1. (hereinafter referred to as the service) is a service for simultaneous video and voice transmission during a telephone call. 2. The service is available to all subscribers of the company - users of telephone sets supporting UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ technology (hereinafter referred to as 3G). 3. The service is provided when making video calls to the numbers of subscribers of the Unitary Enterprise “A1” (hereinafter referred to as the company) and other operators providing mobile communication services in the 3G and . 4. The service is not provided when making video calls to numbers of information services or fixed networks to subscribers located outside the coverage area of the 3G network. 5. To use the service, the subscriber who initiated the video call and the called subscriber must:
- have a telephone that supports the 3G standard and has a video call function
- be on a 3G network at the time of making a video call
Additional phone settings are not required
6. You can only make a video call to one subscriber at a time.
Video calling is not provided when using. 7. provided in accordance with the tariffs approved by the company, according to the subscriber’s tariff plan. 8. During a video call, a video or, depending on the capabilities of the telephone, a static image or still frame can be transmitted. Regardless of the image format used, the connection is charged as a “Video call” according to the subscriber’s tariff plan. 9. Subscribers of the company (except for PRIVET subscribers), who have an additional connection, can use the networks of the company’s foreign partner operators for roaming. Incoming and outgoing video calls in roaming are charged according to roaming tariffs in effect at the time the service is provided. Information about tariffs can be found on a special page of the website www.a1.by. 10. Clients of the company - individuals and legal entities (except for PRIVET subscribers) can, if necessary, disable it by submitting a written application in the form established by the company to the A1 sales and service center or to the official attorneys of the company. 11. The service is not provided to subscribers disconnected from the company’s communication network, including in the case of using . 12. The Company has the right to unilaterally change this Procedure without additional notice by publishing the changes on the official website www.a1.by. 13. In everything else not regulated by this Procedure, the client and the company are guided by the provisions of the agreement on the provision of telecommunication services concluded between the client and the company. How Belarusian operators make money on the gullibility of subscribers is a sore subject for many. But gullibility is not the only “sin” of clients. ARPU can also be slightly increased due to our forgetfulness and inattention.
Part one, reference
"Melofon"
In order to find information about this service of the first GSM operator in Belarus, you will have to tinker. In the description of tariff plans, the procedure for providing services, and even in the full description of the service itself, there is not a single mention of the fact that it is automatically connected to all new subscribers.
Only the skills of Sherlock Holmes will help us find the lost link “Rules” and find among dozens of documents the one we need - “Procedure for the provision of the Melofon service.” Only there it is written that “the Melofon service is automatically assigned upon concluding an agreement for the provision of telecommunication services under velcom tariff plans (except for Internet tariff plans and special tariff plans) and PRIVET tariff plans.”
The essence of “Melofon” is this: instead of the usual beeps, callers hear different melodies, from the imperishable creations of Mikhail Bublik to the soul-touching chants of Stas Mikhailov. How many subscribers need such pleasure? Not sure. But it has been connected to every newcomer for a long time.
The cost of the service is 7,900 rubles per month. The first month is free. Not bad, especially for budget tariffs with a low monthly fee like “On the Line” (13,900 rubles). That works out to be a more than 50 percent increase in the subscription fee!
How to get rid of Stas Mikhailov? It won’t work through the ISSA – it’s not listed in the “Personal Account”. You will either have to register on the service’s website and disconnect there, or, which is easier, send an SMS with the text rbtoff to number 424. Even better, dial the USSD request *424*5*1#call.
"What's new"
Melofon was sorted out, but that’s not all. The operator also has . Here's what velcom itself says about it: “For your convenience, the service starts working automatically after installing a SIM card in the phone. Periodically, after completing a voice call or sending an SMS, messages on various topics appear on the mobile phone screen. If you are interested in the announcement, just click OK and read, listen, view detailed information, and also use entertainment services.”
The service itself does not provide for a subscription fee, but by accidentally or inadvertently clicking OK, you can easily, as they say, “get into money.” The service is especially dangerous for older people and children, who, without reading it carefully, can click OK to close the window, and end up paying more than a thousand rubles for news about how Taiwanese take “selfies” in bags. In this case, you may also have to pay for Internet traffic.
Getting rid of the service is not easy. Again, “Personal Account” will not help. But we still advise you to look there and activate “Opt-out of SMS mailings”. This will get rid of some advertising messages, but, judging by the descriptions of the services, it will not in any way affect the nature of What's New. There is also no universal SMS or USSD request to disconnect.
You can try going to the operator’s SIM menu and sequentially selecting “What’s new”, “Settings”, “Service enabled”, “Disable” and “Confirm”. However, for some reason this particular menu item was not on my phone. So the only sure and reliable way is to call the call center at 410 or 411 and ask to be relieved of the service.
Finally, another pitfall, whose name is “Voicemail”. For five years now, it has been automatically connected to all new and existing clients, having already become quite boring for some. Some people have resigned themselves to it and gotten used to listening to voice mail prompts over and over again, while others weren’t too lazy and got rid of a service they didn’t need long ago.
The danger of “Voicemail” lurks primarily for the caller. By default, voicemail forwarding is enabled if the called party is unavailable or does not answer within 30 seconds. As a result, the person making the call pays for the call according to his tariff, although he never spoke to you.
Abroad, the payment problem is easily resolved. The person is given a few non-chargeable seconds to decide whether to leave a message or not.
Let's be honest, almost all callers, when asked to leave a message using voicemail, simply hang up. In this case, as a rule, the money still manages to be written off. It turns out that you are actually paying for “air”. And even if you decide to leave a message, the chances that the called subscriber will listen to it are minimal - they would rather call you back than deal with your voice mailbox.
The service is especially dangerous abroad, when the forwarded call is paid for as an incoming and outgoing call at roaming rates.
There are several ways to get rid of voicemail. The simplest one is using a USSD request. On your phone, dial *441*1#call. Next, select the first item and cancel all conditions for call forwarding. SMS notifications about missed calls should remain.
More fine-tuning of the service is available through ISSA. Go to “Personal Assistant” and go to the “Call Forwarding” tab. Here you can select under what conditions Voicemail is allowed to trigger.
Part two, practical
The Onliner.by journalist went to the operator's showrooms. The task is as follows: connect to an inexpensive tariff and see if they will offer us to disable third-party services and whether they will say anything at all about them. Or is it still better for the future subscriber to arm himself with knowledge before going on a trip?
It is worth noting that before this I sent the operators only three simple questions, slightly different in wording depending on the recipient. From velcom, for example, I wanted to get answers to the following questions:
- What additional services outside the tariff plan does a subscriber receive when connecting to velcom?
- For what purpose are new users automatically connected to the paid Melofon service?
- Does the operator inform the subscriber making the call that money will be debited from his account for a message left using Voicemail?
Almost a week of velcom was not enough to satisfy our curiosity. By the way, they also ignored questions addressed to them.
I visited the operators' salons on the same day, at approximately the same time (there was a place where the service centers of velcom, MTS, and life:) are located nearby). At velcom there was no need to wait at all - three consultants quickly completed their work and practically prevented queues from forming.
So, I clearly formulate my goal: I want to subscribe to the “Summer Calling” tariff, they say, I chose it especially for my mother and it suits everyone. Attempts to offer something more “talkative” or “Internet” were not successful - I want a cheap tariff, and that’s it!
We must pay tribute to the consultant: he immediately warned that for terminating the contract before three months of service, you would have to pay a “penalty” of something in the region of 60,000 rubles.
A few minutes - and the contract is finalized! Surprisingly, the young man immediately suggested turning off Melofon and did it in a couple of clicks on the computer. But the consultant didn’t remember about “What’s new.” After I asked about the service, a velcom employee carefully wrote step-by-step instructions on how to disable the service on a piece of paper.
- Can’t you turn it off right now?
- Unfortunately no. You need to activate the SIM card and disable "What's New" yourself.
Overall I was pleased with the service. They connected and advised quickly, clearly, to the point and as politely as possible. I was pleasantly surprised that they got rid of Melofon immediately, without questions or reminders.
An interesting moment is associated with a call to the velcom call center when I tried to disable the “What’s New” service. The girl on the other end of the “line” noted with surprise that for some reason this automatically activated service was deactivated for me. How did this happen? After all, at the salon they told me that I could only turn it off myself. I just recently installed a SIM card in my phone and haven’t had time to do anything yet!
The operator, no less surprised than me, suggested that perhaps the service was closed during the connection. At the same time, the girl confirmed that it is impossible to deactivate “What’s new” using SMS or USSD, but it is possible through ISSA (although I didn’t have such an item in my “Personal Account”) or by calling the call center.
Well, let this little mystery remain unsolved. Be that as it may, you need to keep your eyes open, and in order not to burden your account with unnecessary expenses, it is enough to take into account a few simple recommendations given in the article:
- *424*5*1#call - USSD request to disconnect.
- *441*1*1#call - USSD request to disable forwarding to Voicemail.
- 410 or 411 - call the call center and ask to disconnect. Or you can look for the corresponding item in the operator's SIM menu.
In the following articles of the series, we will talk about how MTS and life:) take advantage of forgetfulness and inattention of subscribers, and we will also write how to disconnect from operator services that you do not need.
Why disable
Sometimes even a Wellcom client who uses Voicemail constantly has to disable this service. For example, while you are within your region, calls are not charged per person for call forwarding. However, if he is in roaming, and if he has conditional forwarding enabled, he will have to pay double the cost - for both incoming and outgoing calls. This means that when a Velcom subscriber plans to go abroad for some time, it is better for him to disable Voicemail.
How to refuse Voicemail
In order to disable the option (it does not matter whether it is disabled temporarily or permanently), you need to cancel all forwarding on your phone. Instructions on how to disable “Voicemail” on Velcom:
- A user with access to the Velcom subscriber information system can change the list of connected functions and disable what is no longer required.
- Send the combination *441*1# from your mobile phone. If the operation is successful, the operator will disable the function and send an appropriate alert.
- In the voice communication settings, which are located in the general settings of the device, it is also possible to disable and cancel the use of “Voicemail”.
Instructions for the Plus package
In the Plus package, the service provides more functionality: delivery of fax and voice messages to e-mail. The mailbox address can be indicated in the ISSA, as well as in the company’s proprietary service centers in the format of a special application.
Activation/deactivation of “Plus” is carried out in the following ways:
- Sending a USSD request - *441*2#.
- Contacting the Velcom help desk using access codes - 410 and 411.
- Submitting an application to disable/enable at the company center.
Mobile operators in Belarus take care of their subscribers and provide them with many necessary and useful services, one of which is “Voice Box” on Velcom numbers. After connecting it, the company’s client does not have to worry about missing any important calls, even if the phone turns off, or there is simply no way to pick up the phone at the moment. If a subscriber used the option for some time, and then wanted to disable “Voicemail” on Velcom, this is his choice and right. The information on how to disable Velcom’s “Voice Box” presented in this material is specifically for such clients of the company.
A function called “Voicemail” is available to subscribers using any Velcom tariff offers. You can use it for free if the standard option is intended, that is, when the client has not activated the “Plus” package.
The service works according to the following principle: the subscriber number is redirected to the Velcom company service phone. The user can choose the forwarding type independently: SIM card is not registered, subscriber does not answer, busy. To ensure that the call is forwarded if all required conditions are met, you can set the general type.
Connecting to the service and listening to messages
If mail was disabled for some time, and then the subscriber decided to reactivate it, you need to access the Welkom option menu by sending the same USSD combination *441*1. After this, all that remains is to set up call forwarding to the Velcom service number +375296000210 according to the conditions described above.
Important! Also, the phone owner can leave a greeting or appeal to callers no longer than a minute long in “Voicemail”. You can do two, but the duration remains the same: for example, one will last forty seconds, and the second – twenty.
life:)
In life:) “the most common tariff with the Internet” was understood as “the cheapest with the Internet” and they connected “S”, which for 6.5 rubles per month promises 2 GB of traffic, 100 minutes of calls to other networks and unlimited within the network.
“Load” was available for 2.6 rubles per month, which provides 4G traffic. The first month it is free, then it starts charging payments. Even in the salon, the consultant warned that the service was paid, and wrote directly on the contract how to disable it.
We did not find any “hidden” services in the online assistant. However, new life:) subscribers should be careful with monthly payments. The entire cost of the service package for a month is written off at a time. If you don’t have enough funds in your account (for example, 5 rubles, not 6.5), you will be subject to a “basic tariff” - paid calls within the network and very expensive Internet traffic. This will continue until there is enough money or until the account is empty.
How to disable
4G Fast and Furious — *110#
What it is
But first, let’s find out what our current needs are? Knowing this, you can understand whether you need them or not. Maybe you can do without them completely? Velcom's USSD requests, like those of any cellular operator, are nothing more than a means of subscriber self-service.
With their help, you can control your phone balance, check and change the tariff plan on your SIM card, perform various functions, as well as disable and activate certain services and options. The main advantage of such combinations is that they are free and can be activated at any time of the day or night. The main thing is to know what exactly you need.
MTS
MTS did not impose a tariff: they showed a table with the SMART line and asked to choose it yourself. We took the cheapest “SMART light”, which offers 250 minutes of calls and 250 MB of traffic for 3.9 rubles per month (in the first months the monthly fee is lower and there are more bonuses).
turned on the number itself. It allows you to watch TV channels using a smartphone and costs 26 kopecks per day (approximately 7.8 rubles per month). The first three months are free, after which the money begins to be debited automatically. The specialist at the salon said that the service was available, it was visible in the contract, and after the first connection, a cheerful SMS was also received with a reminder about the “bonus from the company.” True, we still did not ask to connect television.
Toning” also appeared
", which automatically played "
Tune of the Day
".
For some reason, he chose a song with the words “take everything I have, just be with me here and now
. Fortunately, he was not going to write off everything - 47 kopecks for “Toning” and “Melody of the Day” every month. The first 30 days are free, then for money. True, for some reason the online assistant lists the cost of both, but I had to look for the real price and the button to turn it off on a separate website.
The contract also included some “advertising mailings.” In fact it turned out to be “ Be aware
"is a mystical option that regularly sends SMS messages advertising paid services. It's free, but the advertising messages are not what we expected from a new SIM card. It is impossible to find it in the Internet assistant. “For your convenience, the service starts working automatically,” explains the description on the site.
They don’t take money for this, but an inattentive person or child can accidentally answer the request and acquire a completely unnecessary service. By default, everyone has advertising; they can be disabled upon request. It is curious that other operators do not have such a “service”.
Choose the right tariff
The tariff that was ideal for you a year ago may now be terribly expensive compared to the operator's new tariffs or the tariffs of its competitors. Operators announce tariff changes on their websites, but how often do they read this?
And on Windows Phone, in the standard “Information Control” program, you can set a traffic limit and prohibit background data transfer when approaching the limit.
And one more thing: if you connect or disconnect a service (for example, an additional package of minutes), wait for the operator’s confirmation so as not to start consuming services at the old price.
velcom
At velcom, as the “most common” one, they recommended the “About everything at once” tariff, which for 4.9 rubles per month gives 250 minutes within the velcom network, 250 SMS and 250 MB of traffic (the first months the monthly fee is less).
Voicemail” was automatically connected
"- it works as an answering machine and sends SMS about missed calls. It itself is free, but there is one catch: when someone calls you and comes across a voicemail, it is charged as an outgoing call to the caller. You don’t notice - the operator is making money.
- a melody instead of beeps - fortunately, we were not connected. True, the terms of provision still state: “the service is automatically assigned upon concluding an agreement for the provision of telecommunication services according to velcom tariff plans”
. For the first 30 days it is free, then it costs from 4 kopecks to 1.12 rubles per day.
The operator also has a “ What’s New”
", which
"for your convenience, starts working automatically after installing the SIM card in the phone
. The free service sends announcements of paid services - games, ringtones. Our SIM card avoided this fate, but there are many complaints about this service on the Internet.
How to disable
"Melofon" - *424# call
“What’s new” - via the online assistant or call center
Don't fall for scams
This is not even advice, but a universal rule for all life, not just mobile.
“Send an SMS to a short number and win a million”, “your computer was blocked for watching porn, transfer the fine to so-and-so’s account”, “download Opera Mini for free from our website”... There are many ways of fraud, and there are many scammers.
Before doing anything that might cost money, ask yourself if you know how much it costs.
For example, you can check the prices of services for short numbers on the websites of operators: MTS, velcom, life:) .
