What mobile communications work on the peninsula in 2021?
The first feature that catches the eye of guests of the peninsula is the absence of large operators from the Russian Federation . But this fact does not mean at all that local residents and visitors live without communication. There are several operators operating here, whose coverage covers the entire territory of the Republic of Crimea.
On the peninsula you cannot find many large companies familiar to every resident of the Russian Federation: Beeline, Tele-2, Megafon. More precisely, these operators are present there, but with limited capabilities, since they are forced to rent cell towers from local companies. For these reasons, you cannot buy their SIM cards in Crimea, and existing SIM cards imported from Russian regions will work in roaming, which can increase communication costs.
Currently the following operators operate in Crimea:
- "MTS"
- "Win mobile"
- "Wave mobile"
- "Sevmobile"
- "Krymtelecom"
Important! You can buy their SIM cards both in specialized stores and in any Crimean kiosk.
Which mobile operator to choose when going on vacation?
MTS is the only major operator that has a semi-official presence in the region - more details in this review. But only for the reason that all calls from Crimea are processed through the Krasnodar Territory, so that the company does not fall under sanctions (for this reason, MTS has Krasnodar tariffs in Crimea).
Roaming in Crimea
Current mobile operators on the peninsula have entered into official agreements with local organizations that connect subscribers from Crimea. In practice, the situation is such that all subscribers who find themselves in Crimea from the mainland of the country are served by local operators, and for this they use their own equipment. In this case, the cost of services remains unchanged.
Which operators will provide communication without roaming in Crimea?
When deciding how to connect MTS in Crimea without roaming, it is worth considering that the peninsula not only has restrictions caused by the political situation, but also represents a separate region of Russia. This suggests challenges for large companies to enter the region. Despite the formal abolition of roaming within the country by operators, the concept of a home region and special conditions for calls while traveling remain. Of all the operators, only MTS managed to bypass the so-called mobile sanctions system. Previously, the peninsula was defined in the MTS network as the Krasnodar Territory, but today it is separated into a separate region - Crimea. Despite the absence of its own towers in Crimea, all calls are charged exactly the same as when traveling to other regions of Russia. There is no need to activate roaming separately; all subscribers have this service initially. After arriving on the Crimean territory, the connection to the local network will occur automatically, and the tariff will remain the same without extra payment for roaming.
Mobile Internet
There is cellular Internet on the peninsula, but its speed and price leave much to be desired:
- 3G coverage here can be found only in the largest cities: Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Alushta, Feodosia, Kerch, Bakhchisarai, Evpatoria . And even then not in all areas.
- 4G coverage is even less and is available only in Simferopol, Sevastopol and Yalta .
- The basis of the mobile Internet on the peninsula is a slow 2G EDGE connection.
How to set up an APN access point "Krymtelecom": step-by-step instructions
If you have a smartphone with two SIM cards, insert the Krymtelecom card into the main or first slot. After setting up and rebooting the smartphone, the card, if necessary, can be moved back to the second slot.
On iOS devices
Video instruction
- Open Settings → Cellular → Data settings → Cellular data network;
- In the Cellular Data menu, write in the APN column: internet.ktkru.ru and do not fill in anything else, leaving the username and password empty.
- Let's use it!
On Android devices
Video instruction
- Open Menu → Settings → More → Mobile network → Access points (APN) → Create a new Access Point (APN);
- Name: Any;
- We write APN: internet.ktkru.ru;
- Proxy: not installed;
- Port: not installed;
- Username: leave blank;
- Password: leave empty;
- MCC: 250 (required!);
- MNC: 34 (required!);
- APN protocol: IPv4/IPv6;
- Authentication type: select “no” or “PAP”;
- APN type: select “Internet” (alternatively: default or default, supl or default, hipri);
- Be sure to save the settings;
- Reboot your smartphone!
- Let's use it ;)
On Windows Phone
- Open Settings → Networks and wireless communications → Cellular network and SIM card → SIM card settings → Internet access point (APN) → Add Internet access point (APN);
- We only fill in the Access Point column, in which we write internet.ktkru.ru (we do not put a period at the end);
- Let's save;
- Reboot the smartphone;
- We use;
WinMobile
The largest operator on the peninsula (official website here), which owns almost all cell towers. Offers subscribers 4 tariffs.
Attention! When you activate the SIM card, the Internet option will be connected automatically! To prevent money from being debited when you accidentally access the Internet, disable this service in your personal account.
Rates
Online
“Online” - unlimited internet
- ◔ within the network – 3 ₽ per minute + SMS for 3 ₽
- ◑ Crimea and Krasnodar - 3 ₽ per minute + SMS for 3 ₽
