Way to Russia Talk Lounge

hstraf · Just Starting Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1

Hello,

I need some help or advice on how to connect my laptop to the internet using my cell phone.

I will be travelling around Russia for a few weeks in August. (St.Petersburg to Moscow and then a few surrounding areas of Moscow.) I am planning to bring my laptop, and would like to connect it to the internet with my GSM cell phone.

(I do this now in France, and it works great.)

I have some questions:

1. I have heard that it is impossible (or very difficult) for foreigners to purchase a pre-paid SIM card after arriving in Russia. Is this true?

Is it better to purchase the SIM card *before* arriving in Russia? There are lots of companies online who sell SIM cards. Should I buy one of them? (They are much more expensive, I think, then if I am able to purchase one locally after arriving in Russia.. but if I must wait 3 days or something to get the SIM card locally, then this is not good.

Can I just go to any "tabac" shop and purchase a SIM card and pre-paid voucher time?

2. I will be travelling 1 week in St.Petersburg and 1 week around Moscow. Should I purchase two different SIM cards? (So each chip would have it's own "home", and the prices would be cheaper?)

3. This is related to question #2 above. If I purchase a SIM card for "St.Petersburg", and then travel to Moscow.. will the GPRS data pricing be different?

4. What cell provider is best? (beeline? MTS? MegaFone?) I do not need to use the cell phone for voice calling. I only need it for data access with my laptop to the internet.

5. After I purchase the SIM card, is there any special requirement to "activate" the GPRS feature? If so, is this difficult? (My Russian is very bad.) Does the activation take a long time?

Thanks for any help or advice!

vox16 · WayToRussified Joined: 01 Jun 2006 Posts: 324

mentat · Frequent Guest Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 18

1. It is hard to use SIM-card bought before arriving.
I'm not sure, but I don't see any problems buying SIM-Card. All you need is the passport and money.
There are lot of companies selling cellular phones and SIM-cards - make sure. All process takes about 10 minutes - you need to fill short resume with your personal data, and put some cash on your new account.

2,3,4. Depends on your cellular provider and tariff plan. With my "beeline" provider i feeled no difference with taxes on GPRS travelling by the Russia.
But it was three years ago. Something could change - carefully check your tariff plan.

5. Yes, you should send special sms. Details depends on choosen provider. Your cellular MUST support GPRS.

4thinker · Just Starting Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 1

Hstraf:

What solution did you end up using? I'll be traveling to St. Petersburg for 3 weeks in October/November and would like to have internet access on my cell phone and laptop.

iceman5430 · Just Starting Joined: 31 Aug 2008 Posts: 2

Does some provider in Russia offer unlimited access on mobile internet ?
How is the rate ? I would like to buy a SIM Card and insert it in my existing USB Modem. I just don't know if it's possible. Can somebody help me ?

Varrah · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject:

You will be able to buy a SIM card of some "lite" rate. They do not require any papers for that. But you will need to consult the support service to setup your internet connection.