When will intranet roaming be removed in the Russian Federation? When will roaming within Russia be cancelled? MTS: updated prices for mobile communications when traveling across Russian regions

Formally, Russian operators were obliged to solve the problem of long-distance roaming once and for all. In fact, it turned out that they they just dodged it and made tariffs more confusing and less beneficial.

We tried to understand the conditions of each operator and talked about what surprises you will encounter when traveling to other cities.

MTS

Inbox. As soon as you arrive in another city, all incoming calls from local numbers in that region automatically become free for you. And if they call you from Moscow, then be prepared to pay 5.5 rub./min incoming call.

Keep in mind this may even apply to calls to the dacha, if it is in another region! I once called my parents and in half an hour 165 rubles were written off from their balance.

Packets and outgoing. The remaining minutes and SMS from the package automatically begin to apply to all calls and messages to numbers in the region of your stay, as well as for calls and SMS to MTS subscribers in any Russian region.

But if you call another operator not from the region where you are, then please pay 5.5 rub./min or 2.95 RUR/SMS.

Internet. Perhaps mobile Internet is the only option that received advantages rather than disadvantages after the “cancellation” of national roaming. Now if you have 2 GB of traffic, it will automatically be spent in any other region.

Options. MTS has two options "Home package Russia" And "Home package Russia+", when they are connected, all incoming messages become free for the duration of the options.

The first one is worth 15 rub./day, and the second 100 rub./month. And for those who do not use package tariffs, the option “Russia is like home everywhere” behind 7 rub./day. When connected, all incoming messages also become free, and outgoing messages will be 3 RUR/day.

Beeline

Inbox. Just like MTS, when traveling to another city, all incoming calls from numbers in that region become free for you, but incoming calls from other regions will cost 5 RUR/min.

Packets and outgoing. The validity of packages of minutes and SMS applies to calls and messages only to numbers in the region of your stay. If you try to call home, you'll pay 12 RUR/min, and an SMS will cost you RUB 2.95.

It is interesting that tariff subscribers "All is mine" can make free calls to subscribers of the same tariff line.

Internet. Just like MTS, there are no restrictions imposed on the mobile Internet from the package and this is a big plus.

Options. Beeline has two options for intercity: "Calls within Russia" And "Calls within Russia+". The first gives free incoming calls from all Russian numbers when you are in your home region or while traveling to another city.

The option also gives you 100 minutes of long-distance calls to numbers of other operators for a month. It costs to connect 30 rubles, are additionally written off according to 5 rub./day.

The second option, despite the “plus” in the name, in fact turns out to be much simpler: for 3 rubles/day you get free inboxes from all numbers of other operators.

Megaphone

For this operator, I will not make divisions because of this news. The fact is that from July 1, Megafon is changing its intercity conditions, so there is little point in describing the current tariffs.

Here's what will happen: calls and SMS to local numbers will consume your packages of minutes and SMS, and incoming calls from other cities, including home (if you're traveling) will be counted long distance calls and will cost you approximately 5 RUR/min. At the same time, the operator writes in the news that if you have a package for long-distance calls, incoming calls will not be charged.

Let's see how it will be in practice, but for now it’s quite vague.

Megafon has an option "All Russia", when connected, all outgoing calls and SMS (if you do not have a package tariff) to any Russian numbers will cost 3 rubles. Subscription fee for the service - 7 rub./day.

Tele 2

Inbox. All Tele2 package tariffs have preferential conditions: any incoming calls from any Russian region are free. If you have a tariff without subscription fee, then be prepared to pay 5 RUR/min when there is an incoming call.

Packets and outgoing. When traveling to other cities in Russia, packages of minutes and SMS begin to apply to local numbers of the city you arrive in. But a call to another region will cost 2 rub./min, sms - 3.5 rub./min.

Internet. With the Internet everything is simple. It is valid throughout the country without any restrictions.

Options. Tele2 has an option , it will be useful for those who have a tariff without a monthly fee or without a package of included minutes. Behind 3 RUR/day you will receive free incoming calls from all numbers, and outgoing 2 rub./min, sms - 2.5 rub./min.

Essentially on free plan you will receive the same conditions as on package ones.

Iota

Yota has a completely transparent policy regarding long-distance roaming. When traveling to other cities for less than 30 days, all incoming calls from any Russian numbers will be free, and minutes from the package will be spent on all outgoing calls to any Russian numbers. Mobile Internet also operates throughout Russia.

If you travel for more than 30 days, then the operator apparently suspects that you are trying to cheat with tariff plans and will offer you local tariffs.

Conclusion

I don’t think that long-distance roaming conditions will have any impact on your desire to change operators, so I’ll give you some simple tips. Most likely you have one of the Big Three operators. If this is the case, then when traveling to another city, do not accept incoming calls unnecessarily, and when you need to call someone at home, just do it through instant messengers, the same WhatsApp, for example.

If you know that there will be a lot of important people coming from home, then connect one of the options which we talked about earlier. There can be a lot of discussion about greed, but in fact, with options you will spend less money than without them.

I also can't contain myself irritation regarding roaming innovations. Yes, operators were obliged to get rid of long-distance roaming, but this was done so clumsily and inconveniently that in the end it only got worse, and ordinary subscribers suffer.

The four largest operators in Russia and the Federal Antimonopoly Service have come to a general compromise regarding the issue of whether or not to cancel roaming in 2018. Soon Russian subscribers will no longer pay for this service. The basis for this decision was the decree signed by the president and the national plan No. 618 dated December 21, 2017, approved in accordance with it, aimed at eliminating the unreasonable difference in tariffs for mobile communication services when subscribers travel abroad. home network.

On December 19, 2018, the State Duma adopted in the final 3rd reading the law on roaming developed by A Just Russia, which established uniform conditions for subscribers of cellular networks of the Russian Federation, regardless of the region.

Back in 2018, the Federal Antimonopoly Service gave the Big Four operators a directive to prepare for the abolition of roaming in Russia. For the three service companies - VimpelCom, MegaFon, MTS and Tele2 - deadlines have been set for carrying out the necessary technical work.

According to the signed document, the new rules should come into force on 06/01/19.

The goal of abolishing roaming in Russia in order to reduce unreasonably high prices was set by the antimonopoly service last year. But due to the scale of the work, it was not possible to implement it by the end of December 2018. Most likely, the problem will be solved only by mid-2019. There are no grounds for charging additional payments for calls from one region to another when the subscriber leaves the home network. The coverage of the largest Russian operators covers almost the entire territory of the country (with the exception of Crimea). On the peninsula, communications are provided by their own regional companies, whose activities are regulated by relevant agreements.

The FAS plans to constantly monitor the process of waiving fees for services for subscribers that involve the use of resources from different networks. In case of failure to comply with the instructions, the organization has the right to initiate proceedings for violation of clause 6, part 1, article 10 of the law “On the Protection of Competition” that came into force and initiate the seizure of income earned illegally.

In his speech, the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation N. Nikiforov assumed that already in the 2nd half of 2018 there will be no global issues regarding roaming in Russia. But, in practice, the process may drag on for at least another 6 months (until the beginning of summer 2019).

Actions of the Big Four operators

As experts note, leading operators began to prepare for the possible cancellation of roaming in advance. Despite the requirements of the antimonopoly service for an equal distribution of all additional payments for the service, they began to systematically increase tariffs. For comparison: prices for services increased 1.5 times compared to 2016.

Regarding the implementation of instructions to cancel roaming in Russia in 2018, the actions of the “Big Four” can already be observed today:

• Beeline (VimpelCom) began the process of stabilizing tariffs in national roaming back in December 2017.
• Megafon plans to cancel intranet roaming in the coming weeks.
• MTS has officially announced a reduction in tariffs for subscribers when traveling around Russia, including for the period of stay in Crimea.
• Tele2 initially took a wait-and-see approach, but under the threat of punitive measures from the FAS, it moved to active action to cancel roaming.

Not all companies have yet fully complied with the directive to cancel intranet roaming. No matter how the operators resist, by May 2019 they will have to finally review their tariffs and regulate the billing system.

According to I. Artemyev, the head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, the agency is actively finding out “who, why and how” and is ready to use its entire arsenal in implementing the national plan.

As for the territory of the Crimean peninsula, intranet national roaming is currently operating there. At the same time, Russian telecom operators operate on the peninsula, but due to fear of falling under international sanctions, subscriber services are provided without the participation of the Big Four.

There is no need to fear that the refusal of roaming will provoke another wave of tariff increases in other sectors in 2018-2019. The balance of interests of subscribers and communication companies will be maintained due to additional traffic growth. According to I. Artemyev, this will be implemented by eliminating barriers for cellular companies and building a new model that involves providing non-discriminatory access to residential buildings.

The new bill quite clearly outlined the time frame for all operators in Russia. Sergei Mironov focused on the fact that the government had been expecting active action from companies providing services for more than a year cellular communications on the territory of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. We invite you to watch the video of what promises he made not so long ago:

Now the law has been adopted and, whatever the opinion of the Big Four companies themselves, they will have to comply with it from June 1, 2019.

The exact dates became known when mobile operators The Big Four will complete all measures to abolish intranet roaming in Russia.

The first to refuse roaming is the Beeline brand. As Gazeta.Ru previously reported, starting from August 20, all incoming calls for all subscribers will become free, regardless of the tariff.

“Thus, taking into account the wishes of our subscribers and listening to the opinions of , we have finally formed simple and understandable conditions for tariffing “like at home” for any services throughout Russia in the Beeline network,” said Executive Vice President of Marketing and Brand PJSC VimpelCom.

“MTS has carried out all the necessary preparatory work, and in the near future - from August 30 - incoming calls when traveling around the country will become free for subscribers of all the most popular tariff plans. The Internet will continue to operate throughout the country without additional payments,” a press secretary told Gazeta.Ru.

Thus, the Big Four will take turns finalizing the abolition of intranet roaming in the country by September 1, 2018.

A flat rate is just around the corner

She approved a bill to abolish roaming in Russia in July of this year. Parliamentarians called roaming “archaic,” which impedes the availability of communication services throughout the country. In addition, roaming fees are “only an additional source of income for the respective telecom operators.”

An important provision of the document was the requirement to cancel the fee for receiving incoming calls if the subscriber calls from another region of Russia. When receiving a call from another country, the fee remains the same.

As follows from the explanatory note to the bill,

The abolition of roaming will contribute to the development of the communications market, more active involvement of communications subscribers in using the services of telecom operators, and will also increase the level of transparency in this area and make communication tariffs clear to subscribers.

In addition, according to the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Control and Regulations, discussions are underway on the introduction of a single tariff for communication services throughout the country.

Chairman of the Information Policy Committee, information technology and Communications in his speech pointed out that some provisions of the bill require some improvement.

“In particular, it is necessary to point out that the term “single tariff for services” does not exist in the legislation of the Russian Federation and is not specified by the bill. In addition, it seems appropriate to regulate not the payment for communication services, but the functions of the operator providing communication services to the subscriber, obliging him to establish the same conditions for the provision of such services for subscribers throughout the Russian Federation,” Levin said.

In the Committee's press release (available to Gazeta.Ru), Leonid Levin also talks about the upcoming abolition of national roaming in the country.

“During the autumn session, we expect to adopt a law long awaited by citizens, which provides for the abolition of national roaming and establishes the principle of a single tariff for voice call services in the networks of cellular operators.

After it is signed by the President and comes into force, citizens of our country will be able to safely travel around Russia without worrying about additional communication costs and maintaining their usual involvement in communication and a unified information environment,” the chairman said.

According to him, changes in legislation will not lead to an increase in prices for communication services.

“The capacity of the infrastructure of trunk communication channels, through which voice calls from mobile operators are transmitted, among other things, is colossal and is mostly loaded with Internet traffic. In addition, fierce competition for subscribers forces cellular companies to maintain low prices for their services,” commented Leonid Levin.

Mobile operators of the Big Three announced the abolition of fees for incoming calls while roaming in Russia. These events are being carried out within the framework of last year’s order of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, which required operators to reduce and equalize communication tariffs when traveling around the country.

The Beeline brand was the first to announce the abolition of fees for incoming calls from other regions. This information was confirmed to Gazeta.Ru by the company's press secretary.

Previously, Beeline subscribers on “junior” tariffs paid for long-distance incoming call 5 rubles per minute. Starting from August 20, all incoming calls for all subscribers will be free, regardless of tariff plan and payment systems.

“Since April, all our subscribers, when traveling outside their region in Russia, call, send SMS and use mobile internet like at home. This allowed many clients to reduce communication costs several times. The next important step: we are canceling fees for any incoming calls when traveling around Russia on the Beeline network. Thus, taking into account the wishes of our subscribers and listening to the opinion of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, we have finally formed simple and understandable conditions for tariffing “like at home” for any services throughout Russia in the Beeline network,” the Executive Vice President for Marketing and Brand commented on the innovation PJSC VimpelCom.

The cancellation of incoming fees was also reported.

“MTS has carried out all the necessary preparatory work and in the near future incoming calls while traveling around the country will become free for our subscribers. When moving around Russia, MTS subscribers will be able to use tariffs as in their home region,” the MTS press service reported. The press service representative did not specify when exactly the changes would come into force.

“The cost of incoming calls from all regions when traveling around Russia will be reset to zero for most subscribers until the end of August, for the rest - in the first half of September,” the press service told Gazeta.Ru.

The press secretary explained to a Gazeta.Ru correspondent that the company’s clients “have been using communications on trains across Russia for a long time, as in their home region,” and roaming has already been canceled on most Tele2 tariffs. She added that the deadline for canceling intranet roaming was extended by the Federal Antimonopoly Service until August 31.

“Before this date, we will complete all measures to cancel intranet roaming,” Galushina concluded.

Not canceled yet

In June 2017, the head of the FAS for the first time announced the preparation of documents to remove the concept of roaming within the country from legislation.

Mobile operators received the first warning from the Federal Antimonopoly Service in July 2017. Then, during its investigation, the FAS discovered unfairly inflated prices for roaming communications and demanded that the difference in tariffs be eliminated within two weeks.

The Antimonopoly Service decided that the price offers of mobile operators and the terms of service provision were “neither economically nor technologically justified” and issued an order to equalize tariffs in the home region and other regions of the country.

At the end of 2017, the former Minister of Communications and Mass Communications expressed confidence that intranet roaming will be completely abolished in 2018, noting that mobile operators are already taking the necessary measures.

On July 10, 2018, in the first reading, it adopted a bill on the abolition of national and intranet roaming in the country. As one of the authors of the document noted, the difference in tariffs, which vary depending on the region, is archaic. In addition, the presence of roaming makes communications less accessible to citizens, and the only ones who benefit from it are the mobile operators themselves.

Parliamentarians stated that the abolition of intranet roaming would contribute to the development of the communications market.