High speed internet for mobile devices. Prices

Which Mobile Internet the most profitable? Understanding this issue is not as easy as it seems. After all, operators cellular communication there are many in every city. And everywhere they offer their own conditions for connecting to the Internet. Many factors have to be taken into account. For example, how actively do you plan to use it for "outings" on the Internet. Sometimes it turns out that the most profitable offer is the one with the least Internet traffic. What do subscribers think about this issue? How do they connect their mobile Internet? Which operator has performed best in this area?

Eternal competition

It is difficult to find an answer to all this. After all, everyone has their own requests regarding the operation of the mobile virtual web. Therefore, the choice of the subscriber will depend on the requirements put forward.

Have you thought about which mobile Internet is the most profitable? Then pay attention to the most popular companies offering services mobile communications. They are constantly competing with each other. This:

• "Megfon";
• "Beeline";
• "MTS";
• "Tele 2".

It is among these companies that a leader will have to be chosen. Be sure to answer a few questions for yourself:

1. How often will you use the Internet?
2. What do you do online most often?
3. How active do you consider yourself to be?
4. How much money and traffic do you expect?

All this will help you make a choice. As practice shows, the ratio of the price and the offered Internet traffic plays an important role. But the quality of work of one or another operator also affects the choice of subscribers.

"Megaphone"

Which mobile internet is the most profitable? Perhaps, some note for themselves that Megafon offers very good conditions. But this company is not very famous for the stability of its work. Most often, people point out that while working with the network they experience a variety of failures and problems.

In addition, Megafon does not allow you to simply use the Internet throughout Russia. In order to have such an opportunity, you will have to additionally connect the "Internet in Russia" service. Connection will cost 30 rubles, and the monthly fee will be from 2 to 10.

In principle, not the worst option. "Megafon" is suitable for not too active people (most of the operator's offers). You can connect one of the available mobile internet packages (from XS to XL). Each offer has its own characteristics. Completely free Internet (mobile unlimited) is provided in the "Internet XL" package, which costs about 1290 rubles per month. Traffic is not limited here, but the cost is quite high. Suitable only for very active users.

"Beeline"

Thinking about which mobile Internet is the most profitable? Many offer Beeline. The company has long been famous for its reliability and quality of service. It is noted that communication services are provided without constant failures. But the cost of some tariff plans is too high. It can be repulsive.

Great attention should be paid to the speed of access to the World Wide Web. In large cities, it will be very small. It is enough to work on the phone, but once you insert a SIM card into a USB modem, you will feel that you will not be able to comfortably use network services. But in small towns with a small load on the network, you can really only rejoice at the speed of the Internet.

The line "ALL!" is very popular. from Beeline. Free Internet(mobile) is provided in fairly large volumes. For example, "ALL for 300" offers 3 GB of internet. And in addition, free minutes of conversation with Beeline subscribers, as well as 100 SMS messages. For not too active users, the "Vseshechka" tariff plan is suitable. 100 rubles per month - and 100 MB of Internet traffic. After spending the limit, you will give for each 1 MB of information for the ruble. Beeline has great deals, but most often they are used exclusively for mobile devices. The USB modem does not work well with this carrier.

"MTS"

Mobile Internet "MTS" is very popular. This operator offers profitable terms and good network performance. With its shortcomings - often the company has overloads. And in the forest areas with a USB modem it is not comfortable to work on the Internet. After all, the connection will be at a low speed.

At prices, MTS offers the most humane offers. If we talk about a mobile phone, then here you can use the Super BIT tariff for 150-250 rubles (depending on the region of your residence) and comfortably work throughout Russia with the Internet. A quota of 100 MB is given per day. As soon as you upload information more than the limit, the network speed is reduced to 64 Kb / s. It is also possible to connect a "BIT" for 150 rubles to work within the home region.

But for USB-modems, absolutely different packages are provided for MTS. Such mobile Internet pleases with its cost and speed. But, as already mentioned, either the connection is often interrupted due to overload, or the network is very slow. Here is such Many stop precisely on this proposal.

"Tele 2"

But in Moscow the best operator recognized by Tele2. This company appeared not so long ago as all the others, but it has already won the hearts of many. Favorable rates, as well as stable network operation - this is what the operator is famous for.

For mobile phone the offer "Internet for mobile" is suitable. He has a subscription fee, which is about 5.5 rubles per day. At the same time, the amount of data you download is not limited.

But for a USB modem, completely different proposals take place. Tele2 offers a variety of tariffs. For example, "Suitcase of the Internet". With it, you get 45 GB of Internet traffic for 400-500 rubles (the cost depends on your region of residence). As soon as the limit is exhausted, access to the network is terminated.

True leader

So which operator is the most profitable for connecting to the Internet? It's hard to decide. It is noted that MTS and Tele2 are best suited for this moment for those who don't want to overpay.

How to set up mobile internet? All operators now allow not to think about this issue. It is enough just to save the settings that come to the mobile device. Or insert a SIM card into a USB modem. Everything is very easy and simple!

On my trip, I took with me USB modems only from the Big Three operators, since they are the only ones that provide truly high-speed mobile Internet, that is, 3G.

To business. In metropolitan areas Russian Federation all three operators work well. But when moving away from million-plus cities, the most interesting thing begins, namely, the real test of mobile 3G Internet. The best option for use when traveling through the expanses of our vast country is the mobile Internet from, as it has shown itself with better side in terms of speed. It was the striped operator that had the highest data transfer rates in all the towns where BeeLine provided 3G! It's just a pity that BeeLine's 3G network coverage turned out to be the worst! At the same time, if you travel around cities and large towns, then, as a rule, BeeLine works there in 3G and you are guaranteed the fastest mobile Internet! It is better to ask about the coverage area in advance on the operator's website.

The second the best option I will put. The connection speed with the network at MTS, far from megacities, although slower than that of BeeLine, is quite decent for all basic tasks! But the 3G coverage of the red operator is much better than that of the striped one. Here are just the most expensive tariffs are obtained. Again, tolerable if the Internet is really needed.

And I will give the third place which really disappointed me! The network coverage of the green operator is the best, but the speeds are very slow. MegaFon 3G catches even in small towns and villages (although not in all), but on the Internet it will not work, not only to talk on Skype or see photos, and even checking mail can be unrealistic! I did not expect that the Internet from MegaFon would be so barely "crawling" away from major cities. Before the trip, I pinned all my hopes on MegaFon, I was sure that 3G Internet would be the best for him, but in practice it turned out to be exactly the opposite. information about too low speeds in 3G, I passed it on to MegaFon specialists, I hope that they will take it into account and correct the situation in the future. Well, today, that is, at the beginning of 2013, Beeline is the leader in our country !!

Moreover, 3G Internet from BeeLine turned out to be not only the fastest, but also the cheapest in all of Russia !! I really want to believe that specialists in the development and optimization of the BeeLine network will expand the coverage of the network in the near future, since no other shortcomings, except for a weak coverage, were found in BeeLine!

What can you say about 3G mobile internet? Share your experience in the comments, very interesting!

In Russia, the popularity of mobile gadgets is growing every day. Their existence is tightly tied to a stable and accessible Internet. Today, our Internet expert will conduct for you, our beloved readers, an objective and independent analysis of the proposals of leading mobile operators countries.

Freedom from wires or speed?

Let's try to find the fastest mobile internet

High-speed Internet on a mobile device is undoubtedly an important and useful thing. Without fast mobile connection today, nowhere, or rather, anywhere with him: find out if it will rain, lay out the best walking or car route in seconds, find out which movie to go to, and much more.

Can a modem compete with a wire today? Until recently, speed was the prerogative of the cable. The fixed idea of ​​the last five years - to get rid of the wires for real, is becoming more and more tangible every year. Fast wireless Internet encroaches on a piece of the user pie, which for a long time, and, it seemed, forever, is in the hands of companies that open access to the global web via cable. But technology does not stand still, and a real alternative to wires is presented. What it will be, probably, about twenty years ago, and no one could guess.

Perhaps she is already knocking on the door to users with offers that are difficult to refuse. In a couple of years, a mobile modem should become a convenient alternative for laptop owners. The wireless connection option will firmly enter the lives of users.

What will be the mobile Internet: a look into the future

Fast mobile Internet is very convenient!

I would like to talk a little about the prospects. Last time we chose the tariff for the tablet. It turned out to be a 4G Internet line from Megafon, consisting of four tariffs S, M, L, XL.

Wireless Internet in its fourth incarnation amazes even the public accustomed to various it-benefits. Today it is clear that 4G networks are the future. With their development, users expect big leaps in connection quality and traffic speed. Even the fastest 3G Internet cannot be compared with the new generation of mobile networks. Who knows, maybe 4G will be the killer of the wired connection.

Already, the largest 4G network from Megafon includes more than 160 cities throughout Russia. Judging by the statements of the company's management, at the moment a course has been taken to expand the 4G coverage area and gradually abandon 2G and 3G altogether. Perhaps soon other companies will make a qualitative breakthrough in the mobile Internet. Look forward to!

Comparing the speed

Today we will compare the conditions offered by the big mobile three and identify the provider of the fastest mobile Internet.

So, we compare the conditions for providing the maximum quick access to the network from the three largest domestic operators: MTS, Beeline and Megafon. Let's try to find out which of them meets the needs of users to a greater extent, compare the speed and volume of traffic. Only tariffs available throughout the country are taken into account. Go!

MTS

Red-whites offer their SuperBIT tariff. Such a package costs 299 rubles per month, which is slightly less than 3 rubles per day. The description of the tariff contains the phrase " unlimited Internet at high speed." Is it so? We understand: the daily traffic quota is set at around 100 MB. This is enough to check mail and view images (within reasonable aisles). When the quota is exceeded, the speed is reduced to 128 Kbps.

I looked for more: MTS-sheep offer us to connect a wonderful “turbo” service for 19 rubles, which will allow us to remove the traffic speed limit for 20 minutes. To what extent this option is generally effective and justified is up to users to decide. But personally I have she met misunderstanding. What is the use of it personally for you, and whether it is at all, decide for yourself.

Beeline

The flagship offer of fast 3G Internet for the striped is the “Try the Internet” tariff. The available amount of traffic per month is 1 GB. Using the method of simple arithmetic operations, we calculate that this is three times less than that of MTS, and amounts to 30 MB per day. Why in this case the high speed of the Internet? To use up the daily limit in half an hour? Unclear.

What's with the price? It is written in large numbers that access costs 3 rubles / day. Acceptable. We open detailed information about the tariff and find out that 3 rubles / day are the conditions of the first month (so that's why the tariff is called that way!) From the second month and for all subsequent ones the price is 7 rubles / day. Which again is more than twice as expensive as that of MTS. Ahead was Megafon. High-speed Internet from Beeline, to put it mildly, looks unconvincing today.

Megaphone

Megafon tariff, intended for all residents of our vast country - "Internet S + 4G". In our minds, we put a tick in front of 4G (the speed is already completely different). Traffic is provided in the amount of 3 GB per month. Just like MTS.

The subscription fee is 390 rubles per month, which is 90 kopecks per day more expensive than MTS, and, in fact, 3 rubles cheaper than Beeline. However, here, as in the case of tariffs for high-speed connection for a tablet, there is a progressive discount system that makes long-term cooperation profitable.

For example, when connecting the service for a year, the discount will be 30%, and 3.27 kopecks will be charged per day. When connecting the Internet for 6 months, the discount is also quite pleasant - 20%. As a result, Megafon, other things being equal with MTS, can also offer 4G for 30-40 kopecks per day (and this is a nominal speed of up to 50 Mbps). Do you really need fast internet from Megafon decide for yourself.

I hope this article will help you understand a little about the conditions for providing mobile Internet and make your access faster and better. In the next article, we will consider offers on the market for fast Internet modems.

Networks were promptly launched in major cities of the country, airports rushed, and old-timers entered into a protracted struggle for a subscriber in new competitive conditions.

UiP took control of the topic. We cover all the important advances on the part of operators and the state, we have collected them in a visual form and calculated them for comfortable web surfing. And now we decided on a large-scale 3G test - 20 internet speed measurements throughout Kyiv.

Map of 3G internet speed measurements Kyivstar, life:), MTS/3Mob and Intertelecom in Kyiv:

image is clickable

We tested 3G Internet using the SpeedTest application [ App Store , free] in places with the highest possible signal level. The measurements were carried out twice, using best result. For technical reasons, it was not possible to measure the speed of 3Mob/MTS in the area of ​​Moskovskaya Square. The intersection of Dneprovskaya Embankment and Akhmatova is a dead zone for life:) and Intertelecom. The result of Intertelecom at Cape Nivki, which significantly exceeded the average speed, was not used in the table of average speeds in order to avoid data distortion.

Operator	Average download speed	Average upload speed	Number of measurements
Kyivstar	11.9 Mbps	2.26 Mbps	20
life:)	13.3 Mbps	1.75 Mbps	18
3Mob / MTS	3.47 Mbps	0.42 Mbps	19
Intertelecom	3.76 Mbps	1.95 Mbps	18

Kyivstar

Stable network with high download speed and the best data upload speed in Kyiv. In addition, at most measurement points, the test showed a very small delay (ping) - 20-40 ms.

The optimal tariff for Kyiv:

Smartphone Extra(2.5 GB and non-chargeable social networks, free intranet and 250 min. to other operators) for 150 UAH/month.

life:)

The operator is the leader in download speed in Kyiv, but has at least one "dead zone" without 3G - on Osokorki. The upload speed is very good, ping is minimal.

The optimal tariff for Kyiv:

3G+ Smartphone M(2 GB and non-chargeable social networks, free intranet and 100 min. to other operators) for 95 UAH/month.

MTS / 3Mob

On average in Kyiv, the 3Mob network of the third generation shows a good download speed, but the upload is weak. Yes, and ping is two times higher than that of competitors.

At the moment, MTS has only deployed a 3G network, and selected ones are also covered shopping centers and airports. As a temporary measure, subscribers are encouraged to use affiliate network 3Mob (because the measurement results are valid for both operators). Since the 3G network of 3Mob has a rather poor coverage, the subscriber is constantly being transferred to the MTS network with sluggish EDGE Internet. The return to 3G should happen automatically, but the process can take a long time. Often you have to turn on/off airplane mode to force re-registration on the network.

Optimal rates for Kyiv:

MTS - Smartphone 3G First(2 GB (then speed drops to 128 Kbps) and free intranet) for 85 UAH/month.

3Mob- Internet M(7.5 GB (250 MB/day), free on-net, 100 min. to other operators and landlines) for 75 UAH/month.

Intertelecom

The operator covered Kyiv well and shows good result for downloading and uploading data as for the network of the EVDO Rev.B + standard, the delay is average. There is at least one "dead zone", like life:) - on Osokorki.

Intertelecom is the only operator in the CDMA test, which imposes certain restrictions. Not every smartphone is compatible with this network, and after updating the firmware, you need to install the settings profile in service center. On the other hand, the operator has the best coverage in Ukraine and has fast internet on the main highways, and the rates are low and allow unlimited traffic.

The optimal tariff for Kyiv:

Smartphone 50+(2 GB (then speed drops to 256 Kbps), free on-net, 150 min. to other operators) for 50 UAH/month.

SPECIAL PROJECT:

It is safe to say that the long-awaited third-generation communication has finally come to Ukraine in full. But which operator is the most attractive today in terms of price / quality / coverage in terms of high-speed mobile Internet?

To answer this question, I decided to evaluate the speed, cost and quality of coverage of the following operators: life:), Intertelecom, Kyivstar, MTS Ukraine and Trimob. We tested 3G internet speed in different parts of Kyiv at different times of the day: morning, afternoon, evening and night .

We evaluated the tariff plan in terms of the cost of 3G Internet, although together with 3G operators can offer free package minutes and SMS, as well as a certain amount of mobile traffic using EDGE technology. The editors are aware that this testing cannot claim complete objectivity due to the technical reasons described below, but still allows us to draw some useful conclusions when choosing an operator and a tariff plan.

As you know, until recently, a subscriber who wanted to use high-speed mobile Internet services in Ukraine had practically no choice: either the Trimob operator with very limited coverage, or Intertelecom, which operates in a somewhat exotic CDMA 2000 standard for our country. Of course, there were a few other niche players, such as People. net, Freshtel, MTS 3 G Connect and others, however, they required the purchase of specific equipment, in addition, their coverage area and Internet speed were clearly insufficient.

And on February 23 of this year, the National Commission, carrying out state regulation in the field of communications and informatization, to obtain licenses for 3G communications based on the widespread UMTS technology. As a result of the competition, licenses were obtained by three major players in the Ukrainian mobile market: Kyivstar, MTS Ukraine and life:). All operators " big three announced the deployment of 3G communications based on the latest dual-carrier HSPA+ radio technology. Recall that HSPA + is an evolution of HSPA (Evolved High-Speed ​​Packet Access) and theoretically allows you to achieve download speeds of up to 43.2 Mbps and uploads of up to 5.76 Mbps. HSPA+ technology is the pinnacle of the 3G standard today- due to its high performance, it is even called 3.75G.

Already at the beginning of March, the Kyivstar operator offered the media the speed of its 3G Internet in laboratory conditions, at the beginning of April Life:) 3G for everyone in their customer service centers. Since the beginning of June, both operators have announced the launch of 3G networks in Kyiv, Lvov, Odessa, as well as dozens of other cities in Ukraine. Until the end of the year, operators promise to cover all regional centers of our country.

Technical features

While theoretically HSPA+ technology can achieve download speeds of up to 43.2 Mbps and uploads of up to 5.76 Mbps, in real conditions such throughput impossible to get. Firstly, the speed of mobile Internet is affected by subscriber's distance from base station . The further it is, the more data packets are lost during transmission, respectively, they have to be retransmitted, which reduces the speed.

Secondly, the speed of the Internet channel is affected by number of subscribers currently connected to the base station. The total bandwidth of the "cell" is divided into all users connected to it, and unevenly: the closer the subscriber is to the base station, the higher the speed he will receive. Accordingly, if the peak throughput of one sector of the base station is 42 Mbps, then when two subscribers connect to it, each will receive 21 Mbps, but provided that they are equidistant from it. Otherwise, the speed of the Internet for each of them will be different. At the same time, HSPA+ technology allows the subscriber's smartphone connect to two base stations at the same time, which provides a higher quality connection. So, let's move on to the test results.

life:)

The Astelit operator, which provides mobile communication services under the life:) brand, paid UAH 650 million more for a 3G license than the rest of the tender participants - UAH 3.355 billion. True, the operator got, according to some experts, the "cleanest" frequency bands. Astelit was the first to launch 3G communication in Kyiv and Lvov - on June 4 and May 19, respectively. As a result, at the end of June, the total consumption of 3G+ mobile Internet reached 147 TB in Kyiv and 17 TB in Lviv, which means an increase of 60% and 47%, respectively. According to the operator, approximately 40% of 3G traffic is accounted for by such services as Youtube, Play Market, Cloud and others. Average life subscribers:) they watch about 7.5 thousand hours of Youtube video per day.

Life:) 3G Internet throughput estimation in our test showed the most interesting results. At certain points, the download speed, measured using the Speedtest application from Ookla, reached 17-23 Mbps, and the upload speed - 4.36 Mbps. We note right away that none of the other operators could demonstrate such peak performance. The average download speed was 5-7 Mbps.

life:) showed the best 3G internet speed among all operators in our testing

It is noteworthy that our assessment of "Astelit" as the most speed operator correlates with data from Ookla's Global Net Index report based on iOS and Android speed tests. 3G network from life:) demonstrated in Kyiv the highest download speed (downlink) with a result of 7.54 Mbps.

According to the Global Net Index from Ookla, 3G network from life:) in Kyiv showed the highest download speed

Coating

The 3G network from life:) in Kyiv works stably, the coverage is quite good. Currently, the operator is testing the 3G network in Odessa, there is every reason to believe that the network will continue to be built at an accelerated pace. The current coverage of the 3G network can be tracked on the website.

Prices

The operator offers several 3G tariff plans for new and existing subscribers. As you can see from the information below, the most profitable package is "3G+ GADGET" with a prepaid traffic volume of 8 GB. In this case, the cost of 1 GB of traffic will be UAH 28.12.
"3G+ Smartphone"/ "VIP 3G+ Smartphone"

Name	Traffic volume, GB	Cost, UAH
1GB Internet 3G	1	50/month

"Intertelecom"

In September 2011, the Intertelecom operator carried out a commercial launch of CDMA 2000 EV-DO Rev.B technology in all regions of Ukraine, which ensured data exchange at speeds up to 14.7 Mbps. Recall that the history of this technology began in 1999, when American company Qualcomm developed the first version of the standard to provide a downstream speed of at least 2 MB per second. In February 2002, the commercial operation of EVDO Release 0 technology was launched, the standard provided for a peak speed of 2.4 Mbps in the downlink and 153 Kbps in the uplink.

For a long time, CDMA 2000 EV-DO Rev.A and Rev.B were successful only in the corporate segment, as they required purchase of expensive specific equipment. Ordinary UMTS devices (the most common in our country) will not work in such a network. However, many versions Apple iPhone 5/5S/6, as well as some devices manufactured by Samsung, Motorola and other manufacturers support this communication standard. To find out which communication standard your smartphone supports, you need to go to the OS settings: for a CDMA smartphone, the MEID identifier will be indicated there, for a GSM device, the IMEI identifier. To install a custom settings profile required to support EV-DO Rev. B, you will have to drive to one of the operator's service centers, the subscriber will not be able to install them on his own.

The maximum speed that was recorded in the Intertelecom network was 8.35 Mbps

Internet access through the operator's network was carried out using a Huawei EC 5321 (Rev.B) mobile Wi-Fi router. The maximum speed that could be obtained - 8.35 Mbps download and 2.57 Mbps upload. The average speed was from 2 to 3 Mbps. It should be noted that the number of Intertelecom's 3G subscribers is already a relatively stable value, in contrast to the Big Three operators, whose number of 3G subscribers will grow exponentially in the near future. Therefore, the speed indicated above can be considered as an established value.

Internet access via the operator's 3G network was carried out using mobile wifi router Huawei EC 5321 (Rev.B)

Coating

Prices

Intertelecom offers 7 tariff plans: three of them pay only for the day you use the operator's services, four more provide for monthly payment. The maximum tariff plan Vіlniy den+ offers 45 GB of traffic per month for 210 UAH. Thus, 1 GB of traffic will cost less than 5 UAH, and this is the most low price on the market for tariff plans with per megabyte payment. Another advantage of 3G Internet from this operator is a network with nationwide coverage. Among the minuses is the need to purchase additional expensive equipment, for example, a mobile Wi-Fi router.

When the article was being typeset, Intertelecom announced the launch of a new completely unlimited offer "Super 3G Unlimited" for 299 UAH per month, as well as updating other tariff plans.

Kyivstar

The operator launched the 3G network in Kyiv and its suburbs on June 16. According to Kyivstar, more than 300,000 subscribers daily use services in the 3G network, each of them spends 27.9 Mb on average. This is 76.1% more than it was before the launch of 3G.

In the new tariff plans "Smartphone+", "Smartphone Extra" for prepaid and "All for ..." for the contract traffic in in social networks not charged. Subscribers can use Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki without spending package megabytes. The volume of such non-tariffed traffic amounted to 17% of the total 3G traffic of subscribers of tariff plans, on average subscribers spend 13.4 Mb per day on social media surfing.

3.86 Mbps for data transfer - one of the highest rates obtained during testing

The highest speed that was recorded during testing was 7.86 Mbps download and 3.86 Mbps upload. The average speed was in the range of 3-5 Mbps.

Consolidated test results of 3G-Internet in Kyivstar network

Coating

To date, Kyivstar has opened a 3G network for commercial use as early as 87 settlements Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lvov, Kamenetz-Podolsky, resorts of Western Ukraine and the Black Sea. Technical testing is carried out in more than 90 cities, including such regional centers, like Vinnitsa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnitsky. Get up-to-date information about 3G coverage can be found on the website.

Prices

The operator offers 6 tariff plans, which include the amount of traffic from 100 MB per day to 7 GB per month; There are also tariffs for existing subscribers. It should be noted that 3G traffic in the Kyivstar network costs expensive, the minimum price is 50 UAH for 1 GB(tariff of 3000 MB of data for 150 UAH per month).

Tariff name	Kyivstar Tablet	For smartphone	Smartphone+	For smartphone extra	All for 500 (contract)	All for 800 (contract)
Traffic volume	100 MB	500 MB	1500 MB*	2500 MB*	5000 MB*	7000 MB*
Price	6 UAH/day**	55 UAH/month	95 UAH/month	150 UAH/month	500 UAH/month	800 UAH/month

** - payment is charged only on the day of use

Internet packages for existing subscribers

MTS

Operator "MTS Ukraine", the only one of the "Big Three" started deploying only internal networks 3G(the so-called indoor networks, that is, inside buildings). Within a month, more than 50 internal 3G networks were launched in Kyiv and the region, including exhibition centers, sports clubs, retail and entertainment centers, business centers and offices. Also, recently, internal 3G networks have been built at the largest airports in the country: Lviv International Airport named after. D. Galitsky, Odessa International Airport and Kyiv International Airport (Zhulyany).

The operator justifies this by the fact that the penetrating power of UMTS 2100 MHz is half that of GSM 900/1800 (2G), so high-density antennas are required to provide quality indoor services. For example, in the Ocean Plaza shopping center (Kyiv), the coating is created over 100 antennas, which provides higher speeds than WiFi networks at the minimum power of the base station.

But the real reason for this behavior of the operator, obviously, lies elsewhere. Some time ago, the media reported that MTS Ukraine was negotiating with major international telecommunications operators about buying the rights to use their brands in Ukraine. Among the most likely candidates, with whom MTS Ukraine signed a non-equity agreement on cooperation in the field of marketing and testing of new technologies back in 2008. Apparently, it was after such a rebranding, when MTS may becomeVodafone, and active construction of a 3G network throughout Ukraine will begin.

In the process of testing indoor 3G, we managed to fix the maximum speed 7.58 Mbps and 4 Mbps for data transfer from the base station and back. The 3G signal is also well caught outside the premises, but only within a radius of 50-100 m. But it’s hard to say what the speed of the mobile Internet will be after the operator begins to roll out 3G networks on a full scale.

Internet speed at a distance of 100 m from the cell indoor 3G MTS

Coating

A detailed list of premises where indoor 3G networks are deployed is available at the link. Outdoor high speed internet service provided on the basis of national roaming with the TriMob operator.

Prices

3G indoor traffic with MTC 3G coverage provided without additional payment, within the existingEDGE- tariffs of subscribers. For example, for UAH 3 per day, a subscriber can receive unlimited high-speed Internet traffic, but only indoors withindoor-coated. Prices for 3G-connection based on national roaming with TriMob are given below. We see no point in analyzing them, since these are temporary tariffs. Let's just say that they differ in a big way from the tariffs of Trimob itself.

"TriMob"

Until recently, TriMob, owned by PJSC Ukrtelecom, was the onlythoperator in UkraineohmprovidingmUMTS/WCDMA mobile communication servicesat 2100 MHz. The company launched its UMTS network November 1, 2007. TriMob uses HSDPA technology, in which maximum speed mobile Internet to receive data reaches 7.2 Mbps. Despite the fact that the operator held a monopoly position in the market for many years, it practically did not develop its network. As a result, the number of its subscribers does not exceed 0.5 million, which is an order of magnitude lower than its competitors. Today it is difficult to say what the future holds for TriMob with its outdated technology and very limited coverage, most likely, it will soon be bought out by one of the larger players.

The average data download speed during testing was 1-2 Mbps, maximum - 5 Mbps.

Sometimes it was possible to get “amazing” 5 Mbps on data download

Coating

For today cellular network TriMob is deployed in Kyiv and some districts of the Kyiv region, in regional centers and some large regional and tourist centers. For data transfer in national roaming GPRS or EDGE networks of other operators are used. A detailed coverage map can be found at the link.

Prices

Since TriMob cannot boast of high speed 3G Internet and national coverage, the operator offered enough democratic prices for their services. 4.5 GB of traffic per month will cost UAH 65, which is much less than the Big Three operators. In addition, until recently, TriMob was the only player on the market offering unlimited traffic for 296 UAH per month.

Tariff name	Internet M	Internet L	Internet XL	Internet UNLIM
Subscription fee, UAH	65	125	200	296
Mobile Internet in TriMob network and national roaming	4.5 GB/month	13.5 GB/month	25 GB/month	unlimited
Cost of traffic outside the package, UAH/MB
In the TriMob network or in the network of a national roaming partner, UAH/MB				–

Results. How to determine the "golden" mean?

Based on the test results, we decided not to publish the rating of the most optimal operators in terms of price / quality ratio, but only to get by with a few tips. The fact is that the situation on the market is changing very quickly - the “big three” are actively building new networks and, quite possibly, will soon begin to aggressively dump prices.

Currently the cheapest rates for 3G-internet and a fairly stable speed are offered by Intertelecom, while the operator already operates a network with nationwide coverage. In second place in terms of prices follows " TriMob. By the way, only these two operators offer unlimited data plans.. At the same time, both providers do not use the fastest communication technology today, and TriMob also has very poor coverage.

It is obvious that the future still belongs to the market players who apply latest technology HSPA+. In terms of speed, Life is still holding the leadership position here :), Kyivstar is a little behind. It is not entirely correct to assess the bandwidth of MTS Ukraine radio channels, which has deployed only internal 3G networks, because most of the subscribers are interested in outdoor coverage (Wi-Fi is usually available inside the mall and other premises). Operators of the "big three" so far offer very high rates for 3G-Internet, they are much more expensive than the prices from Intertelecom and TriMob. But there is reason to believe that as networks are built and new subscribers are connected 3G tariffs will drop rapidly.