"Big Four" in Crimea, or mobile communications for tourists

Due to the circumstances, the Crimean resorts have become one of the most affordable options for summer holidays for

seas.But in the case of mobile communications, the peninsula turns out to be not exactly Russia, since out of the entire “big four” operators, only MTS is conditionally present here. For the rest, all tariff options come with the note "with the exception of the Crimean Federal District and the city of Sevastopol." Recently, we already had material about local operators, but now we will try to figure out what options you can choose for a vacation so as not to be left without a connection in the Crimea.

Table of Contents

• MTS
• "Megaphone"
• Beeline
• Tele2
• Local operators as an alternative

MTS

The simplest solution available to subscribersMTS operator. If your tariff plan of the subscriber of this operator includes packages of minutes, SMS and Internet, valid throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, then they will also work in Crimea. It remains only to ensure that your phone does not register in the networks of other "unnecessary" operators. At the same time, the MTS network itself in Crimea is defined as 25032. Without roaming billing, MTS SIM cards will also work on the networks of the K-Telecom operator, which, when detected by the phone, will be identified as WIN or Wave. Win mobile is K-Telecom's own brand in Crimea, while the local operator Volna Mobile operates on K-Telecom networks. So if you suddenly have a roaming icon, then in Crimea this will not always mean that you are paying for communication at roaming prices.

What else is important to know?There are no MTS operator salons in Crimea. Points of sale of SIM cards are not the same at all, they will not even be able to restore your SIM card with your number if it fails for some reason. It will also be completely normal if some services recognize you as being in the Krasnodar Territory. In this case, you do not need to try to convince them that you are in the Crimea, most likely, in their menu it will not be possible to select a similar region at all, or the service will stop working with the “correct” geolocation.

Also, if you are going on a trip, but duringit should be charged according to the tariff, it is better to replenish the account before entering the Crimea. The reason is banal - replenishment of a mobile phone account in Crimea through payment from a bank card does not always work well, cards of some banks may be rejected. An alternative is the account replenishment terminals with completely inhumane interest that is charged on the deposited amount.

If you suddenly used up the package according to the tariff, then inThree standard options are available for connection to Crimea: “Home package”, “Home package +” and “Russia is at home everywhere”. They are primarily aimed at those who use voice communications and SMS, although the "Home package" and "Home package +" include a symbolic 500 MB of Internet traffic without speed limits. After they are exhausted, the speed is reduced to 128 kbps until the start of a new day. The balances of these packages are not transferred, but the package included in your basic tariff is not consumed.

"Megaphone"

Unlike MTS, the MegaFon operator does notis present on the Crimean peninsula in any form, so there is no question of which network your device will connect to. This will happen automatically as soon as you leave the coverage area of ​​the last base station of the operator on the Taman Peninsula. From personal experience, I can say that the switch will happen literally immediately after you enter the Crimean bridge. Most often, the phone registers in the network defined as 25032, less often it will be WIN or Volna. From the point of view of roaming charges, it does not matter. Incoming calls and SMS will remain free, but you will have to pay for everything else. Calls to any Russian numbers will cost 3 rubles per minute. You will not be able to call outside the Russian Federation, but you can send an SMS - one message will cost 5.95 rubles. If SMS is sent to a Russian number, then its cost will be only 2 rubles. As you can understand, the prices are not at all extortionate, even considering that you still have to pay a monthly fee according to the tariff, although the packages will not be spent. The only downside is that mobile Internet will cost a lot: 2.2 rubles per MB, rounded to megabytes.

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There are only two options available for connection:"Vacation without worries" and "Vacation without worries +". The difference is that the first is connected for 14 days with a one-time payment, and the second is paid by the day. To be honest, I have little idea of ​​the potential users of the "plus" version. During the day, the operator will charge you 299 rubles, and you will receive: 60 minutes of calls to Russian numbers (3 rubles from the 61st minute, as without the option) and 1 GB of Internet (after exceeding 1 GB, the speed will drop to 128 kbps) . Connection is free, funds are debited only at the moment when you use voice communication or connect to the Internet for the first time in 24 hours. Funds will be debited with any positive balance, calls and the Internet package will be available, even if after that the account goes negative. The only reason to choose this option is if you do not plan to use MegaFon services for more than one day. And that's why.

The option "Vacation without worries" is connected immediately to 14days, and a subscription fee of 399 rubles is charged immediately for this entire period. This happens at the first call or Internet connection. For 399 rubles, you get the same 60 minutes of telephone communication to any Russian numbers (from the 61st minute, the same 3 rubles / min) and 10 GB of Internet traffic (upon exhaustion, the speed is cut to 128 kbps). If your vacation is standard 10 days, then in fact you will receive the same 1 GB per day, but for four hundred rubles, and not three hundred rubles every day. Even if you only have to use the Internet for two days, then the basic "Vacation without worries" is already more profitable. Of course, provided that you do not call too much. Although in this case it would be wiser to use instant messengers.

Beeline

Somewhat more humane roaming rates in the databaseoffers in the Crimea operator "Beeline". All incoming calls and SMS are also free, and outgoing calls will cost 2.5 rubles per minute or one SMS. You can call outside the Russian Federation, but the prices will impress you: within the CIS - 94 rubles a minute, and in the rest of the world (except for Ukraine, you won't be able to call there) - 254 rubles a minute. SMS sent outside the Russian Federation will cost 4.95 rubles for each message.

Internet is also available with slight differences betweenprepaid and postpaid rates. For prepaid subscribers, the first megabyte will be free, then "unlimited" Internet will be automatically connected on the following conditions: the first 300 MB without speed limit, then until the end of the day the limit is 129 kbps. The cost of such "unlimited" is 200 rubles per day. It is automatically disabled when connecting packages of 1 GB for 449 rubles or 3 GB for 1,099 rubles. These packages do not have a time limit for which traffic will be spent, so if you do not want to bother with controlling whether your smartphone has connected somewhere secretly from you, this option is not so bad. In other cases, the option is so-so, it’s easier to count on 300 MB for 200 rubles.

Postpaid subscribers have no connected options.Internet is provided subject to the following conditions. The first 3 MB every day will be for 2.5 rubles, then the same package of 300 MB for 200 rubles will automatically turn on, but when it is exhausted, not the speed limit to 128 kbps will turn on, but the tariff of 2.5 rubles / MB until the end of the day .

Beeline has not yet announced other tariff options,although in 2020, in August-September, this operator offered a promotion, under which certain tariff plans had a home tariff. It is worth noting that Beeline subscribers can also connect to the networks of any Crimean operators, this will not affect the roaming fee. However, there is a nuance. The partner of "Beeline" in the Crimea is the operator "Krymtelecom", therefore, by default, the connection will occur to the networks of this operator. And this is not very good, since even Krymtelecom's 2G network is far from being available everywhere. 4G is absent as a class, and 3G is present in fragments, only in large cities and partly in the Greater Yalta region. So if your operator "Beeline" and the phone suddenly does not see the network in the Crimea, then you will have to help him by setting up the connection manually.

Tele2

Tele2 also has its own partner operator in Crimea,Win mobile, but this does not affect the profitability of roaming too much. Of course, all incoming calls and SMS for users are free, and then you have to pay for everything. Calls and SMS will cost 3 rubles per minute of conversation or one message. 3 rubles will cost 1 MB of Internet traffic. And Tele2 is the only operator that mentions MMS in its tariff rates. They will also cost 3 rubles apiece. It will be very profitable for Tele2 subscribers to call from Crimea outside the Russian Federation - regardless of the country of the world (not sure about Ukraine), the cost of a minute will be 5.5 rubles.

But with the options here it is quite sparse.There are no ways to save on calls and SMS at all. There are exactly two options for internet packages: “Internet on the peninsula” and “Unlimited instant messengers on the peninsula”. I'll start with the last one, because it is naturally some kind of parody of the modern Internet. For 50 rubles a day you get unlimited access to Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp and TamTam messengers at speeds up to 32 kbps. No, this is not a joke. Only these instant messengers are really at a speed of 32 kilobits! In 2022. But the inventors of this anti-tariff did not calm down and supplemented it with an important clarification: "Access to other Internet resources in Crimea and Sevastopol will be limited until the service is turned off." In general, for 50 rubles a day, you can turn off the Internet on your phone, while retaining the ability to correspond in Viber and WhatsApp. Unless you are a Premium user, then this option is not available to you.

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But on the "Premium" option is available for free“Internet on the peninsula” (previously there was also the option “Easy Internet on the peninsula”, but now they are combined). Everyone else will have to pay 300 rubles a day for it. For this amount, you will receive 200 MB without speed limit and 128 kbps until the end of the current day. According to the operator's website, this is enough to watch an episode of the series, and then listen to music and chat in instant messengers. And you can't argue about messengers! By paying another 300 rubles, you can get another 200 MB of traffic without speed limit.

Local operators as an alternative

It is easy to see that of all the "big four"only MTS offers its subscribers in the Crimea good conditions, so the only thing that can bother them is the quality of coverage of local networks. All the rest receive approximately equal conditions for calls within the Russian Federation, so no one is in danger of being left without voice communication on vacation. But when we turn to mobile Internet estimates, the situation changes a lot.

MegaFon subscribers have a quite distinct option"Vacation without worries", which is suitable for those who do not use the Internet very actively on the phone. I would even say that it will suit the majority - with a reasonable approach, “heavy” traffic should be left to free Wi-Fi (which is available in almost every cafe and any hotel), and 10 GB for navigation, social networks and instant messengers for two weeks should enough. The options offered by Beeline and Tele2 surprise with a price tag, and some with selective madness in conditions, so if I were a subscriber of these operators, I would look at local offers.

The easiest and most logical way to getmaximum traffic for a minimum of money and without making any effort is to go to the nearest MTS salon before the trip and connect any of the current tariffs. Thus, you will be relieved of the need to plunge into the service of the Crimean level, which is 10-15 years behind the average Russian one. At the same time, you will have a SIM card even when crossing the Crimean bridge, so the transition from the all-Russian networks to the Crimean ones will be seamless and free. But it is also worth knowing that MTS technical support is not always able to solve the problem that has arisen in the Crimea.

If you want Crimean exotics, that istwo ways. The first is for those who are strong in spirit and eager to return to the late 1990s or early 2000s. Such daredevils can be recommended operators "Krymtelecom" and STS ("Sevmobile"). Terrible level of service, no salons, employees who perceive the client as a sucker, disgusting coverage, connection problems and technical support on weekdays during business hours. This is an exaggerated picture, but it gives an idea of ​​what to expect.

The second way is to purchase one of the tariffsoperators "Wave" or Win. The latter is somewhat more expensive without options, but still noticeably cheaper than the options offered by Beeline and Tele2. In terms of quality and coverage, they are no different, since they work on the same network of towers, so the only question is which point of sale will be the closest to you. There are not very many of them, and the level of professionalism of the employees is so-so, so it is better to find out in advance which tariff plan you need. It is also possible that the tariff options, and indeed the SIM card settings in general, will not work automatically, you will need to read the corresponding FAQ on the site.

At the same time, over the past couple of years, the qualitycoverage on the peninsula has improved significantly. The above map seems rather strange in terms of coverage, but in fact it means that 4G is already available in all major cities and tourist areas and is quite stable. 3G coverage, of course, does not provide anything more than navigation and instant messengers, but it is everywhere except for remote villages and remote mountainous areas. Of the significant disadvantages - only poor Internet coverage of all major routes, including the recently built "Tavrida". Otherwise, the communication situation is quite typical for a not very developed and mountainous region.

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