Russia rolls out long-delayed 5G, but not for iPhones

Moscow: Russia announced Friday that it was rolling out its long-delayed 5G mobile network, but that iPhone users would be unable to connect until Apple coordinated the move with Moscow.

The Russian government first announced plans for 5G internet in 2019, but Russia’s powerful Security Council blocked the move over concerns it would overlap with frequencies used by military and security agencies, according to Russian media reports.

The rollout comes amid widespread frustration in Russia at repeated internet blackouts introduced to counter Ukrainian drones, which authorities say use mobile internet to navigate.