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• 10:07, 21 June 2017
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FAS suspected mobile operators of collusion when they unanimously decided to cancel unlimited Internet access. Megafon, Beeline and MTS explained the failure by network overload.

Photo Autopolisgarant.ru

Why did everyone give up unlimited? The Federal Antimonopoly Service suspected mobile operators of collusion and may initiate proceedings. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, Megafon, Beeline and MTS successively announced that they were closing tariff plans with unlimited internet. The anti-monopolists considered this synchronicity suspicious and are asking for an explanation of the reasons. For example, provide evidence that operators have network congestion. It was this argument that the representatives of the Big Four themselves pointed out. And the claims of the FAS are unlikely to be able to change anything. Operators had objective reasons to close unlimited tariffs, says managing partner of TMT Consulting Konstantin Ankilov.

“The fact that the FAS will force operators to return unlimited tariffs on the same conditions, especially those that were before, seems extremely unlikely, because operators have a certain logic, guided by which they cancel unlimited tariffs. It is connected with the fact that on the network, especially on the network fourth generation- LTE - the load is growing due to the fact that the number of subscribers with phones that support LTE doubles annually, and in LTE networks, just due to the fact that they are much faster there in terms of the Internet, it is possible to download more traffic, respectively, they are loaded faster by a smaller number of subscribers in principle"

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According to Vedomosti, the CEO of Tele2 Sergey Emdin called unlimited tariffs "a drug that destroys the network." According to him, sales of unlimited tariffs accounted for about a quarter of all sales of operators. At the same time, half of the network was loaded precisely by consumers of unlimited tariffs, and more than half of this traffic was accounted for by subscribers, constituting only a few percent of the subscriber base. "In fact, the entire industry has put itself to the slaughter of a very small group of very specific users," Emdin noted. Lead Analyst at Mobile Research Group Eldar Murtazin I am sure that there was no collusion of operators.

“The closure of tariffs is connected with several stories at once. The first story is the "Yarovaya package", so-called, because with unlimited they would have to store in the current circumstances great amount data that cannot be stored simply. The second story is related to the fact that global trend very simple goes - there are no honest unlimiteds anywhere, or there are very few of them, and operators refuse them, because it is not economically profitable. It turned out a very simple thing that a few percent of subscribers connecting to unlimiteds form a load on the network by 99%, that is, people who buy other services cannot use them, because the load specifically at some local points grows. Then they began to analyze what was happening, it turned out that people are adapting these SIM cards in order to do their business, for example, these are security video systems that transmit over mobile network video stream high resolution, this is the transfer of reservation data from one data center to another precisely via a mobile network, which was extremely difficult to imagine before, because it cheap way for business to transfer data. But if you open any contract, it says that the SIM card is not being sold for business, so everyone refused and will continue to refuse, and there is no collusion here, it’s just that in the current situation this is not economically justified for any operator.”

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According to experts, ordinary users, who periodically watch YouTube videos on a tablet or smartphone, sit on social networks or communicate with friends on Viber, consume no more than five gigabytes per month, a maximum of seven. The vast majority of users of the disappearance of unlimited mobile Internet almost did not notice.

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The Federal Antimonopoly Service decided to look for logic in the actions of mobile operators, which almost simultaneously abandoned tariffs and options with unlimited Internet. The logic in their actions is easy to detect. Will the FAS find confirmation of the collusion?

The reason for the interest of antimonopolists in tariffs for Mobile Internet were user complaints. Unlimited traffic for smartphones and tablets is a luxury unprecedented in the whole world, and Russians have been able to use this luxury for a little less than a year. A person quickly gets used to the good, and therefore the cancellation of unlimited at the same time by all operators raises questions and suspicions.

New Yota subscribers were the first to face traffic restrictions. Since January 2017, only old customers of this operator can use unlimited Internet. In February, Beeline (Vympelcom) and Megafon introduced the same restrictions, MTS joined them in March, and Tele2 disappeared in April. Why did the cellular companies cancel the services in which gigantic money was invested in advertising? They themselves tried to explain this by concern for subscribers.

Confusion in testimony

Operators make incredible claims: supposedly users themselves want to pay for gigabytes and therefore ignore options and tariffs with unlimited traffic. In February, MegaFon stated that the Megabezlimit option was connected “an insignificant number of times”, respectively, was recognized as unnecessary and transferred to the archive. True, according to subscribers, the operator did everything to hide it from the public: the Mega Unlimited option was renamed to Unlimited Internet, its previous description disappeared from the operator’s website.

In MTS, in turn, they say that most users download through cellular network no more than 5-6 GB per month, so keeping unlimited does not make sense. Official representative of MTS Dmitry Solodovnikov said that subscribers who used it before will retain unlimited traffic, new customers will be offered to buy gigabyte packages from mid-April.

The words of the operators contradict the numbers: in 2016, mobile Internet traffic in Russia grew by almost one and a half times, almost 3.8 billion GB were downloaded via 3G and 4G networks. This is about seven times less than in fixed networks, but the growth rate of the mobile segment is rapid. The position of telecom operators is explained by another figure: revenues from mobile Internet are growing much more modestly, last year they increased by only 12%. Revenue from voice communication and is declining altogether - more and more people are calling for free via Whatsapp, Skype and Viber.

Another explanation

Another version looks more plausible. According to the CEO of Tele2 Sergei Emdin, in 2016, in the market as a whole, unlimited tariffs accounted for only 25% of sales, but subscribers with such tariffs provided 50% of the network load. That is, a relatively small percentage of "unlimited" can reduce the quality of communication services for other subscribers. But even this argument against unlimited traffic looks unconvincing, because old subscribers with such tariffs will not go anywhere. The operator can regulate the load on the network - reduce the download speed after the subscriber uses up a certain amount of traffic per hour or per day.

On this topic

Operators announced the so-called “Yarovaya package” as another reason for refusing tariffs with unlimited Internet. Amendments to the anti-terrorist legislation adopted last year oblige to store all user traffic on their servers. Allegedly, a large amount of data, the formation of which unlimited could contribute to, will create a significant load on the equipment. But here it is appropriate to recall that cable Internet providers that pass a significant share of Russian traffic through themselves face the same problem, but unlimited tariffs are not canceled.

"Hitted and parted"

In 2016, shortly before the appearance of tariffs without traffic restrictions in Russia, the CEO of VimpelCom Mikhail Slobodin warned operators against this step. According to him, the market cellular communication will be able to grow only due to the increase in the cost of mobile Internet. Cheap traffic packages harm the industry, and unlimited tariffs will set the maximum bar for the operator's income.

However, already in next month Vimpelcom introduced a tariff with unlimited Internet, MTS also entered in May, and Megafon joined them in June. Some experts believe that in this way representatives of the "big three" reacted to increased competition from Tele2. By joining forces with Rostelecom, this company decided to become the third largest subscriber base in Russia by 2018. In 2016, 1.7 million people connected to Tele2, and total number its contracts approached 40 million.

Probably, each of the representatives of the "Big Three" perceived unlimited as an effective marketing tool for attracting and retaining subscribers. When everyone had unlimited traffic, it began to interfere with the development of the market as a whole, but none of the operators would dare to cancel unlimited traffic unilaterally. All this allows the FAS to suspect the operators of collusion, but will it be possible to prove it as a fact? Now the department is studying the information provided by the cellular companies about the heavy load on the networks, only after that it will decide whether or not to initiate a case on violation of the antimonopoly law.

In 2016, unlimited mobile Internet made Russia one of the most progressive countries, creating good opportunities for the development of the digital economy, the Internet of things, telemedicine and online education. The development of such services could become a new source of revenue for mobile operators, but it is obvious that so far they prefer to earn money by selling traffic packages to subscribers.

There are many reasons that can lead to the sudden disappearance of access to your favorite site. Usually they turn out to be related to the fact that the MTS Internet is turned off and does not work. But sometimes the occurrence of difficulties is associated with other, independent of mobile operator reasons.

Here are just users a little worried about the source of trouble. For them, the most important thing is the fight against difficulties and the speedy return of the opportunity to visit their favorite sites and portals. The simplest way to cope with emerging troubles is to get the help of specialists and employees of the contact center. But this approach takes a lot of time, which can be put to good use. At the same time, in most cases, subscribers are able to restore communication and regain access to the worldwide network on their own. This will require a little patience and a desire to solve existing problems.

There is a huge number of various reasons for the appearance of problems with the MTS Internet. Therefore, in order to restore communication and full-fledged operation of the phone, you need to understand the source of the trouble. They may be:

1. zero or negative SIM card balance;
2. ended traffic on tariffs with limited service packages;
3. poor connection or remoteness of the radio tower, leading to a decrease in the speed of access to the network and a slow connection;
4. technical problems of the phone (smartphone, tablet, modem);
5. use of traffic to run applications;
6. problems on a particular site or the inaccessibility of the portal;
7. viruses or technical failures;
8. network unavailable due to incorrect settings.

There are other causes of problems, but the ones listed above are the most common, so it is with them that you need to start checking.

Internet problems MTS today

When faced with difficulties for the first time, users should start by checking their available traffic and balance. It is the lack of money and gigabytes that is the most common reason why the MTS Internet does not work.

To check the balance status, users can visit Personal Area on the official portal company or use mobile service“My MTS, if it is connected. It is these options that are considered preferable, but special USSD requests are additionally provided:

• *100# to clarify the personal account;
• *107# - checking the balances by packages;
• *100*3# – clarification of the debt, if the subscriber has previously used credit services.

The appearance of strange characters instead of the dialed combination indicates the inclusion English font. To correct the situation, you will have to first enter the command * 111 * 6 * 2 # .

Additionally, those who wish are able to contact consultants, but in this case, callers are required to prepare personal information.

MTS internet not working

The situation is completely different if the signal has not completely disappeared, but simply does not work well and regularly disappears. In such a situation, it is pointless to blame the lack of money, since the reason is not in them.

Usually in similar or similar situations, you should look at the level of reception. If the connection quality indicator shows a minimum number of bars or they often fail to register on the network, you should simply go to the place where the connection was of high quality and stable. Additionally advanced users recommend fixing the phone in a stable position and not moving it. It is difficult to say how effective such fixation is, but if you cannot change your own location, this approach is worth a try.

As a last resort, you can look for a place on a hill or just a point where the reception will be the most stable, reliable and most confident.

Why does the Internet not work on MTS if there is money and traffic?

The cellular operator advises people who have encountered difficulties to pay attention to the device where the SIM card is used. If the client has money on his personal account, but the MTS mobile Internet does not work, he should take a few simple steps.

1. The first step is to make sure that the site is not the source of the trouble. To do this, you should try to open another portal.
2. Then you need to check the status of the downloads and make sure that none of the installed applications did not appear to be the cause of the poor connection.
3. The third step is available for devices with two slots. Owners of devices with two SIM cards should swap their SIM cards. The second slot often does not allow you to use all the actions provided for by the tariff plan.

If the above steps did not help, you should look at other problems.

MTS mobile Internet does not work on android

The next step is to set up the connection. The correct procedure for setting the required parameters depends on operating system used by the device. But in general, it is extremely similar to both android and iPhone. You can find the exact description of the settings on the official portal of the mobile operator in the help subsection.

Additionally, you can order automatic settings by visiting the section mentioned above and entering the appropriate phone number. If visiting the site is not possible, it remains to call the support service.

What to do if MTS mobile Internet does not work?

In the most difficult situations, when the methods listed above are used, and the network still does not connect, it remains to pay attention to the last problem: viruses.

The correct order of operations for searching malware does not differ in unusual steps. Users will have to download a reliable antivirus, install it following the prompts and instructions, and run a scan. Even a negative test result should not upset the subscriber, since it will make sure that there are no viruses or Trojans.

Where to call?

When the user runs out possible options actions, but the problem persists and the MTS Internet does not work stubbornly on the phone, you should call the contact center. To do this, you will need to type:

• short combination 0890 when calling from the operator's SIM card;
• service number 88002500890 when using a city line or third-party SIM cards;
• +74957660166 in roaming.

Provided and alternative ways contact with consultants, but phone call- the most convenient and affordable approach. Only a personal visit to the nearest communication salon is more reliable.

From the end of January 2017 mobile operator Yota stopped connecting new subscribers to tariffs with unlimited internet. Since February, also in Megafon. At the same time, the intention to revise the tariff scale in MTS. The Village figured out why the operators first introduced unlimited one after another, and now they refuse it.

Version number 1. No one needs unlimited Internet

Operators who have already abandoned unlimited Internet claim that this is a niche option that is not really in demand by subscribers - most users have enough packet traffic.

Olga Alekseeva

PR Director Yota

We analyzed the traffic consumption of our customers. 85% of them spend no more than 5 gigabytes per month. In addition, the proportion of those who consume large amounts of data is falling every month.

This indicates that all users who really needed unlimited Internet have already connected to Yota. That is why we decided to completely change the principle of providing services for smartphones, keeping unlimited for those who connected before January 25th. We also provided unlimited access to the ten most popular applications.

Julia Dorokhina

head of the press service of Megafon

The option is closed for new connections due to low demand - over the past month we have seen an extremely small number of new connections, which, on the scale of a federal operator, in fact, means complete absence interest in the offer.

Those customers who needed unlimited have already connected it. For the absolute majority, the volumes of traffic that are included in package offers are quite enough. To watch TV channels, movies and series online, they can use the Megafon TV service. Traffic for them is not charged.

Version number 2. Operators can not cope with demand

An employee of one of the telecom operators refutes the first hypothesis. According to him, market participants could not foresee that such a number of very active Internet users would be interested in unlimited tariffs. They pump a lot and thereby overload base stations, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of access to the Network for all subscribers. His words are confirmed by analysts.

Timur Nigmatullin

The main problem of unlimited tariff plans initially was that they were incorrectly positioned in terms of cost. This led to the rapid exhaustion of the frequency resource due to massive connections.

The reason for the incorrect positioning could be increased competition with Tele2 for relatively high-margin consumers of data transmission services. Tele2 in last years actively built 3G and 4G networks in Moscow and regions. The situation was also exacerbated by a drop in household incomes and a decrease in demand for communication services.

Since the frequency range of 2G and 3G for all major Russian operators was already heavily loaded, the intensive introduction of new tariffs at low prices led to a rapid deterioration in the quality of communication - owners of gadgets without 4G support also began to switch to unlimited. So, among the users of MegaFon, only a third had gadgets with LTE support. At the same time, even they had a negative impact on the overall infrastructure due to insufficient coverage of the country with 4G networks.

Version number 3. Unlimited hinders the development of the market

According to another version, the operators initially planned to abandon unlimited tariffs. They were launched as an effective marketing tool during the toughening of competition, but now they only hinder the development of the market.

Sergey Libin

Raiffeisenbank analyst

Unlimited mobile Internet is a rare phenomenon in the world. Usually it is offered temporarily as part of some promotions, as Russian operators have also announced.

The introduction of unlimiteds in Russia was due to increased competition - both in connection with the entry of Tele2 into new markets, and due to the intensification of the struggle within the "big three" after MTS ceased cooperation with Svyaznoy and began to take aggressive measures to protect its market share. The desire to change the situation is probably connected with the realization that the current competitive environment does not bring anything to market participants except worsening financial performance. With the availability of unlimited tariffs, operators actually deprive themselves of the opportunity to increase revenue.

Olga Galushina

Tele2 press secretary

Unlimited tariffs are a niche offer for users who value mobile Internet very much and need minutes and SMS to a lesser extent. For the time being, we do not plan to abandon them: this offer helps us to attract new subscribers.

Anna Aibasheva

head of the press service of VimpelCom

Unlimited has become a marketing tool to draw attention to other offers. In the current situation, they are more holding back the further development of the market: overall data consumption is growing, and both active subscribers and those who use the Internet pay the same amount. And this is despite the general trend of decreasing voice consumption and the need for operators to invest in infrastructure that can support growing data volumes.

Version number 4. The option is disabled due to the "Yarovaya Law"

Analysts agreed that another reason for turning off unlimited tariffs could be the adoption of the Yarovaya package. During the discussion of the document in the State Duma, companies repeatedly complained that they would have to incur multibillion-dollar expenses for the development and support of infrastructure for storing data on subscriber activity. However, now the operators preferred not to link their decisions with changes in legislation, calling them planned.

Timur Nigmatullin

financial analyst at Finam Group

Unlimited tariffs promise higher costs in implementing the requirements of the Yarovaya-Ozerov amendments, as operators will need to store more data. To solve the problem, the optimal strategy is to close the mass unlimited tariffs for new connections. It's probably wise to leave them as a relatively expensive option - twice or three times the average bill. A significant increase in prices can be attributed to the entry into force of the amendments. At the same time, operators will not only not lose their market share, but will also be able to unload networks even without revising existing tariffs.

In Russia, very fast internet and very low prices on the mobile communication. This is both my opinion and the position of guests from America or European countries. Friends come and wonder how good and cheap LTE we have. Not so long ago, operators also offered to connect unlimited mobile Internet - download as much as you like.

Now the situation has changed, MegaFon, Beeline and Yota have stopped connecting to tariffs with unlimited data transfer. For old subscribers, the conditions remain the same, but new ones will have to face restrictions. MTS has changed the conditions for one of the tariffs, in particular, Smart Unlimited now offers 10 GB of traffic per month, the unlimited stream has been closed. But another tariff with unlimited internet has remained: SMART + with subscription fee 250 rubles per week.

Why is the limit removed?

Operators say that, on average, subscribers get about 5 GB of data per month, and the demand for unlimited packages from users is not that big. Like it or not, I can not say. In any case, judging by my friends, there are enough fans of unlimited packages, people land 100-200 GB per month when the smartphone works as a modem and distributes the Internet at home or in the office. Well, or watch streaming video for hours, in general, this is an option for fans of "heavy" content.

Why are prices rising?

We go to the MegaFon website, check the prices. I use Beeline and MegaFon, I like MegaFon more - better zone coverage, internet is faster. Here are the current prices.

But what happened at the end of 2016, I found a photo here.

What do we see? Previously, for 300 rubles they received 2 GB of traffic, now 1 GB. They paid 500 rubles for another package and received 5 GB, now 3 GB. Even minutes have been cut. Tariffs with more voluminous data packages have risen in price, L and XL cost 100 and 200 rubles more, the amount of data has remained the same.

Convenient math? Still, before, if you wanted more traffic, you just paid for unlimited Internet, MegaFon took only 5 to 9 rubles per day of use, depending on the tariff, so a month of use cost a democratic amount. And no data limits!

Well, now the shop is closed. Why? I think that this situation is simply unprofitable for operators. Think for yourself, our prices for the Internet are already very low, operators cannot work without profit, revenues from voice communications are falling, few people are spending money on SMS either. Everyone switched to instant messengers, traffic is needed, and unlimited Internet kills all opportunities for earning. But now, when operators one by one close the unlimited for new connections, prices can be raised. Well, or cut down the amount of data, keeping the old subscription fee by updating the tariff scale.