Mobile communications play a significant role in our lives, but at the same time they mercilessly waste our money - that is why the question “What is the cheapest cellular communication” remains relevant all the time. We send messages, make calls, surf social networks, and use the mobile Internet for at least five hours a day. Imagine how much this is! And, of course, you want to spend as little money as possible on mobile communications while still receiving high-quality services. Moreover, the quality of communication largely depends on the operator providing the tariff option for the user. In this article, we will figure out which operators are now in Russia, learn about their advantages and disadvantages, and also find out which tariffs they have the most favorable.
Main line of tariffs
When choosing a tariff plan, it is important to consider which city the calls will be made from most often. For example, if a person buys a prepaid SIM card in St. Petersburg, but plans to use the phone in Moscow, the tariffs in the capital will be higher.
The cost of telephone calls depends on what region a person is in and where he is calling. The tariff for local calls, for example, in Moscow, is standard, but if you need to call from the capital to another city, the cost will increase by the minute. In general, cellular operators have standard tariffs.
To better understand the pricing packages of leading mobile phone companies, below is a comparison table with current packages.
| Tariff name | Operator | Price (month) | Internet, GB | Calls, min |
| Z connection | Beeline | 100 | 100 | |
| Z connection | Beeline | 175 | 10 | |
| Z connection | Beeline | 200 | 300 | |
| Minimal Internet, No minutes | Tinkoff Mobile | 204 | 4 | 0 |
| First gigs | Beeline | 240 | 7 | 300 |
| Minimum | Megaphone | 240 | 7 | 300 |
| Z connection | Beeline | 250 | 30 | |
| Minimum Internet, Minimum minutes | Tinkoff Mobile | 258 | 4 | 200 |
| Smart | MTS | 260 | 5 | 300 |
| NETARIF | MTS | 284 | customizable | customizable |
| My conversation | Tele2 | 300 | 7 | 300 |
| Minimum Internet, 400 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 308 | 4 | 400 |
| Internet | Megaphone | 330 | 30 | 300 |
| Close people 1 | Beeline | 340 | 20 | 500 |
| My online | Tele2 | 350 | 20 | 500 |
| Minimum Internet, 600 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 358 | 4 | 600 |
| Calls | Megaphone | 370 | 7 | 600 |
| X | MTS | 385 | 7 | 100 |
| Z connection | Beeline | 400 | 50 | |
| Close people 2 | Beeline | 440 | 40 | 700 |
| All | Megaphone | 450 | 50 | 600 |
| Tariff | MTS | 450, 600, 750, 1000 | 30 (no option) | 500 |
| Everywhere online | Tele2 | 500 | 40 | 300 |
| My online+ | Tele2 | 500 | 30 | 700 |
| Minimum Internet, 1200 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 578 | 4 | 1 200 |
| Maximum | Megaphone | 600 | Unlimited | 800 |
| Close people 3 | Beeline | 600 | Unlimited | 800 |
| Unlimited | Tele2 | 700 | Unlimited | 500 |
| Close people 4 | Beeline | 720 | Unlimited | 1 500 |
| Game | Tele2 | 890 | 30 | 700 |
| VIP | Megaphone | 900 | Unlimited | 1 500 |
| Unlimited Internet, No minutes | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 024 | Unlimited | 0 |
| Unlimited Internet, Minimum minutes | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 078 | Unlimited | 200 |
| Smart Top | MTS | 1 100 | Unlimited | 2 000 |
| Unlimited Internet, 400 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 128 | Unlimited | 400 |
| Unlimited Internet, 600 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 178 | Unlimited | 600 |
| Minimum internet, Unlimited calls | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 178 | 4 | Unlimited |
| Unlimited Internet, 1200 min | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 398 | Unlimited | 1 200 |
| Premium | Tele2 | 1 500 | Unlimited | 2 000 |
| To the maximum! | Beeline | 1 600 | Unlimited | 3 000 |
| ULTRA | MTS | 1 700 | Unlimited | 3 500 |
| Unlimited Internet, Unlimited calls | Tinkoff Mobile | 1 998 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium | Megaphone | 2 000 | Unlimited | 3 000 |
These plans are for smartphones and tablets only. Their use in modems or mobile routers is prohibited. For example, MTS identifies the most commonly used modems and routers by their IMEI number and blocks mobile data usage on such devices.
Main mistake
Do not call from a Russian SIM card from abroad to Russia or anywhere else. Without special roaming options, a call will cost as much as a Boeing wing! And this is the main mistake of beginners, they apparently don’t know these prices at 100 rubles per minute, and then they are surprised how the balance instantly goes into the minus.
Actually, this is the main mistake of novice travelers. They didn’t bother with this issue in advance and, when the need arises, they start calling from their regular Russian SIM card or receiving incoming calls. And given that when roaming, money is debited with a delay, you can end up in a big minus with subsequent blocking of the number. By the way, it’s also useful to disable the ability to use the Internet from a Russian SIM card on your phone; the price there is also wow.
I highly recommend taking care of this issue in advance, since almost everyone will have to make calls sooner or later. For example, in the event of an insured event, when you need to call the insurance company and resolve the issue with treatment (often this is not 1 call). Or, when withdrawing money from an ATM, your bank's security team may call you to find out whether it was you or not. And if you do not answer the call, the bank card will be blocked. In principle, it’s okay, you’ll just need to call the bank’s technical support in Russia.
Just in case, I remind you that a telephone number almost always needs to be dialed in international format; for Russia it starts with +7, for example.
How to call from abroad to Russia
MTS operator
MTS is the largest operator, serving about 78 million subscribers, which has licenses in 83 regions of the country. This operator-provider can also use roaming in Crimea.
4G/LTE coverage has reached all 83 regions of MTS presence. 55% is at 1800 MHz, the rest at 800 and 2600 MHz.
Unlike other operators, MTS blocks incoming calls from many VoIP networks, as they are considered illegal.
The “Red Energy” tariff from MTS does not have a subscription fee, it has simple and understandable conditions. “SMART” is one of the most favorable tariffs for those who make a lot of calls and often send SMS. “Super-MTS” is a popular tariff among those who communicate a lot within the network. This is also a tariff without a monthly fee.
| "Red Energy" | "SMART" | "Super-MTS" |
| 1.8 r/min - calls to all networks in your home region; 5.5 r/min - calls to mobile MTS of other regions; 8.8 r/min - calls to numbers of other operators in other regions; 0 r/month—subscription fee | 250 minutes, 250 SMS 470 rub/month 5GB mobile internet | from 0 r/min - calls to MTS in your home region; 2.8 r/min - calls to numbers of other operators in your home region; 0 r/month — subscription fee. |
Tariff prices are relevant for Moscow and Moscow Region.
Super MTS tariff is the best tariff plan subject to daily payment. This plan has very cheap mobile communications and internet. The main advantage of the tariff is unlimited outgoing calls to other MTS numbers in the same region per day and to most city numbers in Moscow. Calls within the country are made at an additional cost.
Another benefit of this plan is that you are allowed to add the All Super+ option. It is activated automatically and gives up to 3 GB per month with a daily fee of RUB 9.40. If it is not activated, you need to dial *111*259#.
The MTS Smart smartphone series offers monthly combo plans including calls, SMS and data. For many users, this is the cheapest mobile connection in Moscow.
The big advantage of these plans is their availability (including with roaming in Crimea). All Smart tariff plans include unlimited calls to other MTS Russia numbers.
Unlimited number of social networks in tariff plans X and Tariff includes the use of:
And also Snapchat, YouTube, MTS Music, Apple Music, Google Music, App Store, Google Play, MTS Connect and some games.
The monthly fee is deducted from your account balance at the time the plan is activated. The next debit will occur exactly 30 days after the activation date. If the account is insufficient for the next monthly fee, all services (voice and data) will be temporarily suspended. To unlock, you will need to top up your account.
The cheapest tariffs with a subscription fee
About 50% of users prefer to pay the tariff once a month and not worry about anything else. Here it is important to take a closer look at the list of offered options and choose the optimal package with a fixed fee.
| Operator, package | Price | Features of the service |
| Beeline "All is mine" | 400 rubles per month | 200 minutes for free in Russia, when the minutes are exhausted, calls to all operators become free + 5 GB of Internet |
| MTS "Smart" | 400 rubles per month | 4 GB internet and 200 free minutes to all numbers |
| Tele2 "My Tele2" | Three package options from 210 rubles per month | Communication either with daily payment for 7 rubles per day, or 500 and 200 unlimited minutes, plus 15 and 2 GB of Internet, respectively |
Good to know! Tele2 operator is the leader in terms of cost in Russia. In the line of various packages you can find quite interesting offers with additional options for 300-350 rubles. per month.
Operator Beeline
Beeline is a national operator operating in 78 regions and serving about 58 million subscribers. It is popular for calls to CIS countries and offers tariffs at lower prices.
Beeline is present in almost all regions of the country, its 4G coverage is concentrated in populated areas, but is still limited in rural areas. 4G/LTE coverage is available in almost all cities.
| Tariff name | |||
| Close people 2 | SuperCITY | To the maximum! | |
| Internet | 50 GB | 25 GB | Unlimited |
| Calls | 700 min | 400 min | 3000 min. To Beeline numbers - an unlimited number of minutes. |
| Price (in rubles) per month | 650 | 550 | 2000 |
Beeline has high-speed 3G internet almost everywhere in the country, including the countryside between Moscow and St. Petersburg and Lake Baikal + Olkhon Island, which is ideal for traveling to remote areas and traveling by train. However, currently the Beeline 2G network has noticeably lost quality. There are some issues with voice call clarity and data speeds. The problems are related to signal strength and coverage. However, this operator has good tariffs for international calls, especially to the CIS countries, where Beeline has its own and partner networks.
Like other operators, Beeline has monthly combined plans with included rates for voice calls, SMS and Internet, valid throughout Russia.
Messengers are unlimited, these include WhatsApp, Viber, ICQ, Skype, Google, Snapchat (including voice and video calls). Movies, Music and Cloud are the operator's special offers for streaming video and audio and 10 GB of cloud space.
When data is exhausted, a very high auto-renewal rate is charged. So we recommend choosing a volume sufficient for you initially.
The carrier offers an option that allows users to share the included data allowance in combo plans with other carrier users in the same region.
Methods of calling from abroad
There are 4 universal ways that help you maintain contact with Russia while traveling.
Messengers
These are famous virtual systems (applications) that are famous for instant messaging. Text, photos, pictures, emoticons, and videos are used as messages. All messengers work via the Internet. You can freely conduct a voice conversation, exchange countless videos and photographs, paying only for Internet traffic.
The most famous applications:
- Viber is a large-scale communication tool with a large number of its own functions;
- Skype is a good but heavy application. It takes up a lot of space on the phone and seriously loads the gadget. It takes a long time to load, the exchange of information is also not fast.
- WhatsApp is a modern, well-designed Internet system, but without the ability to call regular mobile phones.
- Telegram is the “youngest” application that offers one-way exchange of information.
Travel sim
A specially designed SIM card for communication between 190 countries. The cost of incoming and outgoing calls is the same in any country and at any time of the day. Valid in many countries. The minimum cost per minute of conversation is 29 cents. Per-minute billing applies without connection fees. The number is active for at least 12 months after the last call.
There are many types of travel sims, as well as Russian mobile operators. This:
- Simtravel
- Drimsim
- Orange
- Globalsim
Local SIM card
In many countries it will be cheaper to buy a local SIM card and easily call Russia. Tariffs are different. For example, in Thailand, using a special code, you can contact your family very inexpensively.
Back call
An interesting service that will be useful for travelers. It requires very little Internet traffic. An SMS message is sent to a special mobile application number. They call you back automatically, additionally dialing the number of your interlocutor. Simply put, you communicate with Russia using a special system. It will be inexpensive, but provided that you have free incoming calls. The method is quite difficult to use; you have to type several in combination, which takes time.
Operator MegaFon
MegaFon (mainly owned by the Russian USM Holding and Gazprombank) is one of the three largest Russian mobile operators. Many users consider MegaFon to be the best operator in the country due to its nationwide distribution and high Internet speed.
MegaFon was the first to launch 3G networks (at 2100 and 900 MHz) and 4G / LTE in the country. This is the only network that is available in all regions of the country. 4G/LTE primarily operates on the 2600 MHz frequency (B7) and covers all 83 regions.
| Rates | |||||||||
| DreamTeamHouse | Premium | Maximum | All | Minimum | VIP | Internet | Calls | ||
| Calls | 400 minutes | 2500 t | 1000 minutes | 600 minutes | 300 | 1400 | 400 minutes | 800 minutes | |
| Internet | 20 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 GB | 6 GB | Unlimited Internet | 20 GB | 6 GB | |
| Price (in rubles) for 30 days | 500 | 1800 | 790 | 600 | 390 | 990 | 500 | 600 | |
Operator Tele2
Rostelecom's Tele2 is building its fourth national network, active in 60 regions, with approximately 44 million customers.
The cheapest mobile Internet is from Tele2 - 27 rubles/1GB.
| Tariff name | |||
| Everywhere online | My online | My conversation | |
| Internet | 40+40GB | 30 GB | 7 GB |
| Calls | Unlimited on Tele2 Russia 300 minutes to other Russian numbers | Unlimited on Tele2 700 minutes to other numbers | Unlimited on Tele2 Russia 300 minutes to other Russian numbers |
| Price (in rubles) per month | 500 | 500 | 300 |
Other operators
Certain mobile operators provide preferential packages at affordable prices, operating outside the main Russian mobile networks. Yota, for example, is considered a subsidiary of MegaFon and a major player in the MVNO market.
The operator's main idea is completely unlimited data traffic, but with some restrictions in other areas, for example, blocked P2P networks. Despite the fact that the network is the same as MegaFon, the user may not have access to LTE in some regions where Yota SIM cards are not sold, unlike MegaFon subscribers.
| Tariff "Basic" | Tariff “Basic Megabyte” | Tariff “Per-second” |
| Calls to Operator numbers throughout Russia – 2.7 rubles. in a minute. Calls outside the home region – 2.7 rubles. in a minute. Calls within the Home region – 2.7 rubles. in a minute. SMS/MMS to Russian numbers – 3.9 rubles. | Mobile Internet – 9.9 rubles per 1 MB. Same with “Basic”. | Calls to Russian numbers – 0.1 rub. in a second. SMS/MMS to Russian numbers – 3.9 rubles. |
Yota became the first operator in the country to provide fixed prices for all regions. But still, the operator charges different prices depending on where the SIM card is purchased. The operator is targeting residents of large cities who use smartphones, tablets or modems.
The cheapest mobile connection in Russia without the Internet is from Yota.
Anyone can calculate their tariff plan independently on the website using the constructor.
Yota also provides a special plan for use with a modem or router. It has completely unlimited data. This solution is LTE (4G) only, no voice capabilities, internet only.
However, if the SIM card is not used in a smartphone (for example, in a router, modem or tablet), the speed will be reduced to 64 Kbps. If a smartphone is used as an access point for a modem, the speed is limited to 128 Kbps; this limitation can be removed for 2 hours for 90₽ or for 24 hours for 190₽. When using file-sharing networks, the speed is reduced to 32 Kbps. Often the operator does not warn its users about this.
Some regions also have local operators, such as Motiv in Yekaterinburg, Kurgan, Ugra and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tattelecom in Tartastan or Vainakh Telecom in the Chechen Republic.
Tinkoff Mobile started as one of the first virtual operators in 2021 of Tinkoff Bank. The operator operates in the Tele2 network. SIM cards are sold throughout the country, as the company has opened stores in large shopping centers. From 2021 they also offer eSIM, but are currently only available to Tinkoff card holders.
The operator offers to try mobile services completely free for a week!
Tinkoff Mobile offers attractive offers for new subscribers. On the official website you can calculate an individual tariff plan.
Megaphone
"Internet S"
MegaFon does not provide tariffs for smartphones with a small Internet package (5-9 GB). However, it is possible to connect, which gives the user 5 GB per month for 400 rubles. (80 rubles for 1 GB). This option on the smartphone will only work in the home region. You can activate the service through the MegaFon application, your personal account, using a special command or SMS.
Line “Turn on!”
Tariffs from the “Turn On!” line are the most economical among those that provide medium and large volumes of traffic. Let's look at two of them with minimal prices per 1 GB: “Turn on! Communicate" and "Turn on! Look+.” Both tariffs provide unlimited traffic to social networks and instant messengers, and the second also provides unlimited access to watching videos on YouTube, Rutube and Vimeo. Until August 31, 2021, you can use popular music services in the metro for free. And don't forget that unlimited use is only possible with official applications and the latest versions of browsers. Tariff “Turn on! Communicate” offers an average Internet package of 15 GB for other services for 600 rubles. per month (40 rubles per gigabyte), as well as 600 minutes of calls to any numbers in the country. And when you subscribe to the “Turn On! Look+" with a subscription fee of 1000 rubles, you will receive 30 GB of network traffic for other services (33.3 rubles per 1 GB) and 1500 minutes of calls to all numbers in the country. Calls to MegaFon Russia numbers remain free even after the reserve minutes have expired. The advantage is that the minutes and internet packages are valid throughout the country. The downside is that balances are not carried over to the next billing period.
As a bonus, it provides free traffic to MegaFon.TV and ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
Compare tariffs and choose the most profitable one
The most common and largest mobile operators in Russia are Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), MegaFon, Beeline and Tele2Russia (owned by the state provider Rostelecom). Services and prices are competitive in major cities but vary by region.
It's time to sum up the results and decide on the winner. The cheapest mobile communication tariff from MTS is “Tariffishche”. For the first 6 months, new subscribers will be able to pay 585 rubles for the entire package of services, and later - 600 rubles. Megafon offers this package of services the most expensive - 1000₽ for 30 days.
