Mobile communications are an integral life attribute of every person, providing free communication, correspondence and access to the global network. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of cellular services, as well as to choose a more effective and convenient alternative for them.
At the same time, in the modern mobile communications market there are simultaneously several providers that compete with each other and constantly improve the quality and conditions of customer service. Based on official statistics, the most popular providers in Russia include Megafon, MTS, Beeline, Tele2, Yota. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, which determine their overall and subjective usefulness for subscribers. But in order for you to be able to make the final choice and decide for yourself which cellular operator is better, you need to know these weaknesses and strengths of cellular companies.
Internet assistant Tarif-online.ru will help you understand the difficult issue of choosing the best mobile operator for you, pointing out the pros and cons of each of them.
Let us immediately note your suspicions about the marketing component of our article. We are not going to advertise to anyone, but will operate only with facts and objective opinions of experienced users. Still, making the final decision about whose SIM card will be installed in your device remains entirely yours.
Rostelecom
Let's start, perhaps, with the largest operator. We are talking about a company called Rostelecom. Its branches are located in many cities of Russia. Many subscribers believe that this is the best connection. We are talking about all types of networks: telephone (landline), television and mobile communications. By the way, this operator is in great demand in Internet matters. Subscribers are offered reasonable prices, as well as fairly high-quality network operation. During some major weather incidents, of course, failures occur, but not as often as with competitors.
The network reaches even remote corners of cities. With all this, no breaks or failures were recorded during conversations. This is especially true for landline phones. We can conclude that Rostelecom can be trusted.
"MTS"
There are subscribers who claim that only the MTS operator has the best connection. However, there are mixed opinions about the company. The fact is that when it comes to a mobile operator, subscribers begin to pay attention to many points related not only to the quality of communication. They leave their mark on the rating of a particular company.
What can you say about MTS? In general, this operator really provides high-quality services throughout Russia, not in all places, but in most. The best quality of communication from the company will be ensured in those points of the city where transmission lines are located. On the outskirts, the mobile signal decreases.
Unfortunately, MTS's Internet cannot boast of its quality. There is more discontent here than joy. And all because in most regions the network signal is low. Pages take a long time to open or don’t load at all. In developed cities you can still admire the Internet from MTS, but among the trees or in the countryside - not so much.
This company is the best telecom operator if you evaluate the prices for the proposed tariffs. Many argue that it is communications from MTS that benefit sociable people. In general, the network is stable, although it works with some interruptions. The most frequent failures occur during heat waves or hurricanes.
Which cellular operator is better?
HOW OPERATORS DEAL WITH PAID SUBSCRIBER TRAFFIC
Starting a chat conversation
Telecommunications company TeLe2
JUNE 9, 2021 6:11
I purchased a Tele 2 Simcard on June 4 in Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow region. There was no connection when connected. I called the customer service from another phone and it turned out that I was outside the network coverage. On June 8 I arrived in Moscow, where the network was present. And then I received a message that out of 12 Gb I only had 1120 Mb left (!). I registered in my personal account and was even more stunned by the message that the 12Gb traffic was completely used up! Despite the fact that I wouldn’t have time to watch even a short clip during this time. I requested details and found out that in the area where there was no signal I was consuming gigantic amounts of traffic per unit of time. Just some kind of miracles and that’s all! It becomes clear that the operator’s “generosity” is being advertised, promising to transfer unused traffic to the next month
JUNE 9 8:23
Konstantin, hello. Now let's figure it all out in order. The Railway has coverage. Coverage map here: msk.tele2.ru/coverage
In Moscow and the Moscow region, the Tele2 network operates only in the 3G/4G standard. 3G (UMTS) - at a frequency of 2100 MHz, 4G (LTE) - at a frequency of 2600 MHz (band 7) and in some areas 800 MHz (Band 20). Accordingly, in order to use the Tele2 network, your phone must support 3G technology. You can check this here: msk.tele2.ru/internet/check/.
Make sure you are within network coverage: msk.tele2.ru/help/coverage/. If your device is designed for multiple SIM cards, insert ours into the first slot. Next, in your phone settings, try to select a network manually from the list of available ones.
As for traffic consumption, it’s most likely due to auto-updates. Please send the model and brand of your phone or its OS. We'll show you how to reduce your Internet traffic consumption.
On the new line of package tariffs, the remaining packages are transferred to the next period if the subscription fee is paid on time.
JUNE 9 15:14
Regarding your arguments, which do not stand up to criticism. 1. In Zheleznodorozhny, in principle, there is coverage, but not everywhere. So, for example, according to your AC specialist, on the street. ———-it’s not there, the signal doesn’t reach there. Despite the fact that the cell tower is located 300 m from my house. 2. My device is a modern tablet that accepts 3 and 4 G formats. 3. As for auto-updates, even a child understands that in a couple of hours of being online (in Moscow) it won’t be possible to update 12,000 Mb even if you really want to. . 4. Operating tablet - Andruid 5.1. Total RAM 2 Gb.
Konstantin, your device probably registered on the network, which is how it accessed the Internet. Let's check the auto-update settings. In order to reduce Internet traffic consumption on your device, we recommend that you: 1) Limit access to the mobile Internet to certain applications.
I know all the traffic saving settings you suggest and were made immediately when loading the tablet. In this situation, it seems to me that this option for our further relationship is correct: a) the operator returns my subscription fee in the amount of 400 rubles. to my account and we start all over again with a clear registration of the traffic I consumed. b) I apply to the place where I purchased the SIM card to return the product due to dissatisfaction with its quality and a refund. And this is where our further cooperation ends.
Konstantin, if the details indicate access to the Internet, then it really was there. However, we can try to draw up an application for compensation, but we cannot promise you anything; the decision will be made by our colleagues. You can apply for compensation through us or on our website (forms.tele2.ru/skoraya-pomosh/), whichever is more convenient for you?
Please note that the SIM card cannot be returned. By contacting the communication salon, the owner of the number with a passport will only be able to write a statement of termination and return the balance on the number.
Let's try to find a compromise and draw up a request for compensation “through you.” I agree about “connecting to the Internet,” but I can argue about the correctness of recording the volume of bits of information received by the subscriber (if you are interested). Returning a SIM card (in accordance with the Buyer's Rights Law) is possible, like any other product, if you have a saved receipt, within 2 weeks from the date of its purchase. Or is a SIM card not a product?
JUNE 9 17:49
Konstantin, okay, let's go. Tell us your number, the desired amount of compensation and its justification. And we don’t want to argue with you, we believe you. As for the return, you enter into an agreement for the provision of communication services, and the SIM card is what is provided to you in the kit for the provision of these services.
OK! My number: 977463—- . The amount of compensation is 400 rubles. This is exactly how much I paid for the promised service of providing communications and exchanging information, but I was unable to use the service for the following reasons: a) lack of signal coverage in the urban area where I am; b) unilateral termination of data transmission under the dubious pretext of using the limit allocated according to the amount of subscription payment, and due to the subscriber’s lack of tools for objective verification of the provided details of traffic use by the cellular operator. Yes, the offer agreement is concluded for the provision of communication services, and the return of the SIM card indicates a refusal of the incorrectly provided service.
JUNE 9 20:56
Konstantin, we sent the application to our colleagues. We will let you know how we respond.
JUNE 10 2:29
Thank you, I'm waiting!
Not yet, Konstantin. We are waiting with you.
OK!
JUNE 14 2:06
Uv. gentlemen watching!
3 (three) days have passed, i.e. more than 72 hours or 4,320 minutes of my wait. During this time, the Vostok spacecraft could launch the space module into low-Earth orbit 540 times, and the TU-86 aircraft (by the way, not the fastest airliner) could fly to Khabarovsk 9 times and return back. But these concepts of the flow of modern technological processes do not correlate in any way with the processes of processing and objective analysis of subscriber service problems in the company of the cellular operator Tele 2. Resetting a subscriber’s traffic to zero in five minutes is as easy as two fingers... But to admit it and honestly return what was selected - this is not about us, it turns out? Or maybe everything was resolved successfully a long time ago, and they simply forgot to tell me about it?
Konstantin, hello! We received a response from colleagues: “Under the My Online tariff plan, the subscription fee includes 12 GB of Internet traffic + free traffic for social networks, WhatsApp and Viber + free traffic in the Tele2 TV and Zvooq mobile applications. In addition to the subscription fee, Internet access is provided under the “More” option. Up to 5 Internet packages of 500 MB are activated sequentially. The fee for each package is 50 rubles. and is written off at the moment of its activation. After all 5 packages are exhausted, Internet access is suspended. Since there were no funds in the subscriber’s account to pay for the “More” option, Internet access was suspended after the main package was exhausted. You can make sure that the main package is exhausted by ordering account details in your personal account. Based on the information provided, there are no grounds for providing compensation.”
1:16
Gentlemen, scammers from TeLe2! You zeroed out my traffic on the very first day and don’t want to admit it... This, apparently, is such a crooked “marketing policy” to compensate for the costs of Mizulin’s decree. Well, as you know, the miser pays twice. You will pay with the loss of all subscribers and rapid disappearance from the telecommunications services market. That's where you belong... I returned your SIM card to the salon and forgot about you.
2:53
Konstantin, hello! We did not deceive you in any way. If you had ordered details in your personal account, you would have seen this for yourself. I'm sorry you made such a drastic decision.
4:41
PS I have already described all the circumstances of the reset (see above), I ordered the details, but I also have a history in the browser. Your references to the objectivity of billing are not worth a damn after this. I think this method of operator fraud should be discussed in more detail on all social networks. The more they learn about this, the less appetite you will have. Debt, after all, is worth paying
6:33
Konstantin, as we told you earlier, traffic consumption occurred correctly, as evidenced by the detail. Browser history is not an indicator of Internet traffic consumption. You can find out in detail which applications consumed traffic in your phone’s settings, section “Data Usage” (the name of the section may differ depending on the operating system).
PS2. The history in the browser is not a confirmation of the expense, but a confirmation that I did not go anywhere except my personal account, this is firstly, and secondly, I have the background update option disabled. What other excuses do you have prepared?
9:05
Konstantin, to find out how traffic is consumed on your phone, you can contact the support service of your device manufacturer directly.
PS3. This is exactly what I did before declaring TeLe2 fraudulent in writing off subscribers’ Internet traffic. The company’s specialist said that he had seen everything, but in order to write off all traffic of 12,000 MB in five hours (according to the details sent) in the absence of Internet access, which is clearly visible from the browser history, he encountered such arrogance of an operator for the first time. In his opinion, even theoretically, taking into account the actual data transmission speed of the operator, it is impossible to download such a volume of traffic with a regular phone. So, dear schemers, this excuse of yours doesn’t work at all.
I can also contact the IT specialists of Rospotrebnadzor, if you so insist on it...
Konstantin, you can write a written complaint by contacting the Tele2 communication salon if you are not satisfied with the decision on the application and the information we provided.
PS 4. You October guys are completely inattentive: read above, where I already wrote that I filed a complaint with the salon and returned your “such a black, black SIM card with transferring traffic.” The fact that she is “black” has become unequivocally clear, but with the “transitioning” misinformation you have come up with a complete mess... In a word, a wretched outsider policy... Is it really true that only guest workers work in TeLe2?
12:23
Konstantin, as we already wrote, the tariffs are correct. It's a pity that you have such an opinion about our company.
16:10
PS5. I will hold a small educational program for migrant workers. The word “tariffication” comes from the word “tariff”, and in this context it should be understood as the cost of providing telecommunications services per unit of time or per volume in accepted units of measurement. In this sense, yes, the operator received the money from me in full. However, can we assume that the service was provided correctly? No, it’s impossible, because I didn’t receive the service, since the operator refused to provide the volume of traffic I paid for by unjustifiably writing it off. A reference to the so-called “details” is a shaky basis for justifying arbitrariness, since the subscriber has no way to verify the objectivity and reliability of this data and the lack of bias of the employees providing it. But he has common sense, data from recording Internet use, as well as an expert opinion about the hypothetical possibility of such a situation. And all these three factors are not in your favor. Therefore, what kind of “correctness” are you writing about? In stores and markets, to prevent falsehoods (i.e., facts of fraud), there are control scales, which are sealed and which can always be checked for accuracy with a fixed weight. And TeLe2 does not just “weight” buyers, but does not put the paid product in the package at all, offering to immediately buy the same one, but at a different price. This is what I call fraud, or simply, ordinary theft. Now, if you buy a new flat-screen TV, bring the box home, unpack it and instead of a TV you find a piece of chipboard in it, where will you go with it: to the store? And there they will tell you that the payment was made correctly, the goods were delivered on time, and what you brought home is not our concern, you should have looked at what was loaded into your box. Now, I hope, you understand all the simple mechanics of the calculations and body kits of your employer? Further, as can be predicted, the vector of fraud will be directed inside your team in the form of salary delays, salary cuts and “optimizations” of staff, i.e. mass layoffs. At the same time, the remuneration of top managers will miraculously grow by leaps and bounds. And in one “wonderful” moment the office will burst, and all these tops will immediately disappear over the hill, offshore, leaving a bunch of debts and deceived clients. You can already see this in the banking services market, where banks are being covered in batches with copper basins, zeroing out the accounts of companies and ordinary citizens. Are you not one of them yet? Or do you have nothing to keep in the bank - would you like to live until your salary? Sorry!
By continuing to blindly defend your unsteady position, you will inevitably destroy the company’s reputation, bringing it to the level of a city sewer. And whose arguments do you think social network users will believe? who face such scams themselves every day? There are already plenty of indignant posts about this on various forums (read). So, hold your pockets tighter and take a closer look at your bosses...
I wish you all happiness and a bright future!
"Megaphone"
Next, you should pay attention to such a large one. Perhaps few people can say that this company has the best connection. Rather, she's not bad. In any case, some subscribers speak negatively about the corporation.
This opinion was formed for several reasons. Firstly, prices for the Internet and network access services. Initially they are small, but soon begin to grow. With all this, while talking or surfing the Internet, you may notice connection interruptions. This, of course, will suit few people.
Secondly, if we talk about the World Wide Web, the connection speed in most cases leaves much to be desired.
Consumers also claim that even with the slightest weather anomalies, you can be left without communication, especially in remote regions. Within developed cities, you will simply see constant network failures. Many subscribers say that MegaFon is clearly not the best connection in Russia.
Rating by quality and price
It is impossible to create an objective TOP based on communication quality! But why, you ask? The quality of mobile communications is an abstract and variable parameter. The level of signal reception depends on a huge number of factors; it can differ even within the same city!
The quality of communication is affected by:
- The number of subscribers located in a certain part of the city.
- Equipment used.
- Number of installed base stations.
- Type of networks used for signal transmission, etc.
With a stretch, you can determine the quality of the services provided by the popular rating presented above. It is compiled based on people's opinions of operators and reflects the level of customer satisfaction.
"Beeline"
The next quite worthy competitor of Rostelecom and MTS is Beeline. This is one of the few companies that tries to attract subscribers with its quality, but it is not ideal either. What do users think about Beeline?
Overall they are satisfied. Network outages are extremely rare. The Internet works well, the speed is high even in the worst weather conditions. The mobile network also practically does not disappear. If you don’t want to use, then we can say that Beeline is the best telecom operator, albeit with its own shortcomings.
For example, in terms of cost, it is recognized as the most unprofitable and expensive operator, but its communications are quite high quality. True, recently some subscribers began to complain about frequent interruptions in Beeline’s operation. Plus, this operator very often connects paid services and does not notify its customers about it.
"Tele 2"
Who has the best connection? To be honest, it is very difficult to decide, because each subscriber remains with his own opinion. He has quite mixed opinions. This is another large cellular operator, a worthy competitor to MTS and Beeline.
He attracts a new audience with prices, most of them anti-crisis. This makes me happy. But the quality of communication, as users say, is not excellent everywhere. This is due to the fact that Tele2 has only recently begun to spread throughout Russia, so the communication system is not established everywhere. In large cities there are no complaints about either the Internet or the cellular network. But in remote places there are enough of them.
In principle, if you live in a large city where there is Tele2, but do not plan to travel outside of it, then you can be sure that with this operator you will have the best connection at favorable rates. But in cases of active use of mobile communications or the Internet outside the developed infrastructure, it is still better to choose someone else as an operator.
Telecard
The Telekarta operator (aka Continent TV) has 4 basic tariffs and 12 thematic channel packages for an additional fee. The main tariffs are as follows:
- Pioneer - 85 channels, 75 rubles per month (800 rubles per year);
- Master - 145 channels, 149 rubles per month (1400 rubles per year);
- Leader - 225 channels, 249 rubles per month (1990 rubles per year);
- Premier - 250 channels, 399 rubles per month (3990 rubles per year).
The operator broadcasts in both SD and HD formats. Satellites cover all of Russia well, with the exception of the most extreme regions (for example, the Kaliningrad region or the Sakhalin Peninsula). The operator broadcasts from three different satellites:
To connect, you need a satellite receiver, a dish with a Ku-signal converter with a diameter of at least 75 cm, an antenna cable with a connector and a satellite operator card. Moreover, you can buy your own equipment, and only purchase a card from the operator.
Advantages and disadvantages according to user reviews:
Advantages
three satellites, the largest coverage, many interesting channels in the basic package, cheap multiroom (watching channels on a second TV), the ability to use third-party equipment with an operator card
Flaws
when connecting with your equipment, only Pioneer and Leader tariffs are available; Premier tariff is available only in HD format; reception is uncertain in the northern regions of Russia
Yota
The latest company to date is Yota. This operator appeared in Russia not so long ago. Positions itself as a company that provides everything you need. The best connection, favorable tariffs, fast Internet - this is exactly what you can find at Yota.
Practice shows a slightly different picture. Subscribers claim that Yota really offers a huge selection of services, but their quality cannot be considered excellent. If the mobile network still works acceptable, then with the Internet everything is much worse. Communication is constantly interrupted, information is processed slowly, and it may even refuse to work in some regions.
What do we get in the end? Which connection is better? Based on the above, we can summarize:
- Rostelecom.
- Beeline.
- "MTS".
- "Tele 2".
- "Megaphone".
- Yota.
This is the opinion held by many subscribers. True, Rostelecom is often used only for home Internet and telephone, and is not considered as a cellular operator.
