WIN mobile is the first mobile telecom operator from Russia in Crimea. WIN mobile provides its subscribers with communication services in standards 2G/3G/4G.
According to the situation at the beginning of 2016, networks 3G/4G work in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Yalta and throughout the rest of Crimea.
The development of new generation networks in Crimea is one of the primary tasks of WIN mobile for the near future.
3G coverage
Today, the WIN Mobile operator offers 3 tariff plans for connection:
Tariff plan " Freedom of communication"with Internet services (" Online Freedom», « Online day», « Online month»).
10 MB per day.
10 MB/day 32 Kbps.
Service activation cost - 0 rub.
Service renewal cost - 15 rubles/day.
Speed without limits 50 MB per day.
Internet - unlimited unlimited.
The region of action is the home region.
When the total volume of uplink/downlink data is exceeded 50 MB/day the reception and transmission speed is reduced to 32 Kbps.
Service activation cost - 30 rub.
Daily subscription fee - 3 rubles.
Monthly Internet traffic volume
Calls to Win mobile numbers No restrictions
Calls to other numbers mobile operators Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnodar Territory No restrictions
No restrictions
Traffic in messengers: Viber, WhatsApp, Skype No restrictions
250 rub.
Tariff “Your”
Monthly amount of Internet traffic at unlimited speed 5/5 GB
Calls to Win mobile numbers No restrictions
Package of minutes for calls to numbers of other mobile operators in the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnodar Territory 150 min.
SMS messages to Win mobile numbers No restrictions
Package of SMS messages to numbers of other mobile operators in Russia 150 SMS
Monthly subscription fee 250 rub.
Tariff without monthly fee.
Every 100 MB for 10 rub subject to actual use mobile internet
3 rubles/min for all operators in the home region, 3 rub/min for all operators in Russia.
Daily volume of Internet traffic at maximum speed 15 GB
Package of minutes for calls to numbers of Win mobile and other mobile operators of the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnodar Territory 500 min.
SMS messages to Win mobile numbers No restrictions
The monthly fee is 400 rub.
Coverage area: home region.
Monthly volume of Internet traffic without speed limit - 15 GB
"Online Maxi" service
Unlimited speed within 3 GB per month.
Unlimited Internet.
Connection cost - 200 rub.
Coverage area: home region. If the total volume of received/transmitted data exceeds 1.5 GB per month, the speed of uplink and downlink is reduced online to 32 Kbps.
: talked about top operators, popular tariffs and prices, and also gave useful practical advice.
Before the reunification of Crimea with Russia, there were 3 Ukrainian operators operating on the peninsula, which served about 3 million subscribers (up to 4.5 million during the tourist season).
In August 2014, Ukrainian mobile communications began to leave Crimea. In September of the same year, MTS-Ukraine, through the WinMobile network (the brand owner is the K-Telecom company), connected technical roaming, which worked until the end of 2014 only in large cities.
Operators and coverage
The first Crimean operator “Win mobile”(code +7-978-9) appeared on the peninsula on August 5, 2014 and began providing services in GSM standard. A little earlier they began to large quantities import SIM cards "MTS Krasnodar" (code +7-978). According to the head office, the company does not operate directly on the peninsula (it uses the Win mobile network to provide technical roaming).
Attention! SIM cards from the Win mobile operator only work in the Russian Federation; in other countries these SIM cards are useless.
In 2016, 2 more operators appeared on the peninsula: in February - state-owned Krymtelecom (owned by the Ministry of Information and Communications of Crimea; code +7-978-40), and in June - Volna Mobile (owned by KTK-Telecom; code +7-978-5).
Important! Krymtelecom does not serve the territory of Sevastopol, where it has its own operator Sevmobile (code +7-978-254 / +7-978-300).
Tele2, Beeline and Megafon in Crimea operate through the towers of local operators, using technical roaming in the same way as MTS. Some stores sell “gray” SIM cards, but there are significantly fewer subscribers of these companies on the peninsula.
Starter package price and connection quality
The Sevmobile starter package costs 100 rubles. The company offers 6 tariff plans. However, Sevmobile is suitable mainly for residents of Sevastopol, who rarely travel outside the city. National roaming operates on the territory of the Republic, and you have to turn it on manually.
Tariffs of Crimean telecom operators
| Operator | Tariff plan / Subscription fee, rub./month. | Tariff description |
| Win mobile | Freedom of communication / 0 | Cheap mobile communications within the network and on the territory of the Republic |
| At sea / 0 | Favorable tariff for calls to all numbers in Russia (3 rubles/min.) | |
| Fast and Furious / 400 | Tariff plan for Internet use (15 GB) | |
| Krymtelecom | My Crimea / 0 | Economy option for on-net calls |
| Contact / 150 | The same, + 5 GB of Internet and full unlimited within the network | |
| Super Contact / 300 | 12 GB of Internet, 100 minutes for calls within Crimea (all operators) and more SMS | |
| Wave mobile | Sun / 0 | Economical tariff for calls to Crimean and Krasnodar numbers |
| Sea / 150 | Tariff for calls to numbers of Crimean and Krasnodar operators with a package of SMS and mobile Internet (3 GB) | |
| Wind / 300 | Internet tariff (10 GB) |
Roaming: Price national roaming for all operators is an average of 10 rubles/min. and 10 rub./MB. International roaming: from 30 rub./min. (CIS) up to 70 rub./min. (far abroad).
Crimeans also provide a wide range of services for corporate clients.
Important! The most convenient tariff for MTS Krasnodar subscribers on the peninsula is “ Super MTS».
The cost of the company’s services is not significantly more expensive; the “Favorite Country” service is available. Russia".
"Megaphone" offers its subscribers the “Crimea” option: for 15 rubles/day, incoming calls will be free, outgoing calls within Russia and 1 MB of Internet will cost 5 rubles/min. ATTENTION, to use the “Crimea” option, you must connect to the K-Telecom network; the network will be displayed on the screen as “WIN”, “RUS 32” or “25032” (in Sevastopol “RUS33”).
Beeline (via the WIN network) and Tele2 (via the Volna Mobile network) operate according to a similar scheme. Best option for Beeline subscribers - use the “Most profitable internet in roaming” or “Internet roaming week”. "Tele2" offers a service “It’s like home in Crimea”.
Interesting! The prices of the “Big Four” are almost the same.
All operators in Crimea provide services of comparable quality and price. Somehow you won’t be able to outwit mobile communications on the peninsula; to reduce the cost of using it, follow these simple tips:
- buying a Crimean SIM card with the Internet is the most convenient and cheapest option to stay in touch;
- It is easier to buy a SIM card in big cities than in small and coastal ones;
- Using the services of the Big Four on the peninsula is expensive. The best conditions are offered by MTS (especially Krasnodar numbers);
- Keep an eye on the connectivity network (see above to see who is collaborating with whom). If the phone “selects” the wrong network, you will have to seriously fork out money;
- if you are traveling to Crimea with a Big Four number that will be called, take advantage of special discounted services and top up your account in Russia (on the peninsula there may be problems with this or you will have to overpay);
- when you leave the peninsula, do not forget to turn off all preferential options (MTS often sins with this, eating up your money).
Development and prospects
Mobile communications in Crimea are actively developing and becoming more accessible. There is hope that soon the Big Four will be able to emerge from the “shadow” of technical roaming. In the meantime, we will use the mobile Internet of local operators.
Useful video
Visually familiarize yourself with the features of the work mobile communications in Crimea:
Mysterious mobile operator WIN mobile (“K-Telecom”) was successfully launched in Crimea and already serves more than a million subscribers. Almost 1,500 declared base stations on the territory of the peninsula and the new operator even has its own website and telephone numbers contact center and the first public tariff.
Simultaneously with the start of work of WIN mobile in Crimea, MTS-Ukraine stopped working. More precisely, a little earlier: first, on August 5, communication was cut off at MTS Ukraine in Simferopol, a day later (August 7) MTS-Ukraine officially announced the cessation of work in Crimea “connections with technical problems interfering with the provision of mobile communication services.” In fact, there was an unexpected (more precisely, previously announced) shutdown of MTS Ukraine and an almost simultaneous switching on of the WIN mobile network.
Passion-face
On August 5, a wonderful report appeared on the RBC website about the events in the Kiev office of MTS-Ukraine, I simply have to quote it:
“Today, Ukrainian security forces with machine guns came to the Kiev office of MTS-Ukraine and accused the operator of separatism and supporting the enemy, a source close to MTS-Ukraine told RBC. According to him, the security forces wanted to disconnect the entire Crimea, but at first only Simferopol was disconnected. The source claims that Ukrainian security forces reacted nervously to the crossing of a group of 400 Ukrainian military personnel into Russia at the Gukovo border checkpoint in the Rostov region.”
I can well imagine the central office of the operator, and inside there is a large “Shutdown” stand with red buttons and the names of settlements. The security forces scratched their heads with the barrels of their machine guns and decided to first press the “Simferopol” button, then left with a promise to return and continue pressing the other red buttons.
The next day, news about the boarding of the red button was posted on the MTS-Ukraine website, quote:
“Dear subscribers!
What happened yesterday and continues to happen in Crimea with communications was a complete surprise for both the MTS Ukraine company and its Crimean subscribers. The company actually lost the opportunity to manage an important hub facility, which is responsible for providing communication services in Simferopol. It was disconnected from our network from the outside. The shutdown of equipment and the lack of communication among residents of a city of many thousands led to massive discontent and indignation of people, which, obviously, explains the unconvincing attempts to blame the Ukrainian operator for what is happening.”
But there was no need to place red buttons in the central Kiev office that any nervous security officer with a machine gun could press. Then there will be no “complete surprises” with “disconnection from the outside.” Make something similar to a “nuclear suitcase” or something. There is little funny in all this, but there are even fewer surprises.
It turns out that Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea Dmitry Polonsky spoke about the upcoming shutdown of cellular communications in Crimea on August 5 on Saturday, August 2; this message was quoted by several news agencies. For example, the Ukrainian “Delo”, quote:
“The Crimean authorities expect a shutdown of Ukrainian mobile operators in the region on Tuesday, August 5, and recommend that the population buy and activate cards from Russian mobile operators.
“I have information from representatives of Ukrainian mobile networks that next week, approximately on Tuesday, service to subscribers in Crimea will be stopped. I can’t say yet whether these will be disconnections of subscribers of all mobile networks or individual operators, but we have such information,” Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea Dmitry Polonsky, who combines his post with the post of Minister of Information and Communications, told Interfax.
According to him, residents of the Republic of Crimea have purchased about 700 thousand SIM cards from Russian mobile operators to date. “We recommend activating Russian SIM cards before Tuesday so as not to be left without mobile communications,” Polonsky said.”
I am far from suggesting that Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea Dmitry Polonsky commands the Ukrainian security forces in Kyiv, and “was there a boy” with a machine gun? In any case, there was definitely no “complete surprise”.
Background
The mysterious Russian company K-Telecom was registered in Krasnodar on May 23. According to the Vedomosti publication, www.vedomosti.ru
“... within a week after registration, K-Telecom received from the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCRF) GSM frequencies of MTS in Crimea - interlocutors close to SCRF told Vedomosti about this. The company was registered by private travel consultant Anna Berezkina, after which K-Telecom changed its owner twice - first it became Nikolai Balashov, and at the end of June - the Armenian CJSC Cell Group Worldwide Holding (according to the register of legal entities of Armenia, it belongs to the Cell Group company Worldwide ltd with unknown jurisdiction). The company K-Telecom CJSC also operates in Armenia - this is the local subsidiary of MTS. MTS also has a Russian “daughter” with the same name. MTS representatives say that the operator has nothing to do with K-Telecom operating in Crimea.
K-Telecom began operating in Crimea on MTS-Ukraine frequencies; its Russian switch was inaugurated during a meeting on the development of communications in Crimea led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The operator already has 1,500 base stations built and ready for operation in Crimea, which will provide coverage of the entire peninsula. The operator is called WIN mobile. You can find out more about it on the website.
I'm not trying to claim anything, but if a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, and bakes well with apples, then it is most likely a duck, and not some pink flamingo from distant lands. In the current situation in Ukraine, the position of the “daughter” of the Russian operator is quite difficult: on the one hand, it is impossible to quarrel with the authorities, and their behavior is difficult to predict. On the other hand, the corporation itself may run into sanctions from the United States and Europe. On the third hand, it is undesirable to switch all voice communications and data transmission through Ukrainian switches for security reasons; security forces have a 95% chance full access to all information. One way or another, the job is done and MTS-Ukraine subscribers will most likely be served in full or technical roaming mode.
Tariffs
To date, WIN Mobile still offers its subscribers only one tariff, “Freedom of Communication”. In its ideology and structure it resembles the “Super MTS” tariff: for subscription fee 2 rub. per day they give 30 daily free minutes within the network, calls to all other operators in the Krasnodar region and to MTS-Ukraine for 2.50 rubles per minute.
There are options “My Russia” and “My Ukraine” for a separate subscription fee; when connecting to “My Russia”, calls to the Russian MTS network are also 2.5 rubles/min. In general, those interested can download a pdf description of the tariff.
We do not yet know what the fate of the remaining operators will be. But everything should become clear soon enough. In any case, the peninsula will not remain without 3G and voice communication everything will work out too. The transition period is always fraught with temporary inconveniences.
UPDATE
That's all, the puzzle has finally come together and today (August 7) in the evening MTS-Ukraine SIM cards started working in Crimea. An implementation option is technical roaming in the WIN Mobile network, who would doubt it.
Good people have already posted the prices at which MTS-Ukraine subscribers will be served in the Crimean WIN mobile network, see the screenshot above. By the way, in my opinion, the name VNC mobile would look more logical than WIN mobile. Guess why (smiley).
Review
