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Moscow’s free Wi-Fi hits 26M connections in 2026
Moscow says its public Wi-Fi network logged more than 26 million connections and over 12 million GB of traffic since early 2026.
Image: ITzine
Moscow’s free city Wi-Fi network logged more than 26 million connections and carried over 12 million GB of data since the start of 2026, according to the city’s Department of Information Technology. That makes the service more than a backup option, especially in central districts and places where people tend to stay for longer periods.
The Moscow_WiFi_Free network now includes about 30,000 access points. Dmitry Golovin, deputy head of the department, said the city added another 2,000 new points in 2025 alone, suggesting the network is still expanding rather than simply maintaining its existing footprint.
City officials said the busiest locations are around Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya Square, Paveletskaya Square, and the Kitay-gorod area. That fits the usual pattern for public Wi-Fi demand: dense pedestrian traffic, tourists, and seasonal crowds, along with periods when mobile carrier networks can become overloaded during peak hours.
Users can connect to Moscow_WiFi_Free after authorization through Mos ID or by SMS. Under Russian rules, repeat identification is required once every three months.
For a megacity, a network of tens of thousands of hotspots puts Moscow’s system closer to a broad public connectivity layer than a loose collection of isolated access points.
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Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.
via ITzine
