"Mobile slavery" is abolished, long live freedom of choice! " - with such words, tens of thousands of people ran to telecom shops to switch from one mobile operator to another. SIM cards were shuffled between the “big three” and everything remained in its place. Those dissatisfied with Megafon went to MTS or Beeline, just as those dissatisfied with the latter went over to Megafon's side. And everyone is happy. However, in this turmoil, many did not notice the emergence of a new telecom operator - the Yota company, which began to distribute its SIM cards to everyone. One of them was me. How the transition process went and what happened in the end, I will now tell you.
Background
It all started a couple of years ago, when I decided to take a mobile router that I used on trips. The device has helped out more than once in places where mobile operators could not provide high-quality communication. Now this router is in my dacha and works around the clock, providing unlimited Internet to all connected devices. Having learned at the beginning of the year that Yota decided to enter the cellular market, I decided to find out in more detail what the new operator offers and what benefits I will get if I decide to switch to it.
Everything turned out to be very simple (which cannot be said about the main “players” of the market): you buy as many minutes as you need (from 100 per month) and additionally connect the unlimited SMS package for a symbolic 50 rubles. The Internet is already included in the price and also has no traffic restrictions. One tariff without many options and incomprehensible write-offs - that was exactly what I needed. “Jumping” every few months from tariff to tariff in search of a more profitable and convenient offer, and even connecting some options, the description of which is even more confusing than the name, is simply tired. And how infuriated me messages like “You are approaching the threshold of shutdown, tk. spent all the traffic, now we will disconnect everything for you. Want to renew? Send SMS to the number, wait for confirmation, send a new one ... ”. Therefore, two main factors “for” the transition were fulfilled: simple tariff, unlimited Internet.
Before connecting
Naturally, since all the laws have been adopted and I can leave my “precious” number for myself, I began to find out what I need for the transition. I already mentally imagined that paperwork, data reconciliation and other "service", so familiar to a Russian person, awaits me. Our colleague, Sergey Suyagin, has already written on the pages of Lifehacker about this, and his material somewhat disturbed me. I did not want to conduct conversations for 20 minutes at the point of sale with consultants, who often did not understand the subject of the conversation. However, in reality everything turned out much easier.
To connect to Yota, it was necessary to download a special application for iOS, read about the advantages of connecting and ... wait for a notification about when you can pick up your new SIM card. And this was, perhaps, the most unpleasant moment in the whole history - “Simka” had to wait about a month. Unfortunately, the exact date was not mentioned anywhere, so I had to be patient. Now, I think that the waiting time has decreased, since I, apparently, was in the first wave of dealing cards.
And so, on the cherished day, a notification appeared on the display of my iPhone that I could pick up my SIM card. The reopened application acquired new functions, where I was shown the points of issue of cards and even asked to plot a route to the nearest one, where I went.
It is worth saying that the SIM card could be ordered with courier delivery, but I decided to play it safe and go personally, since there were several points of issue.
Connect / Transition
After reaching the nearest point of issue and informing the consultants about my choice, I was asked to name a certain confirmation code - a unique identifier that is displayed in the application after the notification that the card can be collected. Calling him and giving my passport, I announced my intention to leave my phone number. They printed out the transfer papers and gave me a package with a SIM card, having previously warned that the transfer would take 8 days and during this period the balance on the number should remain positive. Having paid 500 rubles, which will go to the balance sheet (no additional hundred rubles), I said goodbye and went home. The whole procedure took about five minutes.
Expectation
Throughout the entire period, my number, as described in Sergey's article, received notifications about when I could start using the new SIM card (and on the same day my practically former operator turned off the Internet for me), but for now she lay on the table. And then you probably asked the question: what kind of format is the SIM card issued and will it be necessary to cut it? Nothing supernatural is required from you. The package contains one card, but depending on the phone model, you take out the size you need - all the parts are fastened together, so if you need an ordinary nano-SIM, take out the smallest piece, if micro - then medium and if mini - then the whole card completely. The photo below shows that all three parts are fastened together, and you just need to “squeeze out” a piece of the desired size.
Using
Eight days have passed. Exactly at midnight on the ninth day, the old SIM card notified me that “No network”. It's time to insert a new SIM card, which I immediately did. Initially, even the only tariff that exists with Yota is not connected on the card, you control all the communication parameters you need yourself (except for the Internet, it is immediately included in the package and you pay a fixed amount for it). In order to start using the SIM card, you need to launch the application and select the package of minutes and SMS that suits you, if necessary. Once this is done, you can start using it.
I really like this approach. Everything you need can be controlled by yourself, and for this you do not need to send various SMS to any number to connect services, everything is done through the application. Routers from Yota are managed in a similar way: you put a certain amount on the balance and connect the required speed, which can be changed during the period. That is, you pay not for traffic, but for the connection speed.
application
Now about one of the most important - about the application. There is nothing complicated in it, only the necessary: \u200b\u200bthe start screen meets us with information about the remaining minutes and connected SMS, information about the balance and the menu of connection conditions. At any time you can open it and find out about your expenses, and for this, again, you do not need to send anything or call anything - all the information is before your eyes. If you suddenly realize that you do not fit into the limit of minutes, you can buy them directly in the application, as well as replenish the balance - for these operations you do not need to look for a terminal or use inconvenient web versions of operators' personal accounts, everything is done in a couple of taps on the smartphone display. And since the Internet is unlimited, it is quite difficult to remain without communication. Unfortunately, the application has not yet been optimized for iOS 8 - hence, apparently, the interface slows down and crashes when trying to specify a package of minutes. But I think this issue will be resolved by the official release of Apple's operating system.
In the same application, you can contact the support service via chat, which is also convenient. One click on the button and you will be connected with a specialist who will help with your question.
Support
And in this paragraph, they usually write about what a bad support service. Yes, I myself have said and written about this more than once, without even taking into account the telecom operators. As a rule, clients are dissatisfied with the level of services provided, as well as the fact that, due to their inattention or lack of understanding of the subject of the problem, they blame consultants and other service workers for everything. To some extent, both are right, on both sides there are incompetent or unwilling to help / explain people. And one of the most important problems is insufficient attention to the client and the waiting time in solving his question / problem.
I turned to Yota support many times for various reasons, not only when changing a SIM card and operator. A couple of months ago, I started having constant problems connecting the router to the LTE network, which I told the support service about. They took my application for processing, they said that the base station was overloaded, and they promised not only to unload it, but also to deal with the hardware (perhaps it was a replacement of equipment or an upgrade of the existing one). Naturally, it was immediately clear that this would take a long time. However, after about four weeks, I received a letter in the mail notifying me that the problems were fixed, along with a proposal to evaluate the quality of the connection: “Everything is fine” and “No, it still works poorly”. It is clear that the phrase “Your opinion is very important to us” is mostly a standard excuse, but in this case I chose the first option, since the connection became more stable a week before the notification.
With the receipt of a new SIM card, I also encountered problems, which I mentioned just above: the application crashed every time I tried to select the packages of minutes and SMS that were suitable for myself. After describing the problem in the chat, which is also available on the company's website, they helped me within 10 minutes by connecting those packages that interested me. I didn't really count on this approach, but expected to read something like “This OS is not yet supported by the application, so use the current version or wait for optimization for the new one”. Agree, not everyone is the first to install beta versions of a mobile operating system, so I would take this answer quite adequately. But, to my happiness, the problem was solved without rolling back to stable iOS 7. It should be noted that the operator's waiting time does not exceed the norm - of all my calls, I had to wait for an answer more than five minutes only once.
Connection quality
While I went through with a new SIM card for only a week, so it is difficult to objectively assess the quality to the full, but I constantly measure the speed and their performance pleases me: the download speed several times was about 8 Mbit / s (of course, it depends on your location), but has not dropped below 3 Mbps. The 3 Mbps figure was the maximum for my previous operator, so the quality improvements are immediately visible. As you can imagine, we are of course talking about 3G networks, since I have an iPhone 5 at my disposal, which does not work in our LTE frequencies. But with LTE, I think there will be no problems either, but we will check this only after the release of the iPhone 6.
As for voice calls, everything is quite clear here: Yota uses its towers to provide Internet, and Megafon stations - for voice calls. Nevertheless, the connection for all three main operators seems to be more or less the same, therefore, at this point - no revelations. In places where Megafon does not catch, Yota will not work either.
Minuses
Of course, there are downsides everywhere, even Yota. There are two of them: when using a smartphone in modem mode, the speed is limited to 64 Kbps, and when downloading torrents - 32. And if the second limitation is quite reasonable, then I don't really like the first one. In those moments when there was no Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone always came to the rescue, with which it was possible to access the network without any problems. Now it is very inconvenient due to the low speed. I perfectly understand why this is done, but I hope that the company will nevertheless revise its restrictions and raise the speed at least twice.
What's the bottom line?
And in the end I got what I wanted: no sophisticated tariff plans, hundreds of options and constant traffic restrictions. I don't have a lot of phone calls, so 100 minutes a month should be enough, and if the Internet speed does not drop below 3 Mbps, you can finally use FaceTime for conversations. After all, the sound quality is much better there than over the cellular network. And on long trips across Russia, it will help out a lot because of the lack of roaming within the country. In any case, Yota for me is, first of all, the Internet, moreover, unlimited, and so far none of the operators can offer it.
This review has been prepared based on the use of a SIM card in St. Petersburg. Prices and call quality may vary depending on the region.
Would you like to change the operator or have you already done so? Share your experience in the comments!
Mobile operators
Mobile operator Yota is currently a subsidiary of one of the Big Four, which owns 100% of its shares. In addition, it is considered virtual, since it does not have its own equipment, but provides services using the networks of the parent company.And yet, despite from time to time rumors about the upcoming liquidation of the brand, Yota is still an independent company living on its own revenues. The Russian Federation is the main region in which this provider operates. At various times, there were attempts to enter foreign markets, including such an exotic one as Nicaragua, but by now the company's ambitions have seriously contracted.
The set of services provided by Yota, comes down to two main areas:
- GSM telephone communication.
- Mobile Internet in 2G / 3G / 4G networks.
History
The founders of the company, which was named Scartel LLC, are Russian entrepreneurs Sergey Adonyev and Denis Sverdlov, who became its first head. The latter is a co-owner of KORUS Consulting and for some time held the position of Deputy Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications.The purpose for which everything was started was the creation in the Russian Federation of a network operating in the progressive WiMAX standard at that time. The decision was made in 2006, but the provision of services began only two years later.
In the same 2008, sales of the corresponding equipment supporting this communication standard began: Express cards, the HTC MAX 4G phone, and then, a year later, a laptop.
The Yota brand appeared in 2007. According to rumors, this name was born as a result of SMS correspondence between the founders of the company. At that time, no one even thought about providing voice services - it was only about creating a high-speed Internet network.
It should be said that Yota was not all right with the connection quality. Despite the fact that, according to the specifications of the WiMAX standard, a speed of 100 Mbit / s is normal for this standard, in practice 20 Mbit / s was considered the norm, and in some regions this figure was completely miserable - 8-9 Mbit / s.
Therefore, the transition to the LTE standard in 2010 became an important milestone in development. This did not pose any particular problems, since the frequencies used coincided with WiMAX. But with the equipment for customers it immediately became easier: now it was enough to install the appropriate SIM card in one of the widespread models of gadgets.
However, it was not possible to achieve a wide spread of coverage in the regions of the country: even the opening of the network in Kazan faced administrative problems and was postponed for several months. But the company did not give up: in 2011, it entered into an agreement with the Big Three operators on the development of 4G networks in Russia.
In the same year, an attempt was made to enter the Belarusian market, which, however, did not manage to hold out for even a year - in the summer of 2012, the provision of services was curtailed.
The financial performance did not please the management of the company, and in 2012 a deal was made with the operator MegaFon, which at that time showed an active interest in the development of fourth generation networks. As a result of the reorganization, Skartel LLC, which owned the Yota brand, became a subsidiary of MegaFon, and already in 2013 a representative of the Big Three became the owner of 100% of the shares.
However, for a number of reasons, there was no complete absorption. Moreover, the 4G networks of MegaFon and Yota were not merged, which in practice causes some inconvenience to the users of the latter, since they cannot use communication services in regions for which the operator does not have the appropriate permissions.
But in the spring of 2014, the launch of a new federal cellular operator was announced, which took place a little later - in August of the same year. The company used MegaFon equipment, and it was by no means free of charge, which had a rather negative effect on the attractiveness of tariffs.
At the same time, the head of Yota changed - now Anatoly Smorgonsky has become him, who replaced the retired Denis Sverdlov. By that time, he had managed to work in VimpelCom, Russia, and, however, could not resist for a long time in his place - already in 2015 he left his post and he lost the chair of the head of the company to Mikhail Dubinin.
A little later, a gradual change in tariff policy begins. So, at the beginning of 2017, the connection of new users to tariffs with unlimited Internet traffic was terminated. Instead, a new package line was launched, in which the number of gigabytes was already limited.
Six months later, subscribers got a unique opportunity to "design" their tariffs, independently determining the volume of certain services in accordance with their own needs. And at the beginning of 2018, the opportunity was opened to connect packages without talking points, which turned out to be convenient for those who only needed the Internet.
Separately, it should be said about the company Yota Devices, known to us for the line of smartphones YotaPhone. In June 2011, the Yota division, engaged in the development of devices for mobile communications, was spun off into a separate company. Over time, it has become one of the largest suppliers of equipment for 4G networks in Russia, known for its modems and routers.
Even before the separation, Denis Sverdlov, who headed Yota at that time, announced plans to create a domestic 4G smartphone, work on which continued until 2013, when the first YotaPhone entered the market.
Unfortunately, the ambitious project ended in failure: the number of sold copies of the first generation barely exceeded 30 thousand, the second - a little more than 150 thousand, and the third never made it to the Russian market, despite the announcement that took place in August 2017: in addition For a considerable part of time, Yota Devices was controlled by the Hong Kong investment holding REX Global Entertainment and the novelty was reoriented to the Chinese market.
As it turned out, $ 50 million in investment and healthy entrepreneurial impudence were not enough to repeat the success in Russian reality or.
Today is
As of today, there is no official information on the size of Yota's subscriber base. For 2015, it was about 1 million users in 52 Russian regions. According to indirect data of one of the operators of the "big four", 2.5 million Yota subscribers called up with its subscribers.How much does this represent of the entire Russian mobile communications market? Quite a bit: in 2017, the number of users exceeded 250 million.
Considering that the subscriber base of the “weakest” member of the “Big Four”, Tele2, at this time amounted to 40.6 million, it becomes clear that the provider has no particular prospects: in the ratings it falls into the unenviable category “Other”.
But not far off is the emergence of 5G mobile Internet, which will make Yota's 4G networks less relevant and, accordingly, will reduce the company's income level.
The Yota company appeared back in 2007. But the cellular operator gained real popularity only 7 years later, having started selling SIM-cards in Russia. It was then that many wondered what kind of dark horse is this, who owns Yota?
History of company owners
Initially, the owner of the brand was Skartel LLC. In 2012, the owner of Yota announced that there would be a merger of the company's assets with OJSC MegaFon. Then the Garsdale holding corporation was created.
Upon the sale of Yota, the owner lost the rights to a controlling stake. The assets of the new holding were divided between three companies. AF Telecom received 82% of the shares, the rest of the shares were owned by Telconet Capital and Russian Technologies State Corporation.
The union had several goals:
- accelerating the process of mastering new communication technologies in the country;
- providing high-quality communication to all residents of Russia;
- integration and obtaining new solutions in the field of telecommunication services;
- cost reduction in the construction of the LTE network;
- taking a leading position in the world market.
Present day
In September 2015, MegaFon was the sole owner of all Yota assets. 
The corporation is successfully developing; in July this year, sales of SIM-cards started in 52 regions of the country. For customers, the company offers unlimited tariff plans with an affordable cost, high connection speed and a large coverage area in Russia.
Yota was not only the first in the world to launch the latest LTE-Advanced mobile connection, but also allowed subscribers to communicate for free, pay for long distance calls in the same way as if a person is in their home region.
A new player has appeared - the Yota company. For a long time, this corporation has been known as a provider of wireless Internet access. The range of services of the new operator includes all those services that are in demand today, that is, voice communication, SMS, as well as access to the network. The latter is characterized by unlimited, and in absolutely real terms. If the tariffs of other mobile operators apply traffic restrictions in excess of the prepaid volume, then Yota does not use this approach, at least now. What chances does a mobile operator as young as Yota have to gain a foothold in the Russian market? What kind of reviews prevail? Why is the use of Yota services especially beneficial for subscribers?
Access to the market
The new mobile operator Yota actually entered the market in August 2014. Issuance of SIM cards under this brand began in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Tula and the Far Eastern cities: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Interestingly, users could submit preliminary applications for SIM cards in advance through a mobile application. At the same time, Yota ("mobile operator") announced its new status back in April. Prior to that, for many years, this organization was mainly engaged in the provision of services for wireless Internet access. Activities in this direction are still carried out by the company: it sells the corresponding type of branded modems. Therefore, in order to accurately distinguish between the two main types of services provided by the organization (mobile Internet and cellular communication), we will refer to the company in our article as "Yota-mobile operator". In turn, if we are talking only about the mobile Internet, we will call the company "Yota-provider".
The company plans to ensure the presence of the brand as a provider of cellular services in all regions of Russia. which was identified by the Yota mobile operator - iPad, iPhone and Android enthusiasts. That is, those people who are used to using it. Note also that the Yota company can be rather conditionally considered an independent player in the cellular communications market. The fact is that this organization is a subsidiary of Megafon. At the same time, as some analysts believe, the Yota-mobile operator, determined from other largest corporations of the segment (MTS and Beeline), can still “win back”.
Basic rates
The tariff policy of the new cellular provider is quite young. For example, at the time of entering the market, the company made it possible to use only one tariff, which included 300 minutes of calls, unlimited Internet and any number of SMS for 750 rubles per month. Those offered by Yota-mobile operator, tariffs today, mainly differ in the number of calls to phones. That is, there is a "basic" monthly payment of 300 rubles, it guarantees unlimited Internet. In turn, you can pay in addition and receive an unlimited number of SMS for use. The minimum surcharge for voice calls is 140 rubles (100 minutes), the maximum is 990 (1200 minutes).
Limitations
Note that the SIM-card from the new mobile operator is only suitable for smartphones, tablets and cell phones. You cannot connect it to a PC; you can use a modem from a Yota provider to access the Internet.
Devices in which the SIM-card, which was released by the Yota-mobile operator, w3bsit3-dns.com, will be fully functional. Also, using mobile devices with a Yota SIM card, you cannot "distribute" the Internet in Wi-Fi mode. Some experts point out that if the provider detects violations in the use of the SIM card, then the network access speed can be reduced to 32 kbps. However, it is not entirely clear how this will be done in practice.
At the same time, the company will introduce a similar restriction if it is found that the owner of a mobile device uses, for example, "torrents", or downloads large files. Unlike determining the fact of distributing Wi-Fi, Yota should not have problems with fixing requests for trackers. If there are no violations on the part of the user, then access to the network with a decent speed through the 4G standard is guaranteed and, moreover, unlimited.
Connection
How to connect to services offered by Yota-mobile operator? There are two main ways. A SIM card from this service provider can be ordered through the company's website or use a mobile application. The ordered SIM-card will be delivered by a courier. You can also pick it up at the points of issue, the address of which will be displayed in the application. If customers have any difficulties in using the services, the Yota-mobile operator will send the settings through its support service, they are necessary for the correct operation of SIM-cards. At the same time, the emphasis is on the interaction of the relevant supplier structure with customers precisely through online channels, for example, via chat.
Reviews
The Yota mobile operator has very different reviews from experts and users. They can be conditionally classified into three categories. The first characterize the quality of communication services. The second is the company's pricing policy. The third is the market prospects of the new operator. The first type of reviews is generally positive. And this is not surprising, since Yota uses MegaFon's infrastructure to a large extent, which is probably not inferior in technological sophistication to those used by other operators. Regarding prices, the opinions of users and experts are different.
Premium product
Yota-mobile operator offers tariffs mainly for customers in the premium segment. Since a simple comparison of them even with those that Megafon has, their benefits are not so obvious. Moreover, there are noted restrictions on the use of the Internet. There is another point of view according to which the tariffs from Yota are quite fair. The fact is that not every operator can get really unlimited Internet for a monthly fee of 300 rubles a month (if you do not violate the rules of its use, it has no restrictions on traffic, speed, etc.).
Many users, by the way, are impressed by the sales channel organized by the Yota mobile operator. Customer reviews indicate that courier delivery is convenient. You can order a SIM card anywhere in the city, at home, at work.
Coating
How efficient is the new operator ready to serve subscribers in terms of coverage? Everything depends, first of all, on the communication technology used. Of course, Yota-mobile operator provides coverage according to 2G and 3G standards almost everywhere, if we talk about the cities of the company's presence.
It's a different story when it comes to the latest 4G technologies. In this case, the coverage area guaranteed by the Yota-mobile operator is not always evenly distributed, even if we talk about Moscow. At the same time, the resources included in the 3G standard are sufficient to meet the basic needs of using the Internet. Taking into account that Yota customers do not want to download large files, the practical need for speeds of more than 3-4 Mbit, which gives 3G, may be low.
Marketing
Actually, the reviews that characterize the market prospects of the new mobile service provider can be discussed separately. It is believed that Yota, in particular, is not quite effective in terms of using sales channels. As we have already said, distribution of SIM-cards is carried out by ordering through the website and delivery by courier or using points of issue. This is not the most optimal path that Yota-mobile operator has chosen; the reviews of employees of some analytical agencies are kept in this tone. The fact is that in order to gain a significant market share, a company needs to win a target group of customers of 10 million people; this requires more extensive distribution channels, such as, for example, retail brand networks.
Sales innovation
There are also experts who believe that the resources chosen by Yota for the distribution of SIM cards are, in fact, revolutionary in their way. The fact is that when using standard channels, in particular retail brand networks, the cost of attracting a client is about 500-700 rubles, and this, as a rule, is the minimum. If you use the services of a courier, then the indicator is approximately halved. Another thing is that the dynamics of distribution in this case is lower. However, it is quite acceptable to assume that Yota will use innovative distribution methods only at the very beginning of the business, using standard, albeit more expensive, channels if necessary.
Will the Internet be unlimited?
It is believed that over time, the Yota company, announcing its readiness to provide Internet access services in a completely unlimited format, will move to a model that may contain restrictions. Now this mobile operator, due to a rather small number of users (when compared with the number of subscribers of the same Megafon and other companies of the Big Three), can provide unlimited access to online without any nuances (except for restrictions on downloading "torrents") ... There are experts who believe that there are no objective prerequisites for this. If only for the reason that the average Russian mobile Internet user downloads files and data by about 3-5 gigabytes per month.
The user doesn't need much
This volume is generally guaranteed in the "standard" tariff plans of other mobile operators, but within the framework of prepaid traffic and for the same 300 rubles per month. Probably, experts believe that, firstly, Yota has no special reason to expect that in the segment where the company will provide services, the average monthly traffic volume will grow significantly relative to 3-5 gigabytes (especially taking into account the restrictions on "torrents" and files large size), and secondly, technologies are still developing. And therefore, the potential load on the servers may not be so critical as to deviate from the policy of providing unlimited access to the Internet.
Market segments
We mentioned above that Yota is likely to focus on Premium customers. That is, those who are, perhaps, ready to overpay for additional communication services, provided they use unlimited Internet. At the same time, there is a version that the range of customers of the new operator will also be replenished by those who are used to average cost tariffs. This can be facilitated, for example, by the favorable roaming policy of Yota.
All calls between the subscribers of this operator are now free throughout Russia. In addition, according to some experts, unlimited SMS for 50 rubles is quite a competitive price even against the background of "standard" tariffs from other operators. SMS has not yet gone out of style, despite the fact that online messengers are gaining more and more popularity. However, experts find it difficult to say, analyzing the prospects of the business model offered by the Yota-mobile operator, when exactly the company will master new target groups of customers.
Is Yota a competitor to Megafon?
Can Yota be considered a direct competitor to Megafon, despite the fact that it is a subsidiary of one of the leading Russian operators? Experts believe that this is not the case. There are completely radical versions on this score. According to one of them, "Megafon" is basically not interested in the success of the new business, implemented by Yota. The mobile operator (reviews of some analysts, at least, contain such assumptions) appeared on the market not in order to select some of the clients of the holding, of which it is a part. Most likely, experts believe, this is due to the desire of the management of the innovative company to get used to niches that are fundamentally new for the Russian cellular market.
There is a version that Yota was forced to develop unusual distribution channels for SIM-cards to a certain extent because Megafon did not provide the company with a resource in the form of its own dealer network.
Yota and retail chains
There is also an opinion that the mobile operator can use this opportunity in the future. But so far, as evidenced by the reviews and reviews on thematic portals left by experts regarding the activities carried out by the Yota-mobile operator, the company is trying to negotiate with dealers at the level of Euroset and Svyaznoy. Therefore, even if the holding company does not give the go-ahead to use the dealer network, Yota will have a spare resource. Although the resource possessed by the Yota-mobile operator allows you to connect fairly quickly, and a potential client does not have to look for other options, such as a trip to the office of a retail brand.
Another federal operator appears in Russia under the Yota brand, which MegaFon, after purchasing the company, nevertheless decided to keep and develop as a separate project. In many ways, this operator will be a testing ground for both new services and approaches to the sale of SIM-cards, customer service. Perhaps, if this example turns out to be successful, then we will see symmetric responses from MTS and Beeline, and the number of large operators will unexpectedly double. To understand this topic, let's first study the history of virtual operators on Russian soil.
Virtual operators in Russia - background of the issue
The idea of \u200b\u200ba virtual operator in Russian reality has gone from a pipe dream to reality. Initially, the Western MVNO experience was seen as something outlandish, something that needs to be launched in Russia in order to curb the brutal appetites of operators and whip up competition. The lack of a legislative framework, opposition from the Big Three, and the lack of a clear justification for the need for "virtual operators" - all this created an unhealthy excitement around this phenomenon. If in Western countries MVNO acted as a tool for price competition, and a tool launched on the market by the regulator, and not by other players, in Russia all these attempts turned into a resounding fiasco. And the reason is not at all in the mythical opposition of the big three, the reluctance to let new players in - although this was present, the main reason was the banal lack of excess traffic from operators that could be sold. One of the main conditions for the emergence of a virtual operator is excess capacity, which can be sold in bulk to a third company. Actually, this is how MVNOs appeared in Europe, they traded surplus traffic under their own brand, and the regulators joined the game later and imposed their own conditions, which many operators considered enslaving, but could not do anything.
The Russian experience of building virtual operators can be considered to some extent unique and different from the world one. Even in the absence of a formed legal framework, MegaFon began to attract new partners, giving them access to its network, which in the early 2000s had surplus traffic, since the subscriber base was only growing and yielding to both MTS and Beeline. The other two operators of the Big Three did not even have the urge to play these games, they grew up confidently and did not get carried away with partisan games. For MegaFon, the term “virtual operator” meant the very connections of new subscribers that could be considered as our own, that gave an increase in the subscriber base, for which they fought at any cost. It was then that the Allo Incognito operator appeared, which can be considered one of the oldest virtual operators in Russia. Two years later, MegaFon was already testing the scheme, and virtual operators began to appear like mushrooms after rain - Aviatel, West Call, Globus Telecom, ComStar, Sinter, Matrix Telecom and others. In 2006, a project from the Central Telegraph - Megatel appeared.
A typical feature of Russian virtual operators of that time was the orientation towards their customers, de facto the creation of communication services within the framework of the activities that the companies had already conducted. Nobody tried to become a federal operator, to go beyond the boundaries of a niche. Affected by the lack of clarity about the legal framework, lack of sufficient investment and unwillingness to play on the field of the big three. And the lack of excess traffic, which by the beginning of 2010 put the very idea of \u200b\u200bvirtual operators in Russia into question. Under the current licenses, virtual operators in Russia can not only resell traffic from other companies, but also develop their own infrastructure. Almost no one uses this opportunity, as it requires large investments and a different approach. We can mention such a newcomer as WhyFly, which appeared on the market in 2013 and works only in the Moscow region on the Beeline network. This company installed its own billing system, launched a call center, which made it possible to compare favorably with Beeline, the service of which the company sells. I am sure that this operator is unknown to most readers. This is typical for any Russian virtual operator, only a few know and remember about them.
In 2009, MegaFon had a rather curious experience, the Just for Communication tariff was launched as a kind of virtual operator, but in fact, it was a regular tariff plan, and MegaFon's marketing decided to use the hype around this topic and thus attract new subscribers. They succeeded to the full.
In Europe, in recent years, they began to use an approach that MegaFon accidentally used - operators create their own clones on their networks, but position them differently, as a rule, cheaper. Due to this, the subscriber base is expanding, and the different positioning of each of the projects allows us to fight with almost any company. This is a winning strategy.
Yota is another federal telecom operator
Yota believes that they are creating a fourth federal operator, although Tele2 has long targeted this place after the sale of VTB, in particular, Rostelecom at the end of last year discussed a development plan and transfer of all its assets to the new combined company. The blocking factor is the need to transfer not only material assets, but also communication licenses, Tele2 did not have them for 3G / 4G networks, which made the company lagging behind in all regions of presence - it had only text messages and voice. I am sure that the process of forming the fourth operator based on Tele2 will take a long time, as a result, Yota has every chance of becoming the federal operator number 4. Ultimately, in 2015 we will get at least 5 federal operators (the big three, Yota, Tele2), plus, perhaps, similar projects will be launched in MTS and Beeline. There will be a kind of fashion for virtual operators, the very fresh blood and imaginary competition that the market needs. In the eyes of consumers, these operators will compete with each other, although in reality this will only be an appearance.
Let me remind you that Yota was acquired by MegaFon, although it retained its legal independence, it operates separately. However, MegaFon consolidates all Yota data in its financial statements. The fourth generation networks that Yota has built are used by MegaFon to provide related services. After the acquisition of Yota, the company became the largest holder of frequencies for LTE in Russia, none of the competitors will be able to get equal opportunities, although Yota, at the request of the regulator, promised non-discriminatory access to its network. But the same MTS is in no hurry to take advantage of this opportunity, trying to build its own network and give a symmetrical answer.
The emergence of a subsidiary operator for MegaFon is a kind of experiment based on European experience. But if in Europe operators consider their brand to be premium and usually create discounters or low-cost operators that separate them from their brand, then in the case of Yota, the situation is the opposite - this operator focuses on a young, energetic audience. This does not mean the discounter format at all, but rather additional service capabilities, unusual chips attached to an already existing basic service, as a result, its high cost. To some extent, my new operator Yota is associated with the bank of Oleg Tinkov, who is trying to compete with the monsters of the market through various convenient services, finesse and a pretty good basic service. Yota was clearly inspired by the example of this bank and tried to create something similar, but in the field of telecom. However, let's see how it will look.
How the virtual operator Yota works
Both MegaFon and Yota will share the same networks, in fact, voice, SMS, etc. will come from MegaFon, and access to LTE will come from Yota. However, this is not so important, since in the end the same basic service will be comparable. The question remains whether Yota will be able to set priorities for its subscribers on the same network, or whether MegaFon will not be allowed to do so. I bet that there will be attempts to show such amateur performance, but they will be quickly stopped by a blow to the hands.
In the middle of summer, Yota plans to launch itself as a virtual operator in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, here it will be possible to connect. Of course, with these SIM-cards it will be possible to travel all over the country, to go to roaming - the rates will apparently be equal to what MegaFon offers to its subscribers.
At the end of 2014, it is planned to gradually expand the geography of the virtual operator; they will first connect those cities where Yota had the maximum number of users as a WiMax operator or a cellular operator before MegaFon bought it.
At the moment, the new federal operator has no formed commercial offers, until mid-summer focus groups will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which should show the profile of service consumption, for example, the volume of traffic. Depending on this, tariff proposals will be formed by the middle of summer, but the approach itself can be called classic from Yota. That is, it is assumed that these will be certain packages, including voice, SMS, traffic.
For the period of the initial launch and testing, the price for Moscow is set at 750 rubles (Petersburg - 590 rubles), this money includes 300 minutes of voice, unlimited SMS, as well as unlimited Internet without any speed limits. In the future, prices will be revised.
This approach has a certain legacy of Yota, which already tried to make a real, unlimited, unlimited, but quickly faced the need to cut off torrents, limit those who download too much, and eventually began to control traffic in the same way as other operators. If this virtual operator becomes popular, its users will face exactly the same approach, they will cut off their traffic. The only question is when and under what circumstances.
For Yota, there is a very thin line between its own sales and profit, as well as the cannibalization of MegaFon's sales. Changes in the MegaFon tariff line are influenced by competitors, and the built system must react instantly. This is much more difficult than simply creating a separate operator that competes only with other market players, regardless of the profit of the parent company. This is the biggest pitfall in this story.
An interesting question is how Yota will try to sell its services - this is a complete rejection of traditional retail, since the latter is quite expensive and the new federal operator does not have enough budget to pay for the sale of each card. As a result, it was decided to sell services cheaply and cheerfully, in an innovative way - a program from the operator will appear in the application stores, in which you can not only control your SIM-card, but you can, while not yet a subscriber, pick up a phone number, order it delivery and pay for services.
This is a forced step, since MegaFon's own retail is unable to sell both its own SIM-cards and “competing” ones. Yes, this is stupid, it will lead to the very cannibalization that they want to avoid at any cost. In Euroset and Svyaznoy, the approach is pragmatic, operators have to pay for each subscriber and connection, the cost of $ 10 and more. For Yota, this is too high a cost. As a result, there are only independent sales on the Yota.ru website, plus such an application.
To attract subscribers, a large federal campaign starts in the summer - you will see Yota ads on television, on large billboards along the roads. This will provide primary interest in the "new" operator, and then it will be necessary to see how many people want to try it and will be ready to connect. From the experience of the first coming of Yota, I will note that the most interesting thing will be to look at the churn of subscribers and the reasons why they stop using the operator.
First impressions
In this story, there are many unknowns that are incomprehensible, first of all, to those who started this game in the fourth operator. What should be the prices for services in order not to compete with MegaFon? What will be the demand for a virtual operator and what are the marketing costs? Nontraditional sales channels have not been tested at all in the aspect of SIM-cards, how will they show themselves? There are many more questions at the moment than answers.
This is a very beautiful story for MegaFon, when an operator creates an additional brand and is ready to promote its services at its expense. But there is a discrepancy - all over the world operators are creating virtual operators with cheaper offers than their own. In contrast, MegaFon is creating an operator with an ARPU clearly exceeding that of the company. This is another weak point of this project.
We need to look at what Yota will eventually succeed in - it is possible that the project will take off and become an example for others. But it is possible that exactly the opposite will happen. None of us can predict this, I repeat, there are too many unknowns and variables.
For our readers, a project with Yota will start in the coming weeks, within which you can get into a focus group and be the first in Russia to receive Yota SIM cards. Stay tuned, we'll tell you how to do this. In this article, a link to a form will appear where you can leave an application for testing a SIM card from Yota (only in Moscow and the region, as well as St. Petersburg).
What do you think about the fourth federal and virtual operator? Will you try his services? How can he be attractive to you? Write your comments, I assure you that all Yota top managers will carefully study them.
