Will megaphone work? How much does a call from MTS to Yota cost and vice versa?

Which is better, Iota or Megafon? To provide a stable, cheap Internet connection at high speeds, many users conducted speed tests, provided they used the same mobile devices, and also compared current tariffs and their actual applicability. With the emergence of new operators, users pin their hopes on improving the quality of services and reducing costs. Indeed, the presence of intense competition forces Russian mobile operators to develop more actively in their industry, offering new services and improving existing services, as happened with the advent of Yota.

Internet connection comparison

With the arrival on the market mobile communications new player, the current leaders MTS, Beeline and Megafon had to make room - low prices and loud statements of the new operator Yota attracted many users who were showing increasing interest in Internet services. Known for its wide Internet capabilities, Megafon has received a serious competitor in the fight for customers. However, before moving on to new connection, you should understand the actual advantages and disadvantages of these operators.

Speed ​​tests were carried out for both 3G and 4G quality, under similar conditions and using similar parameters, which made it possible to draw conclusions about the degree of usefulness of the two Internet providers.

Transmission speed

SpeedTest was chosen as the network status indicator, which allows us to evaluate the quality characteristics of the connection. Since the largest number of users were attracted by the new operator thanks to cheap unlimited Internet, a similar service was chosen from Megafon.

Upon verification, the following was revealed:

• using unlimited connection from Yota they observe a reduction in upload speed, which can negatively affect the speed of downloading files;
• Wi-Fi distribution leads to a speed limit of 1 Mbit/s;
• observing the process of downloading files, many 4G users were able to note that, having promptly started downloading small files at a good speed, a phone with a Yota SIM card slows down the transfer rate, while Megafon, starting downloading a little later, ends up being the first to finish the job.

Price

One of the advantages of Yota is the low cost of the services provided. Both in relation to regular mobile communications and the provision of the Internet. To conduct the test, an unlimited Internet connection costing 300 rubles was used, but separate Internet use is not provided by the operator. As a result, connecting voice communications and Internet traffic will cost 440 rubles per month.

In the competing Megafon, a separate connection is possible with a monthly tariff of 350 rubles, which includes traffic of 3 gigabytes sufficient for the average user. However, if you need to make regular calls, the cost will increase accordingly. In any case, cost comparisons should only be made taking into account the call volume required in each particular case.

Comparison results

Examining the Internet connection provided by Yota, there is a speed limit:

• at 64 kBit/s when smartphones operate in modem mode;
• When downloading torrents, the speed drops to 32 kBit/s.

When it is not possible to use Wi-Fi, the issue of ensuring high speeds can be fundamental. Low speed even when connecting a SIM card via iPhone leaves users dissatisfied with the quality of the Internet, expecting the limit to be increased at least twice. Everyone is inclined to make their own choice, taking into account individual needs. Regarding 4G connections, the majority of Moscow users report approximately the same quality of mobile Internet among all major players, including the new telecom operator Yota.

Comparison of mobile connection quality

Operators Megafon and Yota, differing in the technological support of Internet connections and the presence of separate networks of towers, have a similar base for supplying their customers with regular mobile communications. Thus, Yota users will use the network only where it is available to Megafon clients. The only difference is the variety of tariffs and terms of payment for services. The advantages of the new operator are the availability of many additional options and applications that allow you to pay bills, watch TV, correspond on social networks and much more, which makes cooperation with the new provider truly all-encompassing.

When choosing a mobile Internet, the user invariably faces difficulties of choice. Today, there are 6 providers operating in Russia that offer subscribers access to Internet resources from mobile devices or desktop PCs. One of the last to start in this area was the operator Yota, which immediately made itself known in the services market by offering truly unlimited Internet and transparent room service conditions.

Since January 2017, the situation has changed somewhat. In particular, the company's management decided to abandon unlimited access to the network, replacing this option with packetized traffic. How does Yota differ from its main competitors now? To answer this question, let's take a short overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each provider.

If we start with the basics, Yota is a subsidiary of Megafon, and therefore actively uses the coverage area of ​​​​its “big brother”. This is what explains the provider’s strong start in the market cellular communications, when the “newbie” immediately received a developed network.

If we talk about the quality of the Internet, there are significant differences between these competitors. In particular, Yota removed unlimited for smartphones, leaving it on tablets and modems. In addition, users are offered a uniform tariff for services throughout the country. The disadvantages of the provider include the following features:

• SIM cards only work on specific devices, so you won’t be able to move a SIM card from a smartphone to a tablet and use the connection to its full potential.
• Modems only work with 4G, so residents of regions where this network is not available can forget about wireless home Internet.
• Yota SIM cards cannot be used to distribute traffic to other subscribers or download torrents.

Megafon is free of these shortcomings, but cannot yet offer unlimited Internet for tablets and modems. In addition, when leaving their home region, subscribers have to bear additional expenses or add additional options, which significantly increases the final cost. Therefore, if subscribers need the Internet specifically for travel, it is better to give preference to Utah, but here you need to take into account the fact that there may not be a 4th generation network in the region, so the device will be useless.

Tele2 or Yota

Both operators appeared on the service market relatively recently, so both companies are characterized by affordable pricing policies.

However, some differences are still present. Let's compare the main parameters:

1. Price. The final prices are approximately the same, but Yota offers more options for customizing the basic tariff. Essentially, the operator invites subscribers to independently choose the optimal billing period; tariff plans for smartphones can be customized at their discretion. In addition, Yota does not have the concept of national roaming, which is an undeniable advantage compared to Tele2.
2. Coverage area. Yota wins here again, using Megafon's core network, but the victory looks strained. The fact is that despite a fairly developed coverage area, Iota “suffers” from an uncertain and often disappearing signal. Tele2 does not have this problem, so the principle of less but better works here.
3. Connection speed. Yota is in the lead by a small margin, offering residents of large cities a high-speed 4G connection. Tele2 initially focused on voice communications, so the provider’s 4th generation lines are poorly developed. However, in remote areas, both operators operate in 3G, which significantly equalizes the chances.

Another criterion is the quality of service, and Tele2 is the leader here, providing subscribers with comprehensive and round-the-clock support. Iota has only one line to communicate with specialists, so sometimes you have to wait quite a long time for an answer.

Beeline or Yota

Despite the fact that the yellow-striped operator is one of the oldest in the cellular communications market, Yota is quite confident in competing with this elder. If we compare only the Internet, then Yota initially relied on 4th generation communications, so Beeline found itself lagging behind. Therefore, both companies are characterized by uneven coverage areas in these networks.

However, Beeline wins on the following points:

1. Attractive prices.
2. Possibility of connecting wired home Internet and digital television.
3. Operation of modems in 3G networks.

Iota answers this more high quality connections, no roaming, excellent speed performance. If we compare the Internet within large cities, Yota certainly wins, offering flexible conditions and consistently high speed. When it comes to the periphery, Beeline takes the lead, having a more extensive network and providing connections to 2nd and 3rd generation networks.

MTS or Yota

MTS is one of the representatives of " big three“, while the operator’s Internet network is surprisingly undeveloped. If you compare the services of this provider and Yota, you can highlight only three advantages:

• Reliable coverage even in remote areas.
• A large number of promotional offers that allow you to connect on favorable terms.
• Wired home Internet.

At the same time, the operator is characterized by an almost complete lack of LTE connection, which Yota is actively introducing, international roaming, and relatively high prices.

When choosing between these providers, you need to focus on the area of ​​application of the Internet. If you need a reliable connection at home, MTS is clearly the leader, but when it comes to the Internet when traveling around the country, the scales definitely tip in favor of Yota.

Rostelecom or Yota

It is not entirely correct to compare these operators, because they provide Internet connections via various principles. In particular, Rostelecom sells wired Internet and digital television, offering quality wired connection. Iota provides access to the network through modems and routers, which implies unstable operation and fluctuating speeds.

However, Yota has one undeniable advantage: it does not restrict access if there are debts, and Rostelecom immediately disconnects the subscriber from the network in cases of late payment.

Conclusion

Each cellular operator has its own advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account when connecting. In our opinion, Yota has only one drawback: an uneven coverage area and some restrictions on the use of modems and routers.

The history of the Yota operator began in 2007, when the company was founded, while the test launch of the first networks occurred only in 2008. At first, WiMax technology was used, only then Yota switched to LTE technology. Today MegaFon and Yota operate together; according to official information, MegaFon is the parent company. Let's look at the results of this union and compare the current tariff plans.

A little history and subtleties

In fact, Yota is MegaFon. If we dig a little deeper, we will find that in 2014 Iota established itself as a virtual cellular operator. Cooperation with MegaFon, expressed in the combination of assets, occurred in July 2012. Their coverage areas coincide almost completely, with the exception of some cities in which MegaFon has built LTE networks Band 20 – Yota does not work here (in 4G format).

Yota is a subsidiary of MegaFon, but it is not the same company. Yota is a virtual operator that uses the equipment of its parent company. Therefore, the question of whose towers Yota uses is very easy to answer - Yota uses MegaFon’s towers and its own towers that were available before the merger of assets. MegaFon bought Yota by purchasing shares of Scartel. There was information in the media that the Yota brand would be destroyed, but today we see that this is not the case - the subsidiary works as a virtual operator and belongs to the organization that bought it. Roughly speaking, now this is almost one company, but the brands have different areas of activity.

Iota is MegaFon or not

Many people believe that Yota and MegaFon are one and the same. This is not to say that this is not the case, but the positioning of brands is still different. MegaFon remains a traditional operator, while Yota is virtual and focuses on unlimited Internet. Today this Internet is available only on tablet PCs and modems/routers. Until January 25, 2017, unlimited was also available on smartphones, but then it was removed.

MegaFon and Yota are almost identical in coverage area, but differ in tariffs. Therefore, it is very difficult to answer which is better - it all depends on the preferences of the subscriber. For example, if you need unlimited mobile Internet from your computer, you should choose Iota without hesitation - MegaFon does not have complete unlimited data. In terms of voice quality, both operators are almost identical.

There is one more difference - MegaFon has a lot of information, entertainment and service services. The catalog contains services for making money transfers, connecting a dial tone, geopositioning services, mobile subscriptions and much more. Yota does not have all this variety, so this operator is suitable for those who do not like imposed services.

MegaFon tariff plans

If you need high-quality voice communications and fast Internet on your smartphone, we recommend taking a closer look at MegaFon's tariff plans. It operates a profitable “Turn On!” line, offering subscribers several tariff plans for any needs.

TP “Turn on! Communicate"

Tariff “Turn on! Communicate” is a balanced offer for medium-active subscribers. For only 600 rubles/month. we receive 500 minutes of calls to any phone in the country, both mobile and landline (including local ones), 12 GB of Internet traffic (for any needs), free traffic to mobile TV with the MegaFon package channel , as well as two films from the video archive.

Also on the tariff there is an interesting addition - unlimited traffic for social networks and instant messengers. It applies to the extremely popular Odnoklassniki and VK, to foreign Facebook, as well as to the messengers Viber, WhatsApp and eMotion. A great advantage of the tariff plan is its wide coverage area - all of Russia.

TP “Turn on! Look"

Tariff “Turn on! Look" is a sentence designed for those who love not only communication, but also video content. The subscription fee is 900 rubles/month, it includes 16 GB of general Internet traffic, unlimited on YouTube and unlimited on the above social networks and instant messengers. For chatting with friends, relatives, acquaintances and other people, 1200 minutes are allocated per month. As a bonus - four films from their archive, as well as a package of MegaFon channels and free traffic to MegaFon TV.

The tariff plan works in domestic Russian roaming without changing the tariff.

TP “Turn on! Speak"

Tariff plan “Turn on! Speak” provides a subscription fee of 500 rubles/month. The range of services here is quite limited - 600 minutes of communication within Russia, 3 GB of Internet and unlimited traffic for instant messengers. There is also free unlimited traffic for mobile TV, but without a channel package - you will have to pay for it separately. The tariff works throughout Russia and targeted at those who rarely use Internet services.

TP “Turn on! Listen"

Before us tariff plan for true music lovers who need nothing but music. The subscription fee is only 300 rubles/month, it includes 250 local minutes, 6 GB of traffic, special traffic for music services and instant messengers. The list of music services includes the most popular Yandex.Music, Zvooq, BOOM and VKontakte Music. Free mobile TV is also provided with the MegaFon package. The tariff works throughout Russia, but intercity fares are paid separately.

TP “Turn on! Write"

Tariff “Turn on! Write" was created specifically for those who prefer to communicate in text mode, but doesn’t want to spend extra cash. For 350 rub./month. subscribers receive 350 local minutes, 200 local SMS, as well as traffic for instant messengers. There is also a small package of regular traffic (only 2 GB) and traffic for mobile TV. A striking drawback is that the tariff does not retain home tariffs when roaming in the Russian Federation.

TP “Turn on! Premium"

Mega tariff for the most talkative people and those who cannot live without mobile Internet. This includes 5,000 minutes within Russia, traffic for an expanded number of social networks and instant messengers (hello to fans of Telegram and Instagram), access to music services, unlimited for three video hosting sites - Rutube, YouTube and Vimeo, as well as 20 GB of regular traffic. Also The tariff includes mobile TV with the “Basic” package and three channels for adults, access to four films from the archive is provided. The subscription fee is healthy - 3000 rubles/month.

Please note that on all tariff plans, after the main package of minutes is exhausted, intra-network unlimited is activated (on the “Turn on! Write” tariff, it is valid only for local MegaFon numbers).

Yota tariff plans

Let's take a look at what Yota offers us (or Eta is an erroneous but common spelling of the operator's name). Its tariffs are divided into three categories - for smartphones, tablets and modems/routers. Smartphones have a single tariff plan, and it is very flexible. Minimum subscription fee is 370 rubles/month. – it includes 200 minutes within Russia and 2 GB of traffic. A package of 5,000 minutes and 30 GB of traffic will cost 2,850 rubles/month.

It would be more correct to say that packages on Yota are allocated not for a month, but for 30 days - such a tricky tariff.

The following options are available as an add-on:

• “Unlimited SMS” - 50 rubles/month;
• Messengers – 15 rubles each. every;
• Social networks – 25 rubles each. each;
• YouTube - 100 rubles.

Tariff parameters can be adjusted at any time at your discretion.

Full unlimited service from Yota works for tablet PCs. It can be paid for a day, a month or a year at once - the longer the paid period, the cheaper the connection. A day of access costs 50 rubles, a month – 500 rubles, a year – 4500 rubles. Traffic is not limited in any way, but you cannot use torrents - the speed will be reduced to 64 kbit/sec.

For computers, Yota offers complete unlimited traffic. There is even a free package that runs at 64 kbps– such a snail’s speed is enough to communicate in ICQ, Skype, Telegram and other instant messengers in text mode. The next speed indicator is 512 kbit/sec, it costs 400 rubles/month. For 1400 rub./month. we get unlimited at the highest available speed. In total, there are about two dozen speed gradations.

Internet from Yota is connected under the following conditions:

• 5 Mbit/sec – 5400 RUR/year;
• 10 Mbit/sec – 6900 RUR/year;
• Maximum speed – 9000 rub./year;
• 2 hours of access – 50 rubles one-time;
• One day of access – 150 rubles one-time.

Thus, Yota is beneficial for those who need unlimited Internet - it can be distributed from a PC to other devices.

For Megafon, Yota is a subsidiary company, but which is better to choose, whose Internet is faster, and whose tariffs are more profitable, let’s figure out what better than Megafon or Eta!

When conducting a test comparison of operators, we took our personal observations and use experience as a basis. This information is subjective and we do not claim to be the ultimate truth. So below you will find our review of the real comparative use of Yota or Megafon, which is better for you to decide. After all, many still think that Iota is Megafon or not? Go!

Tariffs: basis of choice

The beginning of acquaintance with the operators began as usual. In both cases, tariffs are presented in the form of package offers that provide a certain set of minutes, gigabytes and additional features.

To begin with, we decided to consider the most budget options By setting all the settings to the minimum, we got the following values:

• Iota - 250 minutes and 1 gigabyte of Internet for 250 rubles. Messages are charged separately, and you don’t have to think about unlimited applications.
• Megafon - 400 minutes, 6 gigabytes, 100 SMS, unlimited Viber, WhatsApp and eMotion for 300 rubles.

“Megaphone is more profitable!” We thought so too, but everything turned out a little differently. The tariff setting itself on Eta is much more subtle. We don't need Viber and WhatsApp, we communicate on Telegram. Unlimited messages can be activated for only 50 rubles per month. And unlimited access to YouTube in Megafon is only on a tariff of 1000 (one thousand Karl!!!) rubles per month. On Yota, you can simply connect Youtube for 60 rubles per month.

Having configured the tariff according to our needs, we received the following:

Telegram on Megafon is basically not on the list of unlimited applications, so we tried to get by with 12 gigabytes of traffic for a month.

Internet

Everything here is quite trivial - Iota uses the power of Megafon. However, during use we encountered one peculiarity. When leaving the zone of reliable 4g ​​coverage on Iota, the Internet periodically disappeared, although a second before that the signal was stable. This was not observed on Megafon. Speed ​​tests are a rather pointless exercise; all this is quite arbitrary and depends on many factors. According to personal feelings, in a large city, in an area of ​​reliable 4G coverage, operators performed equally well. But on the periphery Megafon proved to be more stable.

Mobile applications

Both operators provide convenient and functional solutions. We prepared a review of the proprietary application from Yota earlier. A special feature of Megafon’s service is the presence of a points system, which are awarded depending on communication costs. However, in order to fully appreciate the advantages of their use, they can only be assessed after several months of stable use.

Both applications allow you to:

• Top up your balance;
• Track your balance;
• Change the tariff and find out your own number.

We found the application from Yota a little simpler and more concise, which in turn does not detract from the capabilities and convenience of the solution from Megafon.

Points of sale and technical support

The communication with operators began with the issuance of SIM cards. And the first feature was that on Yota you can order delivery of a SIM card to your home or office. Well, the attempt to justify the status of the first virtual operator is valid. To connect to Megafon, I had to go to a communication salon, which, on the other hand, revealed another feature - a Megafon salon is much easier to find than Iota.

For the sake of testing communication with technical support, we decided to call both operators on hotline.

We managed to get to a live operator on Megafon in 4 minutes. A nice girl answered us, who clearly and promptly gave all the information we needed.

It turned out to be more difficult to reach Iota; we managed only after 12 minutes. The young man answered all our questions clearly and concisely.

However, Yota has another convenient option for communicating with an operator - a built-in chat in the mobile application. We asked a question there and received an answer within a couple of minutes. It's really convenient!

Summing up

After several weeks of testing two operators, we came to the following conclusion:

Iota

• Fine tuning tariff;
• Convenient connection;
• Mobile app with built-in chat.

• Interruptions in Internet connection (only on the periphery);
• It's quite difficult to reach customer support.

Megaphone

• Stable Internet;
• Excellent level of service in branded salons;
• Multifunctional application;
• Availability bonus points;
• Prompt technical support.

• Expensive tariffs;
• Lack of opportunity to choose required applications for unlimited access.

Summarizing all of the above, we can say that we gave our preference to Yota. This is not surprising to read on a fan site about the operator, but judge for yourself. We were able to choose and pay for exactly the services we needed. Unlike Yota, Megafon offered us only 12 gigabytes of traffic, which can be uploaded to Youtube in a couple of weeks, and the absence of Telegram in the list of unlimited offers from Megafon is simply beyond good and evil =)

I won’t reveal a big secret if I say that with the advent of fourth-generation networks, the mobile Internet made a big leap, even catching up to some extent with the home Internet. Personally, I noticed that I no longer try to reach public Wi-Fi when I have a 4G icon on my phone. LTE makes it possible to watch multimedia content in maximum quality and communicate with friends and family through video calls without pixelating the image. Of course this type connections are not yet on such a large scale, but at least in large cities it is coming quite actively. In Moscow, this service is provided by four providers, and we decided to conduct a small test, collecting a bit of statistics.

For testing, we needed four identical smartphones with LTE support. And since Huawei is one of the locomotives of LTE development, the choice fell on the model Huawei Ascend G6 (review). This device is perfect for the role of an average solution with LTE support and good operating speed. Personally, I really liked the device as an inexpensive and high-quality solution. The latest firmware was installed on all devices.

The testing involved SIM cards from mobile operators MegaFon, MTS, Beeline and Yota. The last participant is a newcomer to the cellular services market, but it was one of the first to develop a 4G network. Yes, it is more of a virtual provider owned by MegaFon, but it had its own LTE towers. It was the appearance of this guest that became the pretext for conducting a test, the main point of which is whether 4G from MegaFon and Yota are now different things, or whether the merger has already occurred globally. This material cannot be called a full-fledged test of mobile operators. There are several reasons for this:

1) The test was carried out only on data transfer speed, that is, the quality of calls is not taken into account. 3G performance indicators are also not taken into account.

2) All measurements were taken at different times and days, which will be indicated in the course of all the characteristics.

3) On the ground, one point was used, and the distribution of networks is a very complex nature. So, turning a corner, you can get completely different results. Testing was carried out in fact “here and now”.

4) At the last stage of testing, unfortunately, one of the testing resources fell off, so the data on it is not entirely complete.

However, despite all these “buts”, the experiment we conducted gave useful information on issues of synthetic tests and network behavior under various conditions.

So this is how we tested. The cycle is quite simple. The sequence of actions will help if you yourself want to check the screenshots that we posted separately. To begin with, we, of course, determine the position on the map using “ Google Maps".. With this test we check the number of lost packets, which indicates instability of data transmission. To test the outgoing speed, we used the Iperf client, selecting open server and specifying the following command “-c iperf.eltel.net -P 10 -w 100k”. This command performs 10 file transfers, giving overall statistics and speed. To analyze the incoming speed, we decided to simply use the Mail.ru Cloud. Of course, we carried out measurements of downloading files from fast servers a couple of times, but in general the main task– find out a really working option. You can’t do without a SpeedTest measurement; it will act as an indicator indicating the state of the network.

After multiple passes, we found that SpeedTest is indeed quite suitable as the main determinant of network transmission quality. Of course, you shouldn’t believe in numbers higher than 60 Mbit/s per input, but in general, if SpeedTest writes about 30 Mbit/s, then it is so. The situation with outgoing traffic is somewhat different. In this case, everything depends on the provider, and Yota stood out because its indicators in SpeedTest and Iperf were very different, indicating that in reality the provider cuts Upload, while the synthetic test shows high numbers. But other providers, with large “virtual” numbers, showed similar results in the combat mission. Returning to the issue of downloading, in a couple of cases we encountered a situation where LTE speeds were very low; in a couple of places, for the sake of experiment, a comparison was made with 3G. As a result, it turned out that even with a low fourth-generation network level, it was still ahead of HSDPA in downloading large files. The comparison between Yota and MegaFon was also interesting. In general, the network indicators were very close to each other, but sometimes severe discrepancies still do not allow us to say that the same base stations(BS).

Below I will describe each of the 22 points with small comments. The main indicators will be screenshots from SpeedTest. To summarize, I will introduce a 3-point rating, where a point will be deducted if the speed value in SpeedTest is less than 10 Mbit/s, or if packet loss is more than 5%. If there is no 4G, the operator at the point will receive 0. You can download an archive with screenshots from SpeedTest from here.

1. The start began from Rechnoy Vokzal metro station on a day off in the evening. At this point, Yota and MegaFon performed very poorly. Both providers not only had problems with speed, but also with a small packet loss of 1-2%.

2. M. Dynamo, Mail.ru tower. Beeline has relatively low performance, but even with them there were no problems with uploading HD content to YouTube.

3. M. Sports. Beeline, despite its leadership in SpeedTest, showed a large packet loss of 6%. This and some of the subsequent tests were carried out in traffic on the Third Transport Ring (third transport ring), so the networks are heavily congested.

4. M. Dubrovka. Yota had a low level, while the rest showed good results.

5. M. Krasnoselskaya. All subjects showed excellent results.

6. Having made a big detour to change the iron horse, we ended up in the city of Khimki on the street. Nakhimov. In this place, Yota and MTS performed very poorly, while in the courtyards it was generally possible to catch an empty zone. However, Beeline again showed a packet loss of 6%.

7. MKAD, 80 km. Only Beeline turned out to be an outsider with low speed, but without packet loss.

8. Dmitrovskoe highway, no. 89. Stop for a snack. All participants delivered above 20 Mbit/s, and Beeline had a packet loss of 3%.

9. M. Vladikino. In this region, all providers showed low packet loss. However, MegaFon and Yota performed worst of all, showing not only poor speed, but also losses of more than 5%. It is quite possible that there is a general BS going on here.

10. M. VDNH. Yota is experiencing a loss of speed in this area compared to other operators.

11. M. Elektrozavodskaya. All demonstrated high-quality data transfer. In SpeedTest, MTS showed a high response value, but these figures were not confirmed in the terminal.

12. New day, again a day off, again evening. MegaFon and Yota pleased us with the connection speed, but Beeline performed very poorly, but it’s not as bad as MTS, where we didn’t see an LTE connection at all.

13. M. Molodezhnaya. MTS showed the least in the test, but it is still above 10 Mbit/s (the maximum declared 3G speed according to the specifications).

14. M. University. In this area, MegaFon and Yota noticed minor packet losses of less than 5% and low download speeds. But the upload speed, on the contrary, turned out to be high, and here, as before, it is clear that Yota intends to cut uploads to 1 Mbit/s.

15. M. Varshavskaya. MTS runs on the edge of 10 Mbit/s. So, as a preventive measure, 1 point is deducted.

16. M. Cherkizovskaya. Another black hole. This time for both MTS and Beeline. However, MegaFon also loses a point for low speed.

17. New day. This time it’s a weekday, and here we’ll test the strength of the center of Moscow. M. Teatralnaya, the test was carried out after the presentation Huawei Honor 6 (video) (what a coincidence). This time Yota showed a decrease in speed compared to opponents. MTS showed a packet loss of 3%.

18. M. Tverskaya. Lots of Internet users and corporations sitting nearby. Everyone ended up either below or on the border. MTS and MegaFon were distinguished by the loss of packages at the level of 5%.

19. M. Kitay-Gorod. MegaFon was on the border, Yota was also close, but 11.5 Mbit/s is still not 3G. MTS and Beeline performed excellently.

20. M. Tretyakovskaya. In this section, Beeline performed the worst, with weak numbers in SpeedTest and packet loss of as much as 27%. MTS also receives a minus point for being in a borderline state.

21. It's hot. M. Kyiv, Kyiv station, almost rush hour. Beeline and MTS coped without problems, but Yota and MegaFon gave up slightly.

22. End point. Belorussky railway station. 18.00, rush hour. Only MTS performed poorly, showing low speed and 14% packet loss. The rest did a great job.

As you can see, in most places the operators show good results. The average speed in Moscow is around 20 Mbit/s. Of course, due to the heavy load in the metropolis, it is difficult for 4G networks to show all their capabilities. But for the end user, the maximum speed is not so important, and the current indicators are quite enough for comfortable work.

As already mentioned, it was the emergence of Yota as mobile operator forced me to do this test. Many people are interested in the declared unlimited Internet from this operator. But, alas, it has limitations. Firstly, the already mentioned reduction in upload speed, which for many negates the advantages of LTE in the form of fast file downloading. Secondly, when distributing the Internet via Wi-Fi, the speed is reduced to 1 Mbit/s (that is, you cannot use a Yota SIM card to conveniently access the Internet from other devices). The cost of unlimited traffic is 300 rubles, but you cannot buy it separately without a package of minutes, and now the cost increases to a minimum of 440 rubles per month. The disadvantage is that there is a separate tariff for tablets (iPads and devices that are not capable of making calls and have a large diagonal will be considered tablets).

At MegaFon, we signed up for the “Internet S” tariff, costing 350 rubles, which includes 3 GB of traffic - this amount will be affordable for the average user.

At the time of testing, the Beeline tariff line did not have a Highway tariff, which gives the same 3 GB of traffic for the same 350 rubles, but at the moment until January the provider has a “the faster, the free” service, which is not takes into account 4G traffic. It would be nice if they extended this promotion for permanent basis, competing with Yota. We used the “All for 900” package, the cost of which is 30 rubles per day (5 GB of traffic, a package of calls and SMS are provided).

MTS has two options for providing the Internet: purchasing packages and the BIT service. In our case, the BIT would be inconvenient due to the limitation of high-speed daytime traffic. The cost of a standard 3 GB package is the standard 350 rubles. The relatively unlimited “SuperBIT” costs the same, but it has a large number of restrictions. In fact, it will be of interest to those who are not entirely sure of the traffic they consume, giving them the opportunity not to spend more.

To choose mobile operator need to be approached individually. It is necessary to weigh not only tariff options and the quality of the services provided, but also personal experience of working with operators, as well as the experience of friends. One way or another, having examined the work of 4G in Moscow, we can say that the operators have done a good job providing users with affordable and fast mobile internet. It’s difficult to identify just one leader; everyone did the same, plus or minus. However, qualitative growth is still required, especially in the context of the increasing availability of LTE smartphones. Let's hope that the economic downturn will not undermine the operator's plans to introduce 4G in new cities and more and more people will be able to surf the Internet at high speeds.

the site expresses gratitude Huawei for provided on Huawei test Ascend G6.