Telecom in 2025: Fraud, Bans, and the New Reality for Your Messaging

Everything that has been happening in telecom in recent years seems to have shifted into fast-forward mode in 2025. New laws, a surge in fraud, the shift from calls to SMS and messengers, strict control over messaging—this is already the new normal. And, frankly, it doesn’t forgive mistakes.

If your company engages in mass messaging—now is the time to rethink your approach. Otherwise, you risk not just wasting your budget but losing trust, legitimacy, and along with them, your revenue.

Fraud and Sender-ID Spoofing

Since the beginning of 2025, every second Russian has encountered phone fraud. And it’s no longer just calls: the main impact has been on messages, including WhatsApp, where the number of attacks has increased 3.5 times.
Scammers have learned to forge messages "from banks," "Gosuslugi," etc. Now operators are forced to block up to 85% of such traffic, but this also affects legitimate senders who choose to work through "gray" gateways or fail to regularly update their sender ID.

Legislative Pressure

Since spring 2025, a wave of new regulations has been sweeping over businesses, and it continues to this day. Starting August 1, Russians will be able to opt out of all mass messaging through their operator’s personal account or "Gosuslugi." And beginning in September, unsolicited calls will become illegal.
Any mass contact without explicit consent (opt-in) carries the risk of hefty fines. More and more companies are implementing double opt-in, and this is no longer just a formality.

Ban on Foreign Messengers

Starting June 1, a law has come into effect prohibiting government agencies, banks, marketplaces, and operators from using foreign messengers (including Telegram and WhatsApp) for customer communications.
Formally, this is a step toward protecting personal data and does not directly affect private businesses. In practice, however, it signals that the market is gradually seeking workarounds.

Audiences Are Leaving—Rules Are Tightening

Users are increasingly turning to Telegram and WhatsApp to receive important information, such as order status updates and other transactional messages. But even in messengers for business, things are no longer straightforward. Official business accounts, verification, and obtaining consent for sending are now required. If you act at your own risk, you could easily face blocking.

What to Do About It?

The market is maturing, with a focus on security, transparency, and analytics. Omnichannel strategies have become a necessity. Given the costs of SMS and the increased risk of blocking, the winners are those who:

— Integrate channels into a single platform;
— Enable analytics for delivery, opens, and clicks;
— Build personalized funnels rather than blasting the same offer to everyone.

The ideal mass communication today is a technological ecosystem. With multichannel capabilities, tracking, and clean databases. And we are already operating in this reality, helping your business not just "survive" under new conditions but use them as an opportunity.