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 a name for itself in the service market by offering truly unlimited Internet and transparent conditions for room service.
Starting in January 2021, 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.
Megafon or Yota
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 precisely what explains the provider’s strong start in the cellular communications market, when the “newbie” immediately received a developed network.
Despite this, Yota can well be considered an independent company, which, in addition to the lines provided, is actively developing its own service towers.
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 transfer 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 incur additional costs or connect 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.
Comparison of Yota Internet with other telecom operators
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 a name for itself in the service market by offering truly unlimited Internet and transparent conditions for room service. Starting in January 2021, 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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Summary
All mobile operators compared have their strengths and weaknesses.
- The share of dropped calls and undelivered messages is the lowest for MTS;
- Tele2 is the leader in terms of communication quality during calls;
- Megafon has the largest coverage map in the country;
- Beeline boasts the lowest prices for the same range of services;
- Yota offers the most flexible and responsive tariff designer.
The answer to the question which operator has the best Internet will be ambiguous. MTS uploads data faster, Megafon has higher download speeds, and Beeline has a more stable connection in the regions.
Choosing the best operator between MTS, Beeline, Yota, Tele2 or Megafon is not so easy. To understand what is best for you, look at user reviews in your region, compare tariff plans, and ask family members, colleagues and friends for their opinions.
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:
- Attractive prices.
- Possibility of connecting wired home Internet and digital television.
- Operation of modems in 3G networks.
Iota responds to this with a higher quality connection, no roaming, and 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.
Summing up
Pros:
- Fine-tuning the tariff;
- Convenient connection;
- Mobile application with built-in chat.
Minuses:
- Interruptions in Internet connection (only on the periphery);
- It's quite difficult to reach customer support.
More about Yota: Current tariffs of the Yota operator (Yota) in 2019
Megaphone
- Stable Internet;
- Excellent level of service in branded salons;
- Multifunctional application;
- Availability of bonus points;
- Prompt technical support.
Minuses
- Expensive tariffs;
- Lack of ability to choose the apps you need for unlimited access.
MTS or Yota
MTS is one of the Big Three, but the operator has a surprisingly underdeveloped Internet network. 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.
Problem solving
Another point that Beeline can be proud of is the quality of its technical support service. When you call the hotline, after a rather long wait, you will still be connected with an operator and he will competently solve your problem. The disadvantage of this option is the waiting time for the operator to respond, since at first you will be asked to resolve the issue using an answering machine. Technical support of the fourth federal is developing in accordance with modern requirements - to contact technical support, along with the standard method of contacting the hotline, you can write a message in the chat describing the problem - there is no need to wait a long time for a response to a phone call - you will also receive advice on solving the issue directly in chat.
Summary: if you value transparency of tariffs and ease of interaction with an operator, and don’t like wasting time, you should choose Iota, but if you are willing to pay more for high quality, choose Beeline.
If, after reading the article, you have a question about how to switch from Beeline to Yota with your number, you can read about it here:.
Rostelecom or Yota
It is not entirely correct to compare these operators, because they provide Internet connections according to different principles. In particular, Rostelecom sells wired Internet and digital television on the market, offering high-quality wired connections. 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.
Yota tariff plans
Getting to know the operators began as usual with choosing a suitable tariff. 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, 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.
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.
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. The 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.
More about Yota: Yota support service phone: Yota support number
Network coverage
As in the previously published article Which is better than Yota or Tele2, we again advise you to carefully study our Yota Coverage Map. Here, without any difficulty, it is possible to compare the network of different providers operating in Russia.
What's better with Beeline
But even without any tricks, without hiding this fact, we note that Yota’s 4G network is much lower. But, as you can see from the map, it works in all major populated areas. Although small towns and villages were not left without attention. If we are currently comparing Utah with Beeline, we will note the great advantage of the latter. Unlike the “Inverted Man,” the “Bees” built their “communication hives” quite a long time ago and in the development of 4G-5G technologies they only needed to update the equipment. At that time, the company founded by Denis Sverdlov operated as an MVNO operator in most of our country.
