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Mobile
telephones, networks and tariffs in Russia
The
mobile telephones are wide spread in Russia: the estimated mobile
phone penetration rate in Russia is about 20% (going up to 35%
in major cities).
New (27/12): How
to access a mobile number through a Moscow (495) number.
Roaming
in Russia
If you are
traveling with your own cellphone and SIM card, you
will be able to use it in Russia if your provider has a "roaming"
agreement with one of the local mobile operators. Some operators
have a
"preferred" network in each country, allowing you to save
a few cents on your phonecalls. However, even with the discount
the roaming charges are usually too high, starting at $1.5
per minute for
incoming
/ outcoming calls and about $0.5 for outgoing SMS.
If you would like to save money and don't need your old
number in Russia, you can get a local SIM card. A pay-as-you-go
set can be bought for about $10 US (network time included)
and you will have a Russian mobile number. You need to make sure
your phone is not "locked" by your provider and that you can
use it with any operator. If it is locked, some telecom shops
can unlock it for a $10-$20 fee or it can also be done online
(for some models, especially Nokia and Alkatel).
You can buy a set and find more information about cell phones
in any telecom shop, of which there are many throughout
Russia.
Russian
Mobile Networks & Coverage
There
are three major mobile network providers in Russia: MTS,
BeeLine, and Megafon. The prices, coverage, and the services
offered by these operators are quite similar. Their networks
cover most cities and rural areas
in European Russia, and some major Siberian cities. There are
some "blank" spots,
that is, even major networks do not cover some countryside
areas and small villages.
There are also several local operators, but they only have local networks
and phonecalls outside of their networks are very expensive. For example,
BaikalWestCom (Irkutsk)
cover Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude cities only. If you use them to phone to Moscow,
it might be very expensive.
Mobile
Standards in Russia
Russian
mobile companies use two standards GSM 900/1800 (European standard) and
CDMA (American
standard). A single cell phone can’t be used in both standards.
So, check your phone instruction to find out which standard it is operationg
in.
GSM is far more popular in Russia and all the leading national operators
use it in their networks, CDMA is used only by several local providers
(in Moscow,
St.Petersburg, Irkutsk), so the biggest problem with CDMA is that you
won't be able to use the same telephone in several cities.
As most cellular networks in Russia operate in GSM 900/1800 standard,you
can use the mobile telephones that support this type of network only.
Services such
as
WAP, GPRS, text messaging, sim card information menu, 24 hour customer
support are provided by all major operators.
If you live in the US, it is unlikely that your mobile supports GSM
standard, so you will need to rent a phone in Russia. If you live in
Europe (UK, France,
Germany, Italy, Scandinavian counties), your telephone should support
GSM, however, you should check if it is "locked" with your
operator onlyþ
Types
of Cellphone Numbers in Russia
Historically,
there are two types of mobile numbers in Russia:
a "city" one
and a "federal" one.
The "city" one is a normal phone number of
the city where you are based (for example, 555-5555
in Moscow). It is as if you
have a normal city phone and
it is almost not recognizable from a standard fixed line number.
The "federal" cannot be accessed directly: you should dial it as if
you are calling to another city: 8 wait for a tone, then a code of the network
(i.e. 902, 903), and then the 7-digit number. Even if you are in Moscow and you
are calling to a "federal" number in Moscow, you should dial the number
through "8 tone code" routine.
It is obvious that the "city" numbers are much easier to remember and
to access, however, they are more expensive. With a "federal" number
you can generally "pay as you go", there are no monthly fees, while
with a "city" number you have to pay a certain fixed fee
every month on top of your calls (from $20 per month).
How
to access a federal number through a Moscow (495) number: As
it was mentioned above, the mobile phone numbers in
Russia divide into the "federal" and "direct".
The direct numbers have a normal code of the city it
was registered in (for example, if
you bought your phone in Moscow with the direct number,
your number will be (495) 555-5555)
The "federal" numbers have a special mobile code, and to dial this
number, no
matter
where you call from, you first need to dial this code. So, any
call to a "federal" number will be the same as calling to another
city, and you will need to dial it through the "8 tone ..." routine.
Sometimes it's not very convenient, because some pay-phones
don't allow it and because some landlines may be blocked
from the "8
tone..." access to save money on international phonecalls. Also,
if you phone to a mobile from a pay-phone or from abroad you will
pay about 3 times more if you dial a "federal" number.
But, there's a solution to all these problems:
every major Russian mobile operator has a direct Moscow number,
which you can dial
and get through to the mobile you want. These numbers are charged
as normal Moscow numbers. Here's information for each operator:
MTS - MobileTeleSystems (federal codes 902, 916):
1. Dial (495) 766-0222.
2.
When you hear the answering machine switch
your phone into the "tone" regime. Usually it's the "*" button.
3. Dial the federal code and the 7-digit number (without
the "8"
in the beginning) - total 10 digits - and press "*" button.
Example: You have a number given to you, and it's 8
916 666-6666. Dial 766-0222, switch to "tone", dial 916 6666666 and press "*".
That's it.
BeeLine - Vympelkom (federal codes 903, 905):
1. Dial (495) 105-5678.
2.
When you hear the answering machine switch
your phone into the "tone" regime. Usually it's the "*" button.
3.
Dial the federal code and the 7-digit number (without
the "8" in
the beginning) - total 10 digits
Example: you're given a number 8 903 589-7400. For
direct Moscow access you should dial 105-5678, switch
to "tone", then 903 5897400
and wait for the answer.
Megafon - (federal codes 926):
1. Dial (495) 505-4488
2. When you hear the answering machine switch your
phone into the "tone" regime.
Usually it's the "*" button.
3. Dial the federal code and the 7-digit number (without the "8" in
the beginning) - total 10 digits
Sonet
1. Dial (495) 787-6767
2. When you hear the answering machine switch your phone into the "tone" regime.
Usually it's the "*" button.
3. Dial the last 7 digits of the number and wait for the answer
Russian
Mobile Operators Prices & Tariffs
Normally,
a minute costs about $0.20, and an outcoming text is about
$0.06 (including taxes). WAP costs $0.05-$0.15 per minute depending
on the time of the day, GPRS costs
about $0.25 per megabyte. Voice mail is priced either at about
$0.10 per message, or by the time you take to listen to voice
messages (normal tariff $0.20 / minute).
The pricing system in Russia is different from the American or European ones.
The main difference is that you should pay for your incoming calls. Some operators
provide free incoming calls inside their networks only, and some operators provide
no charge for incoming calls after the 1st minute only. But in this case you
get other things more expensive usually. You should also pay for all outcoming
calls, outcoming text messages, and additional services, such as voice mail,
number identification, call diverting etc.
Another big difference is that the price of the phonecall depends on where you
are calling from and where you are calling. The tariffs are given usually for
local calls (i.e. from Moscow to Moscow), if you are calling to another city
(that is not far), expect to add about $0.3-$0.7 per every minute.
Also, if you subscribed for your phone in Moscow, traveled to St. Petersburg
and are using it from there to call to St. Petersburg, it will be considered
as a call to another city, and you will have to pay more.
So, it is better to subscribe in the city where you will spend the most of your
time in Russia. If you are traveling to another city, it is best to subscribe
to the operator that is represented in both cities and thus have low tariffs
in both cities. If the operator is not represented in the city you are in, the
mobile may work still, but the calls will be made through another provider (roaming)
and will cost more.
To add funds to your account you can either pay at the operator's office, buy
a special top-up card (sold in many shops and through machines), make an instant
payment at the cash register in major supermarket and retail chains (in Moscow),
or establish a credit account.
Here's a list of the major mobile providers in Russia:
BeeLine GSM
Moscow Office: 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya str.,
2 (metro Mayakovskaya – green
line), phone: +7 (495) 251-7000
Internet: http://www.beelinegsm.ru/ (In Russian)
Prepaid tarrif: “Prime” Price: 9$. You will have
10$ at your account.
“
Prime” tarrifs per min: within Russia: 0.2, to Europe:
1.4, to USA: 2.2
MTS
Moscow office: Sadovaya-Karetnaya str., 2 (metro Mayakovskaya – green
line)
Customer support: +7 (495) 766-0166 (24), 766-0177
Internet: http://www.mtsgsm.com/ (In English)
Prepaid tariff: “Jeans” Price: 7$. You will have
5$ at your account.
“Jeans” tariffs per min: within Russia: 0.2, to Europe:
1.6, to USA: 2.1
Megafon
Moscow ofice: Myasnickaya str., 48 (metro Krasnie
Vorota – red
line), phone: +7 (495) 507-7777
Internet: http://www.megafon.ru/ (In English)
Prepaid tarrif: “GSM Light” Price: 3$. You’ll
have 3$ at your account.
GSM Light” tarrifs per min: within Russia: 0.2, to Europe:
0.7, to USA: 0.7
Recommended tariff: for about $40 / month you can subscribe
to a tariff where you don't need to pay for incoming
calls, and 400 minutes of outcoming calls are included
in the monthly fee. The best of all is that you'll have
to pay only $0.3 per minute if you call to Europe or
USA (landlines and mobiles), making it a very attractive
option for travelers.
Where
to rent
and buy
Rent a mobile phone online through Event Planning
Russia:
Renting of the cell phones with prepaid tarrifs. Pick-up and leave in most
Russian cities
(495) 411-9-401 ext 1232
Internet: http://eventplanning.ru
Svyaznoy - Telecom shops chain.
The wide spread chain of telecom shops and on-line shop.
Moscow: Smolenskiy blvr., 15 (metro Smolenskaya – blue
line), phone: +7 (495) 248-6476
St.Petersburg: Nevsky prospekt, 102 (metro Mayakovskaya), phone; +7 (812) 27505766
Internet: http://www.svyaznoy.ru/
Euroset
Popular Russian chain of telecom shops.
Moscow: Tverskaya str, 4 (metro Okhotny Ryad – red
line), phone: +7 (495) 771-7325
St.Petersburg: Nevsky prospekt, 98/100 (metro Mayakovskaya), phone: +7 (812)
449-0909
Ekaterinburg: Vainera, str., 9A, phone: +7 (901) 950-5549
Internet: http://www.euroset.ru/index-english.html (In English)
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Comments?
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