Guests and residents of the capital are probably interested in learning about the region's mobile operators, as well as their codes within Moscow. The necessary information is presented in the article.
Who are they - mobile and field?
Six operators currently provide their services in the capital. Let's see who they are, at the same time presenting the total number of their subscribers for the current year:
- MTS - 104.1 million subscribers.
- Beeline - 109.9 million subscribers.
- Megafon - 72.2 million subscribers.
- Tele2 - 38.8 million subscribers.
- Yota - 0.5 million subscribers (information has not been updated since 2015).
- Teletay - 57.8 thousand subscribers.
Let's talk about each of the Moscow mobile operators in more detail.
MTS is the most expensive brand
PJSC is one of the oldest mobile operators in the Russian Federation and CIS countries. The company was founded in 1993. She provides the following services:
- cellular;
- telephone wire communication;
- mobile, digital, satellite and cable television;
- home Internet.
In 2010, the trademark of this mobile operator in Moscow and Russia was recognized as the most expensive and valued at 213,198 million rubles. At the same time, MTS 'net annual profit is about 50 billion rubles a year.
"Beeline" - the most widespread in the world
The next Moscow operator is Beeline, a trademark of VimpelCom PJSC. His services are as follows:
- mobile and fixed telephony;
- internet access, data transmission, including via fiber optic routes, 4G networks, Wi-Fi;
- broadband Internet access.
Beeline is not only a mobile operator in Moscow and Russia. The company provides its services in many countries - Italy, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Laos, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Georgia, Algeria, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, etc.
Megafon is the most actively developing
PJSC "Megafon" presents to its subscribers the entire range of telematic services. He works not only in Moscow, but throughout Russia, as well as in Tajikistan, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It was Megafon that was the first in the country to provide its subscribers with high-speed Internet - first 3G and then LTE.
This mobile operator in Moscow is also known for the active acquisition of shares in other companies in its market - Synterra, Euroset, MegaLabs. Among his "daughters" are the well-known "Iota" and the provider NETBYNET.
"Tele2" is the most economical
In Russia, the Swedish company "Tele2" loudly declared itself back in 2003. Promising promotions also attracted attention - high quality, excellent service, ease of operation, coupled with unprecedentedly low communication prices. In Moscow, the mobile operator Tele2 appeared relatively recently - this was due to the fact that it smoothly integrated with the assets of Rostelecom in 2014. Before that, in 2013, the Swedish corporation Tele2 AB sold its Russian branch to the VTB group of companies.
Today "Tele2" provides a wide range of telecommunication services for both private clients and business. Besides Moscow, the operator operates in 65 more regions of Russia.
Yota is the most intriguing
Iota can certainly be considered the most mysterious Russian operator - the reason for this is the corporation's advertising campaign. Yota is the world leader in provisioning and also the recognized "fourth operator" in Russia according to 2014 data. Today it is not only a mobile operator in Moscow, but a company operating in 81 regions of the country (modem products are still available in only 76 regions).
Yota is distinguished from the rest of the variety of operators by visible advantages:
- Communication without roaming throughout the Russian Federation.
- Prices for all services do not change depending on your movements in Russia.
- Unlimited free voice communication within the network throughout the Russian Federation.
- "Transparent" control of your expenses in the operator's mobile application.
- Free communication in popular messengers abroad, even with a zero balance.
- Annual unlimited package at maximum speed.
"Teletay" - the least-known connection
Teletay is another VimpelCom product, a service provider with attractive tariff plans and high quality services. Basically, his TP line is designed for those who want to communicate economically and a lot - in unlimited variations. The company promises an unobtrusive multidisciplinary service, an individual approach to each subscriber, beneficial offers for active users of the mobile Internet and those who like to chat on a smartphone. There are also special offers for businessmen and customers who are often in the roaming zone.
The small popularity of "Teletay" is primarily due to the fact that it operates in only two regions - Moscow and the region, as well as in St. Petersburg.
Moscow mobile operator codes
Information about the telephone codes belonging to each of the operators will also be useful for the reader.
| The code: | Operator name: |
| 901 | "Skylink" (trademark "Tele2", now defunct - abolished in 2015) |
| 903 | "Beeline" |
| 905 | |
| 906 | |
| 909 | |
| 910 | MTS |
| 915 | |
| 916 | |
| 917 | |
| 919 | |
| 925 | "Megaphone" |
| 926 | |
| 929 | |
| 958 519... | Telegraph |
| 958 523 ... | "Matrix" |
| 958 555 ... | MTT |
| 958 630 ... | Former "Rostelecom" - today "Tele2" |
| MTT | |
| 962 | "Beeline" |
| 963 | |
| 964 | |
| 965 | |
| 967 | |
| 977 | "Tele 2" |
| 985 | MTS |
| 999 779 ... | Former Rostelecom |
| 999 800 ... | "Iota" |
| 999 880 ... | Former Rostelecom |
| 999 980 ... | "Iota" |
Note that this belonging of telephone codes to a certain operator is characteristic only for Moscow - in other regions, these numbers may begin with mobile numbers provided by completely different companies. Do not forget also about the new service - the transition from one operator to another while keeping your number.
There is a fairly wide range of mobile operators in the capital. The subscriber will always be able to choose from them a company that meets individual needs and provides cheap calls, unlimited tariffs, Internet access at maximum speed, special tariff plans for roaming or profitable offers for business.
Telephone operators in Moscow
The leading Moscow operator of the telephone communications market is OJSC "Moscow City Telephone Network" (MGTS), which for a long time was the only (except for some departmental operators) supplier of this type of service to the Moscow market. The development of market relations led to the emergence in the early 90s of the so-called "alternative" telecom operators. Such companies owe their appearance to the weak development of the domestic telecommunications infrastructure, which does not meet modern requirements. Currently, there are more than 50 weighty operators on the market, conditionally they can be divided into the following groups:
- MGTS and its subsidiaries;
- large alternative telecom operators;
- small alternative operators (as a rule, these are intermediaries who lease channels from large market players).
Not so long ago, the company entered the IP-telephony market, which previously belonged exclusively to "alternatives". Now MGTS provides long-distance communication services, broadband Internet access, and call-center services. In technical terms, service range and quality of the provided communication, the company is still inferior to alternative operators.
MGTS operates mainly in the private sector (about 80%), the share of budget organizations does not reach 10%, and commercial firms account for a little more than 10% in the subscriber structure. As a distinctive feature of the subscriber base, it should be noted its ineffective structure - the most profitable subscribers are concentrated in the sector of alternative operators. Today MGTS is not competitive in the corporate client market, despite the fact that MGTS tariffs are 2-3 times lower than those of alternative operators. The analysis of customers allows us to conclude that MGTS services are mainly used by those subscribers who cannot afford an alternative operator.
What are alternative operators and what are the main features of their work? The emergence of the first alternative operators is associated with the arrival of the largest foreign telecommunications companies on the Russian market and the creation of joint firms on the basis of state-owned enterprises. An example is the creation of a joint venture with the participation of the American company Sprint and Central Telegraph, as well as numerous MGTS joint ventures with foreign telecom operators and equipment manufacturers. Initially, alternative operators were converting the legacy operators' old analog infrastructure to "digital format". Over time, they began to build their intracity telecommunication networks based on SDH and ATM technologies. It is the alternative operators that focus on the quality of communication and the range of services provided, rather than their cost.
Here is a description of some of the major alternative operators.
Company Antel Holding (www.antelgroup.ru) appeared on the market in 2002. The holding includes Macomnet, Rascom, Metrocom, MKS, Magistral-telecom, Settelecom, Sibintek. In Russia, the companies of the group serve about 2,500 business clients. These are large and medium-sized businesses, multinational companies, business centers, hotels, operators of fixed, cellular and paging communications, banks, financial institutions, embassies. At the service of the company's clients: lease of communication channels, local, international and intercity telephone communications, access to the Global Internet.
Company Golden Telecom (www.goldentelecom.ru) was founded in the USA in 1999. The company includes the following companies "Combelga", "Kominkom", "Teleross", "Sovintel". Revenue for 2005 amounted to $ 667.4 million. The operator specializes in the provision of digital local, long distance and international voice services, local telephone numbers and lines, leased lines, Internet access, design, installation and management of dedicated data transmission networks, call center ( Call Center).
A large telecom operator in the Moscow region - Comstar United Telesystems (www.comstar.ru), established in 2004 on the basis of the three leading companies Comstar, MTU-Inform, Telmos. The main shareholder of Sistema JSFC. Revenue from the sale of services for 9 months 2005 reached $ 636.8 million. According to some reports, the company controls 25% of the telephone communications market in the Moscow region. The number of subscribers as of September 30, 2005 totaled about 4.5 million. The operator provides telephony services: digital telephony, high-speed Internet access, data transmission, virtual private networks, card communications, intelligent communications, and system integration. It specializes in providing communication services to large corporations, medium-sized companies and private clients, as well as developers. As part of telephony services, the operator provides end users with: any required number of Moscow numbers, the functions of office telephone exchanges (call forwarding, waiting on the line, etc.), the ability to integrate with Internet services, mobile communications, data transmission, the ability to combine corporate networks of remote offices, high quality local, long distance and international communication. In addition, Comstar's proposals include investment participation in equipping buildings with communication services, a full range of design and construction works for equipping buildings with communication services, providing a full range of services to management and construction companies during the construction phase, cooperation with owners and management companies to service tenants and tenants.
Group Komkor (www.comcor.ru) was founded in 1992 with the assistance of the Moscow authorities. The company includes the following firms: Moscow Telecommunication Corporation OJSC, Falcon S CJSC, Komkor-TV CJSC, PR Telecom CJSC, Komkor-ainet CJSC, Rusich 1 CJSC, OJSC Komkor ", CJSC Electronic Telecommunication Systems", CJSC Komkor-VIP, CJSC Telecom Consulting. The turnover of the company in 2005 exceeded $ 90 million. About 90% of the proceeds come from large clients. The company provides the following telecommunication services: telephony, open and coded television, high-speed Internet access, digital packet telephony and telemetry services using new technologies xDSL, PON, SDH, ATM, G-Ethernet, MPLS.
Universal holding Corbina Telecom (www.corbina.ru) with 1,500 employees was founded in 1995 and specializes in providing telecommunications services to corporate and private clients. The group of companies includes the enterprises ZAO Investlektrosvyaz, ZAO Kortek, ZAO Kabelstroy, OAO Novotel, and NOU Korintek. The strengths of the company include: the selected position of the Group in the market in relation to the provision of communication services in the D-AMPS standard, business diversification, a relatively stable customer base, and high profitability. The revenue for 2004 amounted to 2300.9 million rubles.
Operator Equant (www.equant.ru) has been operating in the Russian telecommunications market for over 12 years and occupies a dominant position in it. The company includes the firms "Eurotel", "Iquant", the "Global One" network. Representative offices of the company are located in 300 cities of the Russian Federation and the CIS - in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Rostov, Samara, Sochi, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, etc. The clients of the firm are "Central Bank of the Russian Federation "," Ministry of the Russian Federation for Communications and Information ", AK" Alrosa "," Sberbank of the Russian Federation "," Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant "," MICEX "," Philip Morris "," General Motors "," Toshiba "," Coca Cola "and other. The turnover of the Russian branch in 2004 amounted to $ 175 million. The services provided include IP-services, voice services, data transmission services, and applied services.
Company Interregional Transit Telecom (www.mtt.ru) appeared on the market in 1994. The firm specializes in providing telecommunications services and organizing the interaction of more than 100 networks of fixed-line operators in Russia with each other and 330 foreign operators. The company occupies one of the leading positions in the telecommunications industry in terms of growth dynamics and financial performance. The list of services provided includes: organization of long-distance and international telephone communications, Intelligent Communication Network (ISS), data transmission services, network interconnection and traffic transmission. The tariff for automatic long-distance telephone communication services for individuals is 2 rubles per minute.
Fixed-line customers can be conditionally divided into three large groups:
- Corporate clients are enterprises and organizations whose employees use communications on "special" terms. For most operators, corporate programs are a priority line of business. This is explained by the fact that the number of corporate clients of fixed-line communications is orders of magnitude smaller than subscribers of cellular communications and the private sector, and the amount of contracts is much higher. Corporate service is elite, where all questions, incl. financial decisions are made individually. The procedure for working with corporate clients, as a rule, is as follows: a personal manager is appointed who leads the transaction and is aware of all the features of working with the Customer, incl. agree on price aspects and discounts.
- The private sector is individuals who require the installation and maintenance of telephone numbers. This group of clients is not the most profitable.
- New buildings and elite housing are the most promising sector due to the growth of developments in Moscow and the commissioning of new housing projects.
The market of alternative fixed-line operators is estimated at ~ $ 1 billion with an annual growth of about 25%. More than $ 600 million of them are in Moscow.
The cost of connecting a telephone line with a number is in the region of $ 200-350. A dedicated digital channel will cost ~ $ 500. The subscription fee for using the line ranges from $ 20 to $ 90 per month, MGTS has 200 rubles per month. As a rule, operators include unlimited intracity traffic in their subscription fees.
Comparing the tariffs of the leading players for fixed-line services for corporate clients (as the most profitable sector of the market), it can be noted that they depend on each individual client and the terms of the transaction. As mentioned above, all major operators have a flexible pricing policy for each individual client. Therefore, most operators do not publish official tariffs or offer individual discounts to tariff plans depending on the type of connection, characteristics of the premises, the presence or absence of Internet access, the number of telephone lines, traffic volume, etc. However, it is safe to say that the larger the client, the more significant the discounts will be for him.
Prepared by the Marketing Research Department
It is difficult to imagine a person today who can do without a cellular connection. Every day people call each other, send millions of messages, go online using mobile phones. Cellular operators are responsible for the quality of communication, cost and service package.
List of telecom operators in Russia
There is no single operator responsible for mobile communications. There are over a hundred operating mobile operators in Russia. Some regional providers are subsidiaries of large cellular operators in Russia.
According to statistics, among the leaders among the companies providing mobile services are 3 - the "big three" providers - MTS, Megafon, Beeline. These companies have the largest number of subscribers, the largest coverage area, and a wide range of services.
- MTS... The only "cellular", which is included in the top 20 world leaders. At the end of 2017, it has the largest number of subscribers in Russia (more than 78 million people), and taking into account the CIS countries, the number of subscribers is more than 100 million. It has the most extensive network of communication salons in the country (more than 5700 points).
- Megaphone... There are more than 76 million subscribers in Russia, there is a great demand for Megafon SIM cards in Abkhazia, Tajikistan, South Ossetia. The company positions itself as an operator with the fastest mobile Internet.
- Beeline... The VimpelCom OJSC brand is among the first hundred recognizable brands in the world. The number of subscribers in Russia reaches 59 million, but Beeline is the leader in the number of roaming countries and partners. This allows you to stay connected while traveling and save on roaming services.
The top popular operators include companies that are not included in the 3 "big three", but are in significant competition in terms of popularity. The rating of mobile operators includes smaller companies, both new and regional. The very notion "big three" is becoming obsolete, because other providers are also conquering the market:
- Tinkoff Mobile is one of the newcomers to the communications market, which offers its users many pleasant bonuses: selection of an individual tariff without unnecessary services and pitfalls, beautiful numbers, affordable roaming. Also, importantly, the operator provides high-quality communication. And the first time you deposit your account, you will receive.
- Tele2. At the end of 2017, this is the only company that has increased the number of subscribers. It has been operating as a federal Russian operator since 2014 after obtaining a license for communication in the 3G format. The operator's audience is at least 40 million people in 65 regions of the country. Most active subscribers are in Moscow and the Moscow region, in St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions. It takes the 3rd place in Russia in terms of the number of base stations, it is distinguished by fast mobile Internet due to low network load, as well as affordable package tariffs with the Internet.
- Yota is a virtual mobile operator. The brand has existed since 2008. Works on the Megafon technical infrastructure. The subscriber base is about 1.5 million people. Until January 2017, the only operator with unlimited access to mobile Internet, today the tariff line includes only products with a limited amount of traffic for smartphones, and for tablets and computers there are offers with unlimited Internet, the price of which depends on the speed.
- Rostelecom is an Internet provider and a company providing home wired communications and cable television services. The company offers its subscribers cellular communications in the GSM 900/1800 format and mobile Internet.
- "Motiv" serves only 4 regions in the Ural Federal District. This trademark has existed since 2002. The company provides communications in the formats GPRS / EDGE, IVR, MMS, SMS, USSD, but is not represented in Moscow.
- SMARTS is a Samara company. Communication in Russia is provided to subscribers from the Volga region and the central regions of the country. The list of services includes GPRS, CSD data transmission, communication in GSM-900, GSM-1800 standards, SMS, MMS transmission.
Before making a choice of a mobile operator, each client must outline his own range of preferences and identify the requirements for mobile communications. Each provider is good in its own way, the best mobile operator can be of regional status, if the package of services that it provides meets the needs of the client.
A list for communication in Russia, a phone code and a comparison of operators will help to make the choice of a suitable provider.
Cellular operators map
Telecommunications companies are sensitive to increasing customer requirements. Now it is not only the major players in the telecommunications market that offer high-quality communication coverage. The emergence of new towers makes it possible to provide communication even to the most remote settlements; it is now possible to use a mobile phone in the metro and in high-rise buildings. Operators provide not only high-quality and uninterrupted telephone coverage, but also fast access to the Internet via 3G and 4G networks.
Each company fights to retain existing subscribers and expand the consumer base, therefore, in almost every city there are salons where customers can not only purchase a starter package, but also receive qualified assistance or answers to their questions.
Each Russian company has a database of 11-digit numbers, by which you can identify the operator and the regions of the number connection. The possibility of switching from one operator to another, which appeared after the abolition of "mobile slavery", was not used by all subscribers, therefore the table of codes helps to determine where the unknown incoming "came" from.
If the number is registered in Moscow and the Moscow region, then the unknown number of the incoming call is easy to determine:
Beeline does not have a clear link to the region, like other large operators. The company has separate codes only for the Far East and Primorsky Krai. And Yota's numbers are not tied to the region, they all start with the code 999.
In the North-West region and St. Petersburg
Southern Federal District, including the North Caucasus
The tables show both codes calculated for all regions, and those that apply only in the specified city, area. But large operators have codes for individual areas, that is, cellular services will be cheaper only when used in the home region.
The place of registration of numbers with codes 950, 951, 952 at Tele2 can be Irkutsk Region, Khanty-Mansiysk Region, Lipetsk Region, Kursk Region, Perm Territory, Chelyabinsk Region, Kemerovo Region, Republic of Buryatia, Republic of Mordovia, Tyumen Region and Udmurtia.
Large operators have allocated separate codes for the Urals: 922 - Megafon, 982 - MTS.
What numbers are used by Russian operators
The phone number of any Russian operator starts with 8; to dial in the international format, dial +7. However, within Russia, the call will be equally successful when dialing from both the eight and +7.
The international code is followed by the prefix digits - this is the DEF code used in mobile networks. The prefixes of Russian operators begin with 9, that is, the general form of the code is always like this: 9xx. For companies that provide mobile services, one or more of these codes are allocated. This makes it possible to determine the operator and the region of the caller: 926, 916, 977 - Moscow numbers, and 911, 921 or 981 - St. Petersburg.
For the "mobile troika", a series of codes has been allocated in which the second digits also coincide. For example, 91x or 98x are MTS numbers, and 92x or 93x are Megafon numbers.
The next 7 digits are the subscriber's number, by which it is impossible to determine the belonging to the region of residence or provider. The range of Beeline numbers can suggest regional affiliation if the same prefix is \u200b\u200bused. Code 905 is used in St. Petersburg (range from 250-00-00 to 289-99-99), as well as in the Ulyanovsk region. (range from 183-00-00 to 184-99-99).
But sometimes only the initial digits of the subscriber's number help to identify the operator. For example, the DEF-code 958 is used by more than 20 operators, among which there are small companies (covering 1 region and capacity of 10,000 numbers) and large (several tens of regions and hundreds of thousands of numbers).
As an example: the prefix of TransTelecom's numbers is 7958, but since the company serves 30 regions of the country, you need to know the initial digits of the subscriber's number in order to determine the identity of the outgoing call (-00x-xx-xx - Bashkiria, a -03x-xx-xx - Kaliningrad region, etc.).
The same prefix is \u200b\u200bused by Gazprom Telecom, Business Network Irkutsk, State Unitary Enterprise Automatic Telephone Station of Smolny, Interregional TransitTelecom, Systematics, T2 Mobile, Central Telegraph, etc.
DEF codes are also renumbered as needed. Moscow numbers of MTS were transferred from 495 to 985, and Megafon numbers - from 495 to 925.
The telephone code used only by Megafon is 920. The numbering capacity is over 10 million, and numbers with this code are used in 17 regions of the Russian Federation.
The encoding used by Tele2 is 900. But the same code is used by 16 more Russian operators of different calibers in terms of capacity and coverage of regions - Antares, Arkhangelsk Mobile Networks, Yekaterinburg-2000, Kemerovo Mobile Communications, Sky- 1800 ", etc.
Tele2 is the largest of the companies using the 900 prefix: T2 Mobile comprises 17 regions and 3,140,000 numbers (the region is determined by the digits of the subscriber's number), Tele2-Omsk - 3 regions (Jewish Autonomous Region, Omsk Region and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) and 210,000 numbers, Tele2-Saint Petersburg - 1 million numbers for 4 regions (Vologda region, Karelia, Pskov region, Leningrad region and St. Petersburg).
Best rates
The ratings of companies providing cellular services are compiled not only taking into account the number of subscribers and the size of the coverage area, but also the list of services provided by the company and the tariffs established for each position or the entire package.
Advertising campaigns of four leading providers (MTS, Megafon, Tele2, Beeline) are aimed at attracting subscribers, because TV commercials vying with each other prove that the tariffs of this or that company are the most profitable. Telecom operators' tariffs dynamically reflect the company's strategy, consumer preferences and industry trends. At the same time, archive tariffs also operate in parallel until the subscriber switches to a new price offer.
Budget rates
| MTS, Smart | Megaphone, Get involved! Choose |
Beeline, First gigi |
Tele 2, "My conversation" |
|
| Cost, rub.) | 400 | 450 | 405 | 200 |
| Minutes package | 200 | 300 | 400 | 200 |
| Internet (GB) | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
It's not hard to get lost in such a variety, but there is no universal tariff plan. It is more convenient and cheaper for subscribers to purchase a range of services - tariff packages that combine, for example, voice communication, SMS and mobile Internet. In addition to the services included in the package, you need to study the limits for them (GB, free minutes, the number of SMS) and determine the subscriber's needs (mobile Internet, calls in the home network, roaming, etc.).
Wireline operators are grouped around three centers.
Commercial wireline carriers are looking for ways "to each other's hearts." Fierce competition forces them to consolidate their business. The state of affairs in wire communication is increasingly beginning to resemble the situation in the mobile telephony market. Both here and there are three centers of attraction - Moscow AFK Sistema and Alfa Group, as well as St. Petersburg Telecominvest.
Although the market for wireline communications in the capital is growing, competition between Moscow alternative operators has seriously intensified over the past two years. "Big fish" is practically "chosen", and today the growth of subscribers is mainly due to small and medium-sized enterprises. "Now about 80% of operators 'revenues come from large clients, 20% - from small and medium-sized ones. However, there is a steady trend - operators' revenues from services provided to small and medium-sized businesses are increasing. New clients are coming from these sectors," says the first deputy general Mikhail Muraev, director of Sovintel.
The client is shallow and picky
The "shallow" customers of wireline operators are becoming more and more finicky. “Subscribers have become more discerning. Now almost every new client can be obtained only through a tender, so operators have to fight with each other,” says Dmitry Dronov, Marketing Director of MTU-Inform. “Besides, telephony services alone are not enough for a client As a rule, he buys a whole package - a telephone, Internet access, and other additional services. " In this situation, operating companies are thinking about business consolidation. In Moscow, the consolidation is going on around two large holdings - Sistema Telecom and Golden Telecom. For example, several months ago Golden Telecom announced its intention to buy out a stake in the wire operator Sovintel from Rostelecom (the second stake in Sovintel belongs to Golden Telecom itself). Within Sistema Telecom last year the business of two operators - MTU-Intel and PTT-Teleport - merged. However, the integration processes within Sistema Telecom are proceeding slowly, apparently because the number one goal for it is the regional development of MTS's cellular business.
The prospects for independent companies (the largest in this row - Global One and Combellga) will depend on the plans of their shareholders. It is possible that over time, these operators will have to create alliances with their current competitors. Otherwise, independent companies will have to be content with a narrow niche - for example, servicing Western corporations operating in Moscow. Operators consider it unlikely that the third major player will enter the Moscow market - there is too little space. "Although everything is possible. The example of MegaFon shows that three large operators can successfully operate in Moscow," says Muraev.
Heading to sleeping areas
It is not excluded that Moscow operators will soon begin to develop a new market - to provide communication services to the population. Communication networks for residential areas are already being built by some Moscow operators - Komkor, MTU-Inform, Comstar.
"The corporate sector is not unlimited, sooner or later it will be chosen, and the next step for wireline operators will be to work with the population. In this case, it would be reasonable to offer private clients not just telephone communications, but some kind of integrated service: telephone, Internet access, cable TV ", Dmitry Dronov is sure.
Golden Telecom believes that this recipe is not suitable for every operator. "Only the operator that has built its own numbering capacity can provide services to individuals with a benefit for itself. But, until a time-based payment is introduced, which will increase communication costs for multi-speaking subscribers, commercial operators will go to the mass market with a large With an eye - the "average bill" from a subscriber is too small. First of all, of course, the sector of elite housing will be covered ", - Mikhail Muraev believes.
Expansion number two
The situation in the Russian hinterland is more difficult to describe - it varies greatly from region to region. Several of the most economically developed regions are actually copying the Moscow market. In industrial centers such as Yekaterinburg, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod, alternative operators are competing with state-owned telephone networks. In regions with low effective demand, there is no serious competition, and all communication services are concentrated in the hands of state-owned telephone operators.
According to Aleksandr Kudryavtsev, First Deputy General Director of the Teleross Company, they are not interested in the development of all regional projects: “Teleross has points in 70 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and we are ready to invest in regional projects. those cities that are of interest to us. " It is quite probable that a large federal operator will enter the regions in the near future, since a serious regional policy is "tough" only for powerful holdings of a nationwide scale with large investment opportunities. There are three such companies in Russia - Moscow-based Sistema Telecom and Alfa Group plus St. Petersburg-based Telecominvest. So far, these holdings are implementing regional wire projects only to support their cellular business.
One of the likely options for the penetration of capital holdings into the regions is the purchase of local wire operators. This is how Moscow and St. Petersburg companies built their federal cellular networks, so it is logical to assume that they will use the proven strategy again. "Regional wireline operators have already exhausted their resources for development and are interested in attracting investments. And large federal operators just need sites for regional business," says Alexander Kudryavtsev.
Dragons in the manger
The development of the business of alternative operators in the regions is seriously hampered by one problem. They need to resolve the issue of connecting their networks to public switched telephone networks (PSTN). State operators have a monopoly on the telephone infrastructure - this has been the case in Russia historically. And if the network of a commercial operator is not connected to the public telephone networks, then its business loses its meaning. In terms of access to infrastructure, all operators are legally equal, but in practice there are "more equal" and "less equal" operators. A monopolist can impose draconian conditions for connecting to its network to "dislikes", thereby making their business completely impossible. There are similar problems even in Moscow, and in the regions things are even worse.
According to the general director of MTU-Inform Said Alimbekov, the main principle of interaction between networks should be the rejection of the policy of discrimination. "Each operator should be able to connect its network to the PSTN. If this condition is met in practice, the interaction between operators will become more transparent. Then the problems of technical and financial interaction between operators will recede into the background. As a result, the investment attractiveness of the industry will increase," says Alimbekov.
In the disputes around the problem of connecting networks, communications workers have recently broken many copies. However, government regulators are extremely reluctant to tackle this problem. One of the operators, who asked not to disclose his name, said in an interview with Co: “The Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, which should resolve this issue, is now keen on regulating tariffs. MAP is practically not involved in regulating the network infrastructure monopoly. All alternative operators must have equal access to network resources, but there is practically no clear policy, regulatory documents, and dispute resolution procedures. All these mechanisms need to be regulated in order for real competition to appear. "
The consumer will only benefit from real competition - very many companies and individuals in Russia still do not have normal communication just because regional "dragons" do not want to let competitors into "their" territory. The sooner MAP separates the dragons from the infrastructure, the better for the consumer.
Centers of gravity
Russian wire network consolidates around three holdings
|
"Sistema Telecom" |
Golden Telecom |
Telecominvest |
|
|
Who owns |
AFK Sistema |
Alfa Group, Western investors, private shareholders |
Telia, Kommerzbank AG , "North-West Telecom" (formerly PTS) |
|
What does it own |
MTS, MSS, “Personal Communications”, regional operators (mobile communications), MGTS, “MTU-Inform”, “Comstar”, “Telmos”, “Golden Line”, “PTT-Teleport”, (wire communication), “MTU -Intel ”(internet provider); other companies |
Sovintel, Teleross, several Internet providers united under the Russia-on-Line trademark. The main shareholder - Alfa Group - owns a stake in the mobile operator VimpelCom |
Cellular operators included in the MegaFon network (North-West GSM ”,“ Sonic Duo ”, regional companies); Delta Telecom, wire operators: PeterStar, Petersburg Transit Telecom, Web Plus and others, paging operator Neda, etc. |
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Activity priorities |
Development of the federal network of cellular communication standard GSM based on MTS company |
Strengthening positions in all sectors of the wire communications market |
Development of the federal cellular communications network - the MegaFon project |
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Strengths |
Support from the Moscow government, ownership of a natural monopoly - MGTS |
Good organization, aggressive marketing |
Support from the Ministry of Communications, financial support of foreign investors |
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Weak sides |
Loose internal organization |
Smaller in comparison with the other two holdings in size and resources. Lack of “special” relationships with natural monopolists |
Geographic unevenness. The wired business is concentrated in the Northwest region |
