All about cellular communication in Crimea

Going on a trip outside the hometown, you should definitely find out how things are with mobile communications at the destination. Important aspects exist not only in the situation with foreign countries, but even when traveling to the Crimea.

Communication in the Crimea does not work in the format that the people of Russia are used to. For example, on the peninsula, in principle, Megafon, as well as Beeline and Tele-2, are not represented. Wanting to still stay with the existing operator, visitors will have to connect the roaming service to their existing SIM card. Since current tariffs and promotions are not used in such conditions, communication becomes very expensive. Of the common all-Russian companies in the Crimea, only MTS catches.

On the peninsula, it’s no problem to get a SIM card and connect the services available when traveling around the home region. In addition, the Crimean territory has its own operators. It's about companies like Krymtelecom, Wave and K-telecom, whose second name looks like Win mobile.

MGTS provides for Crimean subscribers Smart line packages that include all the necessary services. Smart mini upon purchase offers 1 gigabyte of Internet, 200 messages and 100 minutes of calls within the network. Incoming calls of subscribers of other operators will be free, and for outgoing calls you will have to pay 12 rubles for 60 seconds outside the territory and 1.5 rubles within the region. SMS on this mobile tariff will require about 2 rubles.In addition, on the peninsula there is the opportunity to connect Smart and Smart unlimited tariff plans. Both of them provide more gigabytes, minutes and SMS.

Any other tariff, not related to the Smart line, will not work in Crimea. In principle, on a trip it is possible to use the “Guest” tariff. It allows you to communicate for free with users of a similar tariff, but pay for other services approximately 1.5 rubles in 60 seconds. Useful is the option "Everywhere at home" - it makes all incoming calls free of charge, and other services are paid in accordance with the tariff plan.

As for the Megaphone, telephony in roaming is pretty good. There is a profitable option "Crimea", the payment of which is 15 rubles per day. In this case, incoming calls will be free, and for outgoing calls you will have to pay about 5 rubles in 60 seconds. The cost of one SMS message will not exceed 3 rubles, but Internet payment will be 5 rubles per megabyte. In addition, the option “All Russia” is relevant, thanks to which it will be possible to communicate at home rate. Megaphone roaming costs 55 rubles per minute of communication.

Beeline you can’t call it a cheap or profitable connection, because the only way to use it is to connect roaming. Accounts after a trip often amount to several thousand rubles.

Tele-2 also works only in roaming. Although the connection is satisfactory, the Internet is extremely slow. Both incoming and outgoing costs 5 rubles per minute, and the cost of SMS is 3 rubles 50 kopecks. For a megabyte of Internet, the user will have to pay 5 rubles. Recently, such an operator as Yota, also working in the Crimea in roaming format, has enjoyed popularity. The cost of incoming calls is 9 rubles per minute, and the cost of outgoing calls is 19 rubles per minute. The cost of SMS reaches 19 rubles, and a kilobyte of Internet will cost 9 rubles.

Win mobile offers vacationers a special rate called "On the sea". According to him, incoming calls are free, and outgoing calls cost 3 rubles per minute, and throughout Russia. Using 10 megabytes of Internet will cost you only 10 rubles. It makes sense to immediately connect the option "Big Country". Both incoming and outgoing calls around the country will cost 2.95 rubles per minute.

At the operator Wave there is an opportunity for 150 rubles to receive 300 free minutes per month, intended for calls throughout the Krasnodar Territory and, of course, the Crimean Peninsula. Calls in the all-Russian zone will amount to 3 rubles per minute. As for Krymtelecom, it is not a popular operator for vacationers in the Crimea and often calling abroad. To call any city in Russia, you will have to pay 5 rubles per minute, but there is also half an hour of free time for on-net calls.

Sevmobile provides the tariff "My city", the price of which for 30 days is 180 rubles. It provides an opportunity for one and a half hours to communicate for free in the region, and for communication in the cities of Russia to pay 3 rubles for 60 seconds.

Mobile Internet in Crimea without any conditions is provided only by local operators. Win mobile offers both 3G and 4G. This operator is the most popular, as all nation-wide companies can connect to it through roaming. Wave Mobile works in a similar way. Sevmobile provides the territory of Sevastopol 3G, and Krymtelecom provides this service to the entire peninsula.

The megaphone gives its customers the opportunity to go online on the peninsula, but only when a special campaign “Internet in Crimea” is connected. It is included in the package of certain tariff plans and costs 99 rubles for 60 megabytes. In addition, the operator allows you to connect the service of unlimited incoming in the Crimea, the price of which is 33 rubles per day.

MTS in Crimea is tied to a region called the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Adygea. It has several tariffs combining unlimited calls to subscribers of the operator, SMS, calls and Internet packages. As an option, the purchase of a new SIM card for 300 rubles gives 3 gigabytes of Internet per month, as well as 200 SMS and 200 minutes of calls within the region. Users of a different tariff can connect the SuperBIT Smart option, which will give 3 gigabytes for 30 days with a payment of 10 rubles per day.

Other operators have other conditions for connecting mobile Internet. The specifics are determined depending on the company and the paid tariff, but the price is most often very high. The exception is the company Win mobile represented in the Crimea with its equipment. The “Online Freedom” tariff will allow unlimited use of the worldwide network, paying only 3 rubles. You will have to pay 30 rubles for connecting the service.

In the case of Beeline, it makes sense to connect either the option “Internet Planet” or “The most profitable Internet in roaming”. They will automatically connect when the device, being in the roaming zone, will go to the worldwide network. The cost of access is 9.95 rubles per 1 megabyte, while the minimum session size is 50 kilobytes.

It is important to mention that operator offers such as “30 days of the Internet for traveling in Russia”, as well as “7 days of the Internet for traveling in Russia” in the Crimea will not work. Instead, a megabyte charging will occur, implying a payment of 9.95 rubles per 1 megabyte.

Relatively recently, a law was passed according to which all national and intranet roaming will be canceled in Russia from June 1, 2019. This law will allow to establish a tariff plan that will operate throughout the country and thereby pay the same price for communication anywhere in the territory.

In principle, roaming restrictions already exist, but from the summer of 2019, operators will be required to charge the same amount from subscribers, regardless of where they are located. Regarding the situation with Crimea, the law will significantly reduce the cost of calls of those subscribers who are on the peninsula travel.

Paying for mobile communications in Crimea is as simple as in other parts of Russia. Most of them are paid online if available. credit card of any bank in Russia. For example, to pay for Win mobile, it will be enough to go to the operator’s website and follow the instructions on it. No commission will be charged in this case.

For online payment, any common card is suitable - for example, VISA, MasterCard, Maestro or MIR. The amount sent is credited when either the mobile phone number or personal account is indicated, which can be found in the subscriber’s contract.

The optimal choice of the operator is determined depending on how you use the SIM card: how often to make calls, whether to make calls in the region or throughout the country, whether to go online, send SMS. MTS card holders can not worry at all and do not change it, having arrived in the Crimea.However, if the purchase still has to be made, while the main factor is the Internet connection, then the choice should be made between Krymtelecom and Win mobile. The cost in the first case will be 150 rubles, which will be equivalent to 5 gigabytes, and in the second case, you will have to pay 250 rubles for 10 gigabytes.

About cellular communication and the Internet in the Crimea, see the video below.