Yota whose connection. New mobile operator Yota
The brand is well known to Russians for the first Russian personal device, Yota Device, but one point is being missed.
The main task of the developers was to propose a new model operating on two promising standards wireless communication WiMAX and 4G LTE within the latest telecommunications infrastructure. In the first case, we are talking about the development of the Wi-Fi standard and a more advanced version of the technology, providing a greater coverage radius than Wi-Fi. 4G LTE is new standard high-speed mobile radio communications, focused primarily on access to mobile and global network smartphones, laptops and tablets, which other mobile operators still offer little.
Select tariffs for smartphones and PCs when logging in Personal Area Iota
The company has offered interesting tariffs for smartphones, which, on the one hand, can be individually selected depending on the needs for high-speed traffic, on the other hand, make it possible to take advantage of unlimited and free services, which do not require additional connection.
Yota plans (like those of other operators) are designed for a different number of minutes of calls and traffic quota. Unlike other companies, where only subscribers under corporate contracts have access to 4G networks, at Yota the service is available to all private subscribers. Moreover, the cost of the package is comparable to offers from other providers.
Packages offered:
- Yota 300 minutes (5 GB);
- Yota 500 minutes (10 GB);
- Yota 1500 minutes (15 GB);
- Yota 1200 minutes (20 GB).
Please note that rates apply nationwide Russian Federation, and not just in your home region, which eliminates the need to monitor expenses when leaving your city for another region.
Please note that the Yota tariff is calculated for mobile devices latest generation - only on smartphones; when using other devices with cards of this plan, the speed will be limited by the operator.
Convenient and inexpensive Yota tariffs for tablets
A distinctive feature of Yota from the offers of other providers is the development of adapted tariff plans for connecting to mobile network certain types of subscriber devices along with telephone communication 2G. On the official website, a special tariff package is offered to tablet owners.
For Yota, Internet tariffs are a key service based on a new telecommunications infrastructure focused on connecting personal devices. For the convenience of tablet users, the provider offers packages with daily, monthly and annual pricing at the following rates:
- 1 day – 50 rub.;
- 1 month – 590 rub.;
- 1 year – 4500 rub.
If you are interested in choosing an excellent provider that will provide you with fast mobile Internet, Iota with tariffs for unlimited tablet Internet access is your choice. A SIM card for devices that support LTE will cost an additional 300 rubles.
Adaptive tariffs for modems and PCs - customize the work at your discretion
Yota offers you high-quality traffic with high speed Internet access for home, office and personal PCs. The SIM card can be installed in a wireless router, to which you can also connect home and office computers, TV, video cameras, and automation devices. For these purposes, the provider offers to purchase and connect a compatible modem.
Yota - personal account. Internet connection speed settings slider.
Key Feature service is the ability to select the access speed, as well as switch it during operation, flexibly customizing the services to suit your requirements. Supported access speeds range from 512 to more than 10 Mbit/s. We offer you tariffs from Yota 2017; a wide selection of compatible modems at reasonable prices helps you gain access to the network of several devices.
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.
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 Band 20 networks - Yota does not work here (in 4G format).
Iota – subsidiary MegaFon, but this is not one 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, dial tone connections, geolocation 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 does not want to spend extra money. 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, Iota is beneficial for those who need unlimited Internet– from a PC it can be distributed to other devices.
The Yota company appeared back in 2007. But the mobile operator gained real popularity only 7 years later, when it started selling SIM cards in Russia. It was then that many people asked the question, what kind of dark horse is this, who owns Yota?
History of the company's owners
Initially, the owner of the brand was Scartel LLC. In 2012, the owner of Yota announced that the company’s assets would merge with MegaFon OJSC. That's when the Garsdale holding corporation was created.
When selling 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 remaining shares were owned by Telconet Capital and the Russian Technologies State Corporation.
The association 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 telecommunications services;
- cost reduction during LTE network construction;
- occupying a leading position in the global market.
Present day
In September 2015, the sole owner of all Yota assets is MegaFon. The corporation is developing successfully; in July of this year, sales of SIM cards began in 52 regions of the country. For clients, the company offers unlimited tariff plans with affordable prices, high connection speeds 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 and pay for long-distance calls in the same way as if a person is in their home region.
Yota, which until recently developed its networks in the Wi-Max format, today became the fifth federal operator. You can connect to Yota in most federal regions of our country. Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of this operator.
Navigation
What new does Yota offer?
It must be said right away that Yota’s tariffs are fundamentally different from the tariffs of other mobile operators. If you want to connect to a mobile Internet tariff, you will be pleasantly surprised by the complete unlimited service. Internet traffic is not charged for all tariffs. The only difference is the speed.
Moreover, when the money on your balance runs out, Yota does not block access to the Internet, but reduces the speed to a minimum (up to 64 kbit/sec).
If you choose a tariff for a smartphone, Yota does not limit traffic speed. On a smartphone it always remains high. As for tariffs for tablets, there are three options:
- 512 Kbps – 390 rubles per month
- 2.1 Mbit/s – 550 rubles per month
- Maximum speed (in some regions with 4G it reaches 20 Mbit/s) – 650 rubles per month
Prices are presented for Moscow and the Moscow region. In the regions they are lower.
Perhaps, with its tariffs for tablet computers Yota is loved by all “Internet-addicted” people. But tariffs for smartphones can also cause admiration and envy of competitors.
As mentioned above, all tariffs include high-speed unlimited Internet. In addition, calls within the Yota network are not charged. And if you wish, you can (for 50 rubles) add free SMS.
As for the differences in tariffs for smartphones, they consist in the number of free minutes to numbers of other operators in Russia:
- 300 minutes – 140 rubles
- 500 minutes – 340 rubles
- 1000 minutes – 640 rubles
- 2000 minutes – 1040 rubles
- 3000 minutes – 1540 rubles
The cost of the selected package is added to the cost of the Internet (300 rubles) and unlimited SMS (if required).
We can say that Yota provides its users with one tariff for smartphones, but which everyone can customize for themselves.
Also mobile operator Yota provides tariffs for home internet(desktop PC, laptop, etc. devices). Tariffs differ only in speed:
- 512 Kbps – 400 rubles
- 640 Kbps – 450 rubles
- 768 Kbps – 500 rubles
- 896 Kbps – 550 rubles
- 1 Mbit/s – 600 rubles
- 1.3 Mbit/s – 650 rubles
- 1.7 Mbit/s – 700 rubles
- 2.1 Mbit/s – 750 rubles
- 3.1 Mbit/s – 800 rubles
- 4.1 Mbit/s – 850 rubles
- 5 Mbit/s – 900 rubles
- 5.7 Mbit/s – 950 rubles
- 6.4 Mbit/s – 1000 rubles
- 7.1 Mbit/s – 1050 rubles
- 7.8 Mbit/s – 1100 rubles
- 8.5 Mbit/s – 1150 rubles
- 9.2 Mbit/s – 1200 rubles
- 10 Mbit/s – 1250 rubles
- 12 Mbit/s – 1300 rubles
- 15 Mbit/s – 1350 rubles
- Maximum speed – 900 rubles (Promotion)
Prices are per month. But you can also use this service:
- For 2 hours – 50 rubles (maximum speed)
- For a day – 150 rubles (maximum speed)
IMPORTANT: Mobile operator Yota offers high-speed 4G Internet in more than 40 cities of Russia. But that's about it, the distribution of access to LTE networks Geography does not end with time Yota coatings will only increase.
Advantages of Yota
Except great prices and flexible tariffs, the mobile operator Yota offers roaming-free space throughout Russia. If you have traveled to another region of our country, then the service mobile communications and the Internet will be charged as in your home region.
Unfortunately, this benefit is available only for the first thirty days of being in a region other than the Yota connection location. After 30 days, the operator will offer you a different tariff. However, there is no data yet on what kind of tariff this will be.
Disadvantages of Yota
Yota is a virtual operator. That is, one that uses the networks of another operator. In the case of Yota, this “other” operator is Megafon. That is, this operator is completely dependent on Megafon and the state of its networks.
Also, the disadvantages include the inability to use a smartphone with a Yota SIM card as an access point for Wi-Fi networks. Here's UNLIMITED Internet. But this disadvantage can be minimized a little by using a router and paying for the service Wi-Fi internet for 2 or 24 hours.
And of course the main disadvantage of this mobile operator is a small coverage area. True, it is increasing every day. Perhaps Yota has already come to your city?
Cellular operator Yota: reviews
Eugene. Have been using this operator for several months now. I connected it for both a smartphone and a tablet. And when I move to a house that is currently under construction, I will also order a router with a Yota SIM card. I really like the quality of communication and the ability to track the number of minutes remaining for calls to other operators. The only drawback is the ability to increase Internet speed only after the current tariff ends. Not very comfortable.
Igor. I go out of town for the summer and live there. Naturally, there is no wired Internet there. Before that, I used Megafon, but I found out that they have a subsidiary company, Yota, which “covers” my holiday village. I took it for a try and now I won’t part with it. I even watch football on my laptop. Thanks Yota!
Video. Yota review
Another federal operator appears in Russia under the Yota brand, which MegaFon, after purchasing the company, decided to retain and develop as a separate project. In many ways, this operator will be a testing ground for both new services and approaches to selling SIM cards and customer service. Perhaps, if this example turns out to be successful, we will see symmetrical 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 to the issue
The idea of a virtual operator in Russian realities has gone from a pipe dream to reality. Initially, the Western MVNO experience was seen as something outlandish, something that needed to be launched in Russia in order to limit the brutal appetites of operators and spur competition. Absence legislative framework, opposition big three, the lack of a clear justification for the need for “virtual operators” - all this has created an unhealthy hype around this phenomenon. If in Western countries MVNO acted as a tool for price competition, and a tool launched onto the market by the regulator, and not by other players, then in Russia all these attempts turned into resounding fiascos. And the reason was not at all the mythical opposition of the Big Three, the reluctance to let in new players - 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 that can be sold wholesale to a third company. Actually, this is how MVNOs appeared in Europe, they traded excess traffic under their own brand, and regulators got into the game later and imposed their own conditions, which many operators considered enslaving, but were unable to do anything.
The Russian experience in building virtual operators can to some extent be considered unique and different from the world. Even in the absence of a formed legislative framework, MegaFon began to attract new partners, giving them access to its network, which in the early 2000s had excess traffic, since the subscriber base was only growing and losing both MTS and Beeline. The other two operators of the Big Three did not even have the urge to play these games; they grew confidently and did not get carried away by guerrilla games. For MegaFon, the term “virtual operator” meant those very connections of new subscribers that could be counted as their own, something 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 had already tested the scheme, and virtual operators began to appear like mushrooms after rain - Aviatel, West Call, Globus Telecom, ComStar, Sintera, Matrix Telecom and others. In 2006, a project appeared from Central Telegraph - Megatel.
A typical feature of Russian virtual operators of that time was a focus on their clients, de facto creating communication services within the framework of the activities that the companies were already conducting. Nobody tried to become a federal operator, to go beyond the boundaries of the niche. This was due to uncertainty regarding the legal framework, lack of sufficient investment and reluctance to play in the field of the Big Three. And the absence of excess traffic, which by the beginning of 2010 called into question the very idea of virtual operators in Russia. Under current licenses, virtual operators in Russia can not only resell the traffic of other companies, but also develop their own infrastructure. Almost no one uses this opportunity, since it requires large investments and a different approach. We can note such a newcomer as WhyFly, which appeared on the market in 2013 and operates only in the Moscow region on the Beeline network. This company installed its own billing system and 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 interesting 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 completely.
In Europe, in recent years, they have begun to use an approach that MegaFon inadvertently used - operators create their own clones on their networks, but position them differently, usually cheaper. Due to this, the subscriber base is expanding, and the different positioning of each project allows you 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 set its sights on this place after the sale of VTB, in particular, Rostelecom at the end of last year discussed a plan for the development and transfer of all its assets to the new united 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 its presence - it only had text messages and voice. I am sure that the process of forming the fourth operator on the basis of Tele2 will last for a long time, as a result, Yota has every chance of becoming that same federal operator at 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 fashion for virtual operators, that same 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.
![](https://i2.wp.com/mobile-review.com/articles/2014/image/yota-4g/5.jpg)
Let me remind you that Yota was acquired by MegaFon, although it retained legal independence and operates separately. However, MegaFon consolidates all Yota data in its financial statements. The fourth generation networks that Yota built are used by MegaFon to provide relevant 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 MTS is in no hurry to take advantage of this opportunity, trying to build its own network and give a symmetrical answer.
Appearance subsidiary operator for MegaFon this is a kind of experiment that is 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 opposite situation occurs - this operator focuses on a young, energetic audience. Which does not mean the format of a discounter, but rather additional service capabilities, unusual features attached to an already existing basic service, and, as a consequence, its higher cost. To some extent, I associate the new operator Yota with Oleg Tinkov’s bank, which is trying to compete with market monsters through various convenient services, frills 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 telecom field. However, let's see how it will look.
How the Yota virtual operator 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 this. I bet that there will be attempts to demonstrate such initiative, but they will quickly be stopped with a slap on the wrist.
In mid-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, it will become possible connection. Of course, with these SIM cards you can travel throughout the country, go roaming - the prices will apparently be equal to those what MegaFon offers to its subscribers.
At the end of 2014, it is planned to gradually expand the geography of the virtual operator; first, those cities will be connected where Yota had the maximum number of users as a WiMax operator or cellular operator before the purchase by MegaFon.
IN this moment formed commercial offers the new federal operator does not have, until mid-summer focus groups will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which should show the profile of service consumption, for example, traffic volume. Depending on this, tariff proposals will be formed by mid-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 initial launch and testing, the price for Moscow is set at 750 rubles (St. Petersburg - 590 rubles), this money includes 300 minutes of voice, unlimited SMS, as well as unlimited Internet without any speed restrictions. Prices will be revised in the future.
This approach has a certain heritage from Yota, which already tried to do real, unlimited, unlimited, but quickly faced the need to cut off torrents, limit those who downloaded 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; their traffic will be cut off. The only question is when this will happen and under what circumstances.
For Yota, there is a very fine line between its own sales and profits, as well as cannibalization of MegaFon's sales. A change in MegaFon's tariff line is under the influence of competitors, and the built system must respond instantly. This is much more difficult than simply creating a separate operator that competes only with other market players and does not depend on the profits 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 a sufficient budget to pay for the sales 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 application stores, in which you can not only control your SIM card, but you can, without being a subscriber yet, select a phone number and 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 all costs. Euroset and Svyaznoy have a pragmatic approach; operators must pay for each subscriber and connection, the cost is $10 and above. This is too much for Yota high price. As a result, all that remains is independent sales on the Yota.ru website plus this application.
To attract subscribers, a large federal campaign will be launched in the summer - you will see Yota advertising on television, on large billboards along the roads. This will ensure primary interest in the “new” operator, and then we will have to see how many people want to try it and are ready to connect. From the experience of the first coming of Yota, I note that the most interesting thing will be to look at the outflow of subscribers and the reasons why they will stop using the operator.
First impressions
There are many unknowns in this story that are incomprehensible, first of all, to those who started this game of being the fourth operator. What should the prices for services be in order not to compete with MegaFon? What will be the demand for a virtual operator and what will be the marketing costs? No one has tested non-traditional sales channels in terms of SIM cards, how will they perform? At the moment there are many more questions than answers.
This is a very beautiful story for MegaFon, when the operator creates an additional brand and is ready to promote its services at its expense. But there is a problem here - all over the world operators are creating virtual operators with cheaper offers than their own. MegaFon, on the contrary, is creating an operator with an ARPU that clearly exceeds what the company has. This is another weak point of this project.
We need to look at what Yota will end up with - it’s 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 the framework of which you will be able to get into a focus group and be the first in Russia to receive Yota SIM cards. Follow the news, we will tell you how to do this. This article will contain a link to a form in which you can submit a request to test 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 might he be attractive to you? Write your comments, I assure you that all Yota top managers will carefully study them.