MTS Deploys New Infrastructure for Autonomous Transport on Russia’s M-11 Highway
Russia’s telecom giant MTS has launched a precision navigation infrastructure on the M-11 'Neva' highway, linking Moscow and St. Petersburg. The system, built for Yandex, enables real-time coordination of autonomous vehicles and sets the foundation for large-scale deployment across the country’s federal road network.
Turning the Future Into Reality
Russia’s telecom operators continue expanding beyond traditional communications markets, entering new domains like transportation and logistics. For MTS, this move represents both a strategic business opportunity and a contribution to the nation’s broader digital transformation.
The company has developed a high-precision positioning infrastructure for Yandex’s autonomous vehicles, deployed along the federal M-11 'Neva' highway connecting St. Petersburg and Moscow. The technology relies on real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning, which transmits correction data via mobile internet.
Signals from global navigation satellite systems—GLONASS, GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou—first determine the vehicle’s approximate location within 5–15 meters. Ground-based reference stations then send corrective data to reduce the margin of error to just 2–5 centimeters. Each station covers a radius of about 35 kilometers, creating a dense, continuous positioning grid for autonomous traffic.
Laying the Groundwork for Scalable Growth
Alexander Solovenchuk, Director of MTS’s St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region branch, highlighted the project’s importance: ‘The M-11 “Neva” highway is one of Russia’s key federal roads connecting two major cities with constant high traffic.
After securing reliable LTE coverage along the route, we have now built a digital infrastructure to coordinate driverless vehicles. It supports real-time traffic monitoring, vehicle communication, and convoy routing—an essential foundation for scaling autonomous transport nationwide.’
The project will expand in 2025 to include other federal routes such as the M-4 'Don' and M-12 'Vostok,' as well as all Russian cities with populations over one million and 20 major logistics hubs. These areas will also receive full LTE coverage, with a transition to 5G expected in the medium term.
A Nationwide Transformation
The project carries national significance, potentially transforming Russia’s entire logistics industry. If implemented at scale, it could lower transportation costs by reducing reliance on human drivers, improve delivery times, and enhance road safety.
An additional advantage lies in the localization of critical components—most of the technologies supporting Russia’s autonomous transport systems are developed and produced domestically, ensuring independence from external supply risks.
From Early Trials to a Connected Future
Russia’s autonomous transport journey began in 2016, when engineers first proposed developing the necessary software infrastructure. Since then, extensive testing has been conducted, starting with autonomous tractors and later expanding to industrial and commercial transport. Cognitive Technologies, a leading Russian company specializing in AI-based vehicle systems, has been instrumental in advancing these efforts.
By 2022, national standards for autonomous vehicles were formally approved. In mid-2025, President Vladimir Putin signed a law authorizing the deployment of communication facilities within federal highway zones—a critical step toward enabling connected and driverless transportation systems.
The sector continues to evolve rapidly, with future applications likely extending from freight to passenger transport. Given its growing expertise, MTS’s solutions may find markets not only in Russia but also in neighboring CIS countries where the operator already provides services.
