Mobile phones

[mkracun]

SInce the time of my moving to Moscow is coming near I got a question about the use of mobiles in Moscow:

Which operator is the best? I'd prefer an operator which covers more than just Moscow. How much does getting a phone card cost? Are there any pre-paid possibilities?

I have my own mobile but it'd be too expensive to use my current number there.

Thank you!

Mateja

[Sammy]

The most widely used is MTS-RUSSIA and may be BEE LINE. Bee line doesn't cover St. Petersburg. It covers Moscow and it's surrounds - like Vladimir, Tver, Tula but not Petersburg. I'm not sure if MTS covers.
Mobile phones until recent is a fortune in Russia. It's still a lot expensive to maintain compared to other countries. There are pre-pay phones however. You pay both incoming and out-going calls. If a friend calls you... you will pay for receiving his call. The phone card for Bee-line is called BEE PLUS - ranges mainly from $10 and upward. Don't be suprised you'll have to keep your mobile phone account in DOLLARS - that's the NEW RUSSIA for you.
I think MTS covers a large area in Russia. I used BEE-LINE and I'm not sure if there have been better changes since I left some few months ago.
The system is complicated. I can not call the BEE PLUS card system as "pay as you go", because though you have nothing to do with the comapny anymore, but you'll register like in the "pay monthly" taffif system. The BEE-LINE (BEE PLUS) card requires you to use up your credits before a deadline date. You loose your number after a long time of NOT crediting your account (phone card) if your account is $0.
When I was in Russia there were no SIM card phones (DIGITAL). Take your phone with you and ask in any of the mobile offices if it would be possible to use the phone in RUSSIA. If it's possible... it's cheap to buy a number and connection... some $25-35. Truly it will be expensive to use your current number in Russia.
However, BT Cellnet (U.K.) works together with BEE LINE. That is, you can easily and at very cheap rate shift from one system (service) to another.
Be ready to meet a new style of tarrif system!!! Enjoy your stay and have fun.
CHEERS!!!!!

[ILay]

There are 4 mobile standards in Russia:

GSM 900/1800
NMT
D-AMPS
CDMA

(well there are also some tranking standards and old Russian standard - Altay phone)

If you are from the States - do not bother to take your gsm-phone with you (in USA it's GSM 1900 and few models have 1800 mode).

In St.Petersburg there is a monopoly on the market - North-West GSM (www.nwgsm.com) . So the prices are higher than in Moscow.

In Moscow more than 20% of inhabitants are using mobiles, in St.Pete - more than 10%.

To buy a sim card in St.Petersburg will cost USD 45 with USD 25 prepaid.

Usually it costs USD 30-40 per month for me to have a mobile phone.

[mkracun]

Forgot to include the info about my phone type :-)

It's a 900/1800 GSM - I'm in Europe.

Thank you for the suggestions!

[Dr_Woland]

I use MTS in Moscow, and you can get russia-wide roaming added extra (it's not automatically included).

If you are a foreigner here short-term, you will be mostly tied to using MTS anyhow, because Bee-Line wants to see all your legalisation papers etc etc.

All mobile usage here on all networks is effectively pre-pay anyhow - just a question of how (putting cash onto your account, buying re-charge cards, or setting up a credit-card transfer agreement).

Update to Sammy's - Bee-Line now DOES work in St P, and one of my Moscow colleagues uses hers up there every 2-3 weeks. But you have to have them turn the facility ON, and that means a visit to their office and more standing in line.

MTS have MUCH better www-support than Bee-Line - you can do all kinds of things on the MTS website to make your life easier, like check your a/c balance, make credit-card payments (they have to see the card once to set you up for this facility thereafter), SMS messages etc.

Bee-Line is slightly cheaper to get started. If you have UK phone, it will almost CERTAINLY be SIM-tied meaning you cannot use it in Russia (mine was, and 99% of UK mobiles are, on all networks.) You CAN ask your UK operator to untie the phone, they are supposed to do it for a fixed fee of 30 quid, but will give you a squillion weaselly reasons why they cannot (and you and I know the real reasons...).

There are two others in contention, but I don't know much about them - Moskovskaya Sotovaya, a sort of "poor-man's" provider, the service is a bit unreliable and has holes in the coverage, but the prices are lower.... and SONET about whom no-one knows much as they are completely new and not yet fully operational AFAIK.

HTH

Dr W.