• 2 min read
Cold calls fall as labeled calls get longer
Megafon says unsolicited calls in Russia fell nearly 25% in 2026 as call labeling pushed companies toward fewer, longer conversations.
Image: iXBT
“Cold” sales calls are losing effectiveness in Russia after the introduction of incoming-call labeling. Megafon told Kommersant that the number of unsolicited customer calls has fallen by almost 25% since the start of 2026, while the average conversation has become more than half as long.
The operator said labeling has made mass, short calls less useful. Connections lasting three seconds or less declined by 23%, suggesting that companies are making fewer rapid attempts and spending more time on selected potential customers.
The biggest shift came among small and medium-sized businesses. Their cold-call volume dropped by 60%, while average call duration rose by 110%. At large companies, the number of short calls fell by 46%, and conversations grew by almost the same proportion.
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Microbusinesses were the exception: their short spam calls doubled. However, they account for less than 1% of all calls, so the increase had little effect on the overall figures. Megafon’s data does not specify the absolute number of calls or how the labeling system identifies them.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via iXBT
