In Russia, Smart Speakers Are Becoming the New Landline

No SIM card. No wires. Just your voice and a virtual number.

In Russia, smart speakers are getting a serious upgrade. A new feature turns voice assistants into full-fledged home phones—no SIM card required. Activated entirely online, the service allows users to make and receive calls through the “Dom s Alisoy” (Home with Alice) app, while keeping their existing mobile carrier.

It’s more than a digital convenience. It’s a quiet reinvention of the home phone, tailored for the post-smartphone era.

According to MTS, one of the country’s major telecom providers, the trend is catching on fast. Since launch, Russian users have logged over 4 million minutes of conversation through their smart speakers. That’s more than anecdotal data—it signals a broader shift in how Russians are redefining voice communication at home.

From Passive Listener to Active Communicator

Unlike traditional landlines, this system doesn’t require new hardware or complex installations. Once activated, the smart speaker becomes a shared phone hub for the whole family. Kids can call grandma with a voice command. Parents can answer hands-free while cooking. It’s intuitive, frictionless—and deeply embedded in the evolving Russian digital ecosystem.

As telecom services in Russia continue to digitize, these kinds of hybrid innovations—bridging old habits with new tech—are proving surprisingly sticky. They don’t just replace legacy systems; they reimagine them for the age of AI and voice-first interfaces.