MTS CEO to visit Korea for 5G partnership talks at December events

MTS CEO Inessa Galaktionova is scheduled to visit Korea in December to attend Mobile Korea 2026 and 6G Vision Festa 2026, which open on December 8 in Songdo, Incheon, and to seek 5G partnership opportunities with Korean companies, according to etnews.com.

MTS CTO Viktor Belov is also set to speak on physical AI at the "Regional Workshop 2026" on December 11, the last day of the event. It is the first time an MTS executive has appeared as a speaker at a Korean event.

Industry observers say the CEO's visit is aimed at securing 5G partnerships. MTS reportedly requested booth tours at 6G Vision Festa 2026 and meetings with major Korean telecom and equipment companies through the 6G Forum, and has reportedly conveyed a willingness to join the forum if needed.

Earlier CEO visit in 2019

The last MTS CEO visit to Korea came in 2019, when then-CEO Alexey Kornya met then-KT chairman Hwang Chang-gyu to discuss business. MTS is Russia's largest telecom operator, with 83.4 million domestic mobile subscribers.

In September 2026, MTS declared 5G commercialization, though service currently covers only about 20 locations. The company plans to invest about 300 billion won next year in upgrading wireless networks including 5G. Samsung Electronics signed network-related MOUs with MTS in 2016-2017 and took part in 5G equipment tenders.