More than 50% of backbone fiber-optic communication lines in Russia, by length, have already exceeded their guaranteed 25-year service life. - The data comes from a draft of amendments to the Russian Communications Industry Development Strategy through 2035, which the Ministry of Digital Development has circulated for interagency review. - Caveat: 25 years is not a cable's "self-destruct date"; a line is only replaced when diagnostics detect fiber degradation or non-compliance with the requirements of new equipment. ### 🔍 What was found The document's authors state that, due to insufficient renewal rates, the wear level of backbone fiber-optic lines has reached a critical point. More than half of these lines, by length, have been in operation longer than the guaranteed 25-year lifespan, and in the coming years they will need to be replaced much faster than before. The final parameters of the updated strategy, including an assessment of the state of backbone fiber-optic lines, will be determined following discussions with market participants and relevant agencies. Experts confirm the physical degradation of optical fiber: over time, line capacity and the distance traffic can travel without additional amplification both decline. The signal may fail to reach its destination — hence the risk of internet outages. Increased signal loss and damage to the cable sheath add to the problems, notes NTI wireless communications expert Oleg Yablokov: this makes it harder to increase line capacity and raises the risk of failures. If there is no free backup route on a given route, an outage leads to delays and disruptions in data transmission. That said, if the cable is in good condition, capacity can often be increased simply by replacing the transmission equipment. A cable contains multiple fibers: if one stops transmitting a signal or loses its characteristics, others that have retained their original parameters can be used instead. ### 💡 Why it matters Replacing backbone lines is not only an engineering challenge but also a financial one. ComNews estimates the average cost of a kilometer of backbone fiber-optic line at roughly 1 million rubles, and laying cable across major rivers can multiply the cost of a section several times over. According to analytics firm J'son & Partners, between 2020 and 2030 more than 400,000 km of cable with over 20 years of service will need to be replaced — roughly 400 billion rubles. The money comes back slowly: 400,000 km over a decade works out to about 40,000 km per year. It is precisely this gap between wear and renewal rates that the draft strategy highlights. ### 🧩 Context The Ministry of Digital Development does not dramatize the picture: no backbone network is built all at once; operators develop infrastructure gradually, replacing equipment and fiber as needed on a planned basis, and the mere fact that a cable is more than 25 years old does not mean it is non-functional. Network condition is monitored using a generalized methodology for calculating backbone network availability that takes its structure into account; according to the ministry, the metrics are within regulatory tolerances and meet the requir

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