Over 50,000 Chinese Cars in Russia Connected to Telematics by MTS and Ecar Telematics
The companies announced an expansion of their cooperation at the Eastern Economic Forum, setting the stage for wider deployment of telematics solutions in China-made vehicles on Russian roads.
A Promising New Market
Russia’s roads are seeing a surge in vehicles equipped with digital services. This rapid growth has sparked increasing interest from telecom operators, who are now competing to provide drivers with connected services.
Just days ago, MTS announced an expanded partnership with Ecar Telematics (E-car Rus LLC). The agreement, signed at the Eastern Economic Forum, outlines plans to integrate Internet of Vehicles (IoV) solutions into new Geely models over the next two years.
In the near future, the collaboration is expected to extend to other Chinese brands. Already, more than 50,000 vehicles from FAW, Sinotruck, and others have been connected through MTS and Ecar Telematics’ solutions.
The cooperation links vehicles directly to mobile networks, enabling infotainment, telematics, and data transmission. The priority is to ensure stable high-speed mobile connectivity and reliable in-car communications, giving Chinese automakers the ability to guarantee digital functionality for their vehicles in the Russian market.
A Proven Platform
On its side, MTS provides digital backbone through its proprietary CMP platform “M2M Manager.” This system has proven reliability and supports millions of IoT devices and M2M connections across industries. In the automotive sector, it enables OEMs to centrally manage SIM cards, billing, and traffic, while supporting multiple APNs for different services—telematics, OTA updates, and multimedia.
MTS has a dedicated team tailoring IoV services to OEM requirements, and its 24/7 bilingual support ensures smooth coordination with manufacturers’ global headquarters.
Competition Heats Up
“MTS has held the leadership position in IoV for over a decade. Today, over 90% of connected cars in Russia use our solutions. In total, about 1.5 million cars on Russian roads run on MTS IoV. Such scale is possible thanks to one of the country’s most developed networks, with LTE coverage spanning more than 80% of the population. We see telematics evolving from an add-on feature to a baseline standard for the auto industry. In the near future, such solutions will be built into every vehicle directly at the factory,” said Maxim Ananchenko, Director of MTS Business Market Products.
Russian telecoms have been partnering with automakers for several years. Beeline was among the first, striking a deal with Renault in 2019. Following sanctions in 2022, operators pivoted to Chinese firms. In August, Beeline announced a partnership with China Telecom to deliver digital services for imported Chinese vehicles. That partnership covers leading brands including Changan, Avatr, and Xpeng.
The result is an increasingly competitive IoV market in Russia, ultimately benefiting consumers with better services at lower costs.
More Players Entering the Field
While current cooperation models between Russian and Chinese firms are focused on the domestic market—without immediate export ambitions—the success of these projects is making Russia a more attractive entry point for global OEMs. At the same time, the experience is helping develop tailored IoV solutions for Russian-made vehicles.
Over the next few years, the number of IoV-connected cars in Russia is expected to grow sharply. This will push operators to expand high-speed coverage to more areas, including remote regions.
