FAS Sees No Advertising in 'Unlimited' Roaming Internet

At the same time, the complainants pointed out, the actual volume of traffic at maximum speed is finite. Its real limitations look like this:

• after the package is exhausted, the speed drops to 128–512 Kbit/s;
• restoring maximum speed in some cases requires additional payment.

Thus, in the association's view, the word 'unlimited' misleads subscribers about the actual terms of the service.

What the FAS Position Changes

The service's decision effectively closes off the advertising protection mechanism for consumers in this situation. Complaints about unfair advertising are one of the simplest ways to get wording corrected, but the FAS found no signs of advertising-based dissemination of information in this case.

The dispute remains within the legal framework of customer information on the seller's website, rather than product promotion. The 'Big Four' operators — VimpelCom, MegaFon, MTS, and T2 Mobile — formally continue to use the disputed wording without the risk of claims from the antimonopoly agency under the law 'On Advertising'.

The dispute over 'unlimited' roaming is not the first in the Russian telecom industry: complaints against operators have usually concerned discrepancies between marketing promises and the technical limitations of services. This FAS ruling sets an interpretive precedent: information on a company's official website does not in itself constitute advertising.