Megafon and MTS to Create Unified MMS Messaging System

Too Early to Count Out MMS

In Russia, MMS has recently seen a sharp rise in popularity as an advertising tool. Short multimedia messages allow businesses to showcase products, explain promotions, add clickable links, or even enable instant calls to advertisers.

The surge in demand could create an entirely new trend in the Russian telecom market. Within this framework, operators are joining forces to improve short message delivery services. Megafon and MTS have chosen this path, announcing a strategic partnership in the AdTech segment. The companies integrated their technology stacks to build a single infrastructure for delivering promotional and service messages to both operators’ customers.

For subscribers, this means higher service quality. Messages will be delivered faster, with significantly fewer delays and data losses. Operators also expect substantial cost savings from the partnership. The joint system reduces MarTech platform support and development expenses by up to 12% annually. Savings are achieved by eliminating redundant links in the delivery chain and optimizing technical processes between providers. Another benefit highlighted by both companies is the acceleration of many workflows.

Security as a Priority

The partnership will also enhance protection against cyberthreats. Direct infrastructure integration reduces entry points for attacks, lowering the risk of data leaks and improving overall system resilience.

By creating a direct MarTech infrastructure stack between MTS AdTech and Megafon, we were able to launch a unified technological system for MarTech communications in record time. Building a similar system from scratch would have taken more than a year

Vladimir Farafonov

Head of the Digital Advertising and Information Products Center at MTS AdTech

Analysts note that demand for MMS in Russia has skyrocketed. From August 2024 to August 2025, the volume of MMS traffic increased about 15 times. Businesses are showing consistent interest in visual formats that communicate information more vividly. The retail and e-commerce sectors, banks and financial institutions, and the fashion industry have been especially active, valuing the ability to incorporate graphics, illustrations, and geotargeting into messages.

Improving Campaign Efficiency

With this integration, advertising campaign effectiveness could grow significantly. The partnership between Russia’s two leading telecom operators removes many technical barriers, boosting multimedia message delivery efficiency by roughly 30%. All distribution is now managed through a single online platform.

Integration also expanded cascade communication tools previously implemented on the “Megafon Hub” platform. Now, information can move seamlessly through a single chain that includes MMS, SMS, email, social networks, and messengers. This broadens opportunities for business development and enables fully omnichannel marketing campaigns.

Raising the Level of Engagement

In recent years, marketing platforms have sought to unify communication channels such as email, SMS, push notifications, and social media into a single system. This approach makes campaign management more flexible and supports more complex promotion strategies. Adding MMS to the mix expands the range of visual content available.

The new partnership also strengthens collaboration between telecom operators and marketing firms. Until now, such integration had never occurred at the infrastructure level.

Over time, this format could become a standard across the Russian market. If so, it could even serve as an exportable model. The potential market extends beyond the CIS to other countries where telecom industries are growing rapidly.

There is little doubt that the Megafon–MTS partnership represents a new stage for Russia’s MarTech market. It not only gives advertisers new ways to reach audiences but also revitalizes MMS as a marketing channel.