Yota: reviews. Mobile operator. What is Iota? Whose company is it?

The Yota company appeared back in 2007. But the mobile operator gained real popularity only 7 years later, when it started selling SIM cards in Russia. It was then that many people asked the question, what kind of dark horse is this, who owns Yota?

History of the company's owners

Initially, the owner of the brand was Scartel LLC. In 2012, the owner of Yota announced that the company’s assets would merge with MegaFon OJSC. It was then that the Garsdale holding corporation was created.
When selling Yota, the owner lost the rights to a controlling stake. The assets of the new holding were divided between three companies. AF Telecom received 82% of the shares, the remaining shares were owned by Telconet Capital and the Russian Technologies State Corporation.

The association had several goals:

accelerating the process of mastering new communication technologies in the country;
providing high-quality communication to all residents of Russia;
integration and obtaining new solutions in the field of telecommunications services;
cost reduction during LTE network construction;
occupying a leading position in the global market.

Present day

In September 2015, the sole owner of all Yota assets is MegaFon.
The corporation is developing successfully; in July of this year, sales of SIM cards began in 52 regions of the country. For clients, the company offers unlimited tariff plans with affordable prices, high connection speeds and a large coverage area in Russia.

Yota was not only the first in the world to launch the latest LTE-Advanced mobile connection, but also allowed subscribers to communicate for free and pay for long-distance calls in the same way as if a person is in their home region.

History of the company's owners

When selling Yota, the owner lost the rights to a controlling stake. The assets of the new holding were divided between three companies. AF Telecom received 82% of the shares, the remaining shares were owned by Telconet Capital and the Russian Technologies State Corporation.

The association had several goals:

accelerating the process of mastering new communication technologies in the country;

providing high-quality communication to all residents of Russia;

integration and obtaining new solutions in the field of telecommunications services;

cost reduction during LTE network construction;

occupying a leading position in the global market.

Present day

In September 2015, the sole owner of all Yota assets is MagaFon.

The corporation is developing successfully; in July of this year, sales of SIM cards began in 52 regions of the country. For clients, the company offers unlimited tariff plans with affordable prices, high connection speeds and a large coverage area in Russia.

Yota, which until recently developed its networks in the Wi-Max format, today became the fifth federal operator. You can connect to Yota in most federal regions of our country. Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of this operator.

Navigation

What new does Yota offer?

It must be said right away that Yota’s tariffs are fundamentally different from the tariffs of other mobile operators. If you want to connect to a tariff for mobile Internet, then you will be pleasantly surprised by the complete unlimited. Internet traffic is not charged for all tariffs. The only difference is the speed.

Moreover, when the money on your balance runs out, Yota does not block access to the Internet, but reduces the speed to a minimum (up to 64 kbit/sec).

If you choose a tariff for a smartphone, Yota does not limit traffic speed. On a smartphone it always remains high. As for tariffs for tablets, there are three options:

512 Kbps – 390 rubles per month
2.1 Mbit/s – 550 rubles per month
Maximum speed (in some regions with 4G it reaches 20 Mbit/s) – 650 rubles per month

Prices are presented for Moscow and the Moscow region. In the regions they are lower.

Perhaps, with its tariffs for tablet computers, Yota fell in love with all “Internet-addicted” people. But tariffs for smartphones can also cause admiration and envy of competitors.

As mentioned above, all tariffs include high-speed unlimited Internet. In addition, calls within the Yota network are not charged. And if you wish, you can (for 50 rubles) add free SMS.

As for the differences in tariffs for smartphones, they consist in the number of free minutes to numbers of other operators in Russia:

300 minutes – 140 rubles
500 minutes – 340 rubles
1000 minutes – 640 rubles
2000 minutes – 1040 rubles
3000 minutes – 1540 rubles

The cost of the selected package is added to the cost of the Internet (300 rubles) and unlimited SMS (if required).

We can say that Yota provides its users with one tariff for smartphones, but which everyone can customize for themselves.

Also, the mobile operator Yota provides tariffs for home Internet (desktop PC, laptop, etc.). Tariffs differ only in speed:

512 Kbps – 400 rubles
640 Kbps – 450 rubles
768 Kbps – 500 rubles
896 Kbps – 550 rubles
1 Mbit/s – 600 rubles
1.3 Mbit/s – 650 rubles
1.7 Mbit/s – 700 rubles
2.1 Mbit/s – 750 rubles
3.1 Mbit/s – 800 rubles
4.1 Mbit/s – 850 rubles
5 Mbit/s – 900 rubles
5.7 Mbit/s – 950 rubles
6.4 Mbit/s – 1000 rubles
7.1 Mbit/s – 1050 rubles
7.8 Mbit/s – 1100 rubles
8.5 Mbit/s – 1150 rubles
9.2 Mbit/s – 1200 rubles
10 Mbit/s – 1250 rubles
12 Mbit/s – 1300 rubles
15 Mbit/s – 1350 rubles
Maximum speed – 900 rubles (Promotion)

Prices are per month. But you can also use this service:

For 2 hours – 50 rubles (maximum speed)
For a day – 150 rubles (maximum speed)

IMPORTANT: Mobile operator Yota offers high-speed 4G Internet in more than 40 cities of Russia. But the spread of access to LTE networks does not end there, and over time the geography of Yota’s coverage will only increase.

Advantages of Yota

In addition to excellent prices and flexible tariffs, the mobile operator Yota offers roaming-free space throughout Russia. If you travel to another region of our country, then mobile communication and Internet services will be charged as in your home region.

Unfortunately, this benefit is available only for the first thirty days of being in a region other than the Yota connection location. After 30 days, the operator will offer you a different tariff. However, there is no data yet on what kind of tariff this will be.

Disadvantages of Yota

Yota is a virtual operator. That is, one that uses the networks of another operator. In the case of Yota, this “other” operator is Megafon. That is, this operator is completely dependent on Megafon and the state of its networks.

Another disadvantage is the inability to use a smartphone with a Yota SIM card as an access point for a Wi-Fi network. Here's UNLIMITED Internet. But this disadvantage can be slightly minimized by using a router and paying for Wi-Fi Internet service for 2 or 24 hours.

And of course, the main disadvantage of this mobile operator is its small coverage area. True, it is increasing every day. Perhaps Yota has already come to your city?

Cellular operator Yota: reviews

Evgeny. Have been using this operator for several months now. I connected it for both a smartphone and a tablet. And when I move to a house that is currently under construction, I will also order a router with a Yota SIM card. I really like the quality of communication and the ability to track the number of minutes remaining for calls to other operators. The only drawback is the ability to increase Internet speed only after the current tariff ends. Not very convenient.

Igor. I go out of town for the summer and live there. Naturally, there is no wired Internet there. Before that, I used Megafon, but I found out that they have a subsidiary company, Yota, which “covers” my holiday village. I took it for a try and now I won’t part with it. I even watch football on my laptop. Thanks Yota!

Video. Yota review

The Yota brand belongs to Scartel LLC, which in turn is a subsidiary of Megafon OJSC. Yota offers cellular communication services on Megafon's GSM and 3G/4G networks.

Coverage area of the mobile operator Yota

The new federal operator has so far begun to provide its services only in Moscow, the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, and then only in a limited manner. In the near future, Yota should be launched in every Russian region.

Advantages of Yota

The new operator promises its subscribers unlimited Internet for smartphones, SMS, free calls to other Yota users, 300 free minutes of calls to numbers of other Russian operators, as well as roaming-free space throughout Russia. For now, the new operator offers only one tariff. The cost of monthly service for this tariff is 750 rubles. However, other tariffs will appear later.

Disadvantages of Yota

There was a fly in the ointment in the Yota tariff. So, “Iota” Internet cannot be called completely unlimited. The operator notes that the tariff is intended exclusively for use on smartphones, mobile phones, and tablets. The use of Yota SIM cards on other devices (including routers, modems, desktop computers and laptops) is not allowed.

However, the “surprises” do not end there. The tariff is intended for use with one SIM card on one device. Using a card inserted into the phone to provide additional access to communications from other devices is not allowed (in particular, we are talking about distributing the Internet via a wireless channel).

If these restrictions are violated, the operator will reduce the Internet speed to 32 kilobits per second. In addition, Yota speed will also be limited to 32 kilobits for services that use network resources to access torrents and download large files. It turns out that downloading torrents with this tariff will be quite problematic.

Yota service center and personal account

In order to increase comfort and optimal prices, the operator abandoned traditional sales channels. You can order a Yota SIM card either through the operator’s website or through a special mobile application, and receive it by courier or at the point of issue. Their address is indicated in the mobile application.

The company relied on online service, abandoning the traditional contact center. Subscriber support will be provided via chat on the website or mobile application. Services will also be managed entirely through the app.

“Mobile slavery” has been abolished, long live freedom of choice!” — with approximately these words, tens of thousands of people ran to communication shops to switch from one mobile operator to another. The SIM cards were shuffled between the “big three” and everything remained in place. Those dissatisfied with Megafon went to MTS or Beeline, just as those dissatisfied with the latter went over to Megafon. And everyone is happy. However, in this turmoil, many did not notice the emergence of a new telecom operator - the Yota company, which began distributing its SIM cards to everyone. One of them was me. I’ll tell you now how the transition process went and what happened in the end.

Background

It all started a couple of years ago, when I decided to get myself a mobile router, which I used when traveling. The device has repeatedly come to the rescue in places where mobile operators could not provide high-quality communication. Now this router is in my dacha and works around the clock, providing unlimited Internet to all connected devices. Having learned at the beginning of the year that Yota decided to enter the cellular communications market, I decided to find out in more detail what the new operator offers and what benefits I will receive if I decide to switch to it.

It turned out to be very simple (which cannot be said about the main “players” of the market): you buy as many minutes as you need (from 100 per month) and additionally activate a package of unlimited SMS for a symbolic 50 rubles. Internet is already included in the price and also has no traffic restrictions. One tariff without many options and unclear charges - this was exactly what I needed. “Jumping” every few months from tariff to tariff in search of a more profitable and convenient offer, and even connecting some options, the description of which is even more confusing than the name, is simply tired. And how infuriated I was by messages like “You are approaching the shutdown threshold, because... We've spent all our traffic, now we'll turn everything off for you. Do you want to extend? Send an SMS to the number, wait for confirmation, send a new one...” Therefore, two main factors “for” the transition were fulfilled: a simple tariff, unlimited Internet.

Before connection

Naturally, since all the laws have been adopted and I can keep my “precious” number for myself, I began to find out what I would need for the transition. I had already mentally imagined that paperwork, data reconciliations and other “services” so familiar to Russian people awaited me. Our colleague, Sergey Suyagin, already wrote about this on the pages of Lifehacker, and his material somewhat worried me. I didn’t want to have conversations for 20 minutes at the point of sale with consultants who often had little understanding of the subject of the conversation. However, in reality everything turned out much simpler.

To connect to Yota, you had to download a special application for iOS, read about the benefits of connecting and... wait for a notification about when you can pick up your new SIM card. And this was, perhaps, the most unpleasant moment in the entire story - I had to wait about a month for the SIM card. Unfortunately, the exact date was not mentioned anywhere, so we had to be patient. Now, I think that the waiting time has decreased, since I was apparently in the first wave when the cards were distributed.

And so, on the cherished day, a notification appeared on the display of my iPhone that I could pick up my SIM card. The newly opened application acquired new functions, where I was shown map issuing points and even asked to get directions to the nearest one, where I went.
It’s worth saying that the SIM card could also be ordered by courier delivery, but I decided to play it safe and go personally, since there were several pick-up points.

Connection/Transition

Having reached the nearest point of issue and informing the consultants about my choice, I was asked to give a certain confirmation code - a unique identifier that is displayed in the application after the notification that the card can be collected. Having named him and given him my passport, I announced my intention to leave my phone number. They printed out the transfer papers and gave me a package with a SIM card, having previously warned me that the transfer would take 8 days and during this period the balance on the number should remain positive. Having paid 500 rubles, which will go towards the balance (no additional hundred rubles), I said goodbye and went home. The whole procedure took about five minutes.

Expectation

Throughout the entire period, my number, as described in Sergei’s article, received notifications about the moment at which I could start using the new SIM card (and on the same day my practically former operator turned off my Internet), but for now it was lying on the table. And then you probably asked yourself: what exactly is the format of the SIM card and will it need to be cut? Nothing supernatural is required from you. There is one card in the package, but depending on the phone model, you pull out the size you need - all the parts are fastened together, so if you need a regular nano-SIM, you pull out the smallest piece, if micro, then medium, and if mini, then the entire card fully. In the photo below you can see that all three parts are fastened together, and you just need to “squeeze out” a piece of the desired size.

Usage

Eight days have passed. At exactly midnight on the ninth day, the old SIM card notified me that “No network”. It was time to insert a new SIM card, which I did right away. Initially, even the only tariff that Yota has is not connected to the card; you manage all the communication parameters you need yourself (except for the Internet, it is included right away and you pay a fixed amount for it). In order to start using a SIM card, you need to launch the application and select the package of minutes and SMS that suits you, if necessary. Once this is done, you can start using it.

I really like this approach. You can manage everything you need yourself, and for this you do not need to send various SMS to any number to activate services, everything is done through the application. Yota routers are managed in a similar way: you put a certain amount on your balance and connect the required speed, which can be changed during the period. That is, you do not pay for traffic, but specifically for connection speed.

Application

Now about one of the most important things - the application. There is nothing complicated in it, only what is necessary: the start screen greets us with information about the remaining minutes and connected SMS, information about the balance and a menu of connection conditions. At any time, you can open it and find out about your expenses, and for this, again, you don’t need to send anything or call anywhere - all the information is before your eyes. If you suddenly realize that you do not meet the limit of minutes, you can purchase them directly in the application, as well as top up your balance - for these operations you do not need to look for a terminal or use inconvenient web versions of personal accounts of operators, everything is done in a couple of taps on the smartphone display. And since the Internet is unlimited, it is quite difficult to remain without connection. Unfortunately, the application is not yet optimized for iOS 8 - hence, apparently, the sluggish interface and crashes when trying to specify a package of minutes. But I think this issue will be resolved by the official release of the operating system from Apple.

In the same application you can contact the support service via chat, which is also convenient. One click on the button and you will be connected to a specialist who will help with your question.

Support

And in this paragraph they usually write about how bad the support service is. Yes, I myself have spoken and written about this more than once, without even taking into account telecom operators. As a rule, clients are dissatisfied with the level of services provided, and also with the fact that, due to their own inattention or lack of understanding of the subject of the problem, they blame consultants and other service industry workers for everything. To some extent, both are right; on both sides there are people who are incompetent or unwilling to help/explain. And one of the most important problems is insufficient attention to the client and the waiting time in solving his question/problem.

I contacted Yota support many times for various reasons, not only when changing SIM cards and operators. A couple of months ago I started having constant problems connecting my router to the LTE network, which I told the support service about. They took my application into processing, informed me that the base station was overloaded, and promised not only to unload it, but also to sort out the hardware (perhaps it was replacing equipment or upgrading existing equipment). Naturally, it was immediately clear that this would take a lot of time. However, after about four weeks, I received an email notifying me that the problems had been fixed, along with an offer to evaluate the quality of the connection: “Everything is fine” and “No, it’s still not working well.” It is clear that the phrase “Your opinion is very important to us” is for the most part a standard excuse, but in this case I chose the first option, since the connection became more stable a week before the notification.

When I received a new SIM card, I also encountered the problems that I mentioned just above: the application crashed every time I tried to select the appropriate packages of minutes and SMS for myself. Having described the problem in the chat, which is also available on the company’s website, they helped me within 10 minutes, connecting the packages that interested me. I didn’t really count on this approach, but expected to read something like “This OS is not yet supported by the application, so use the current version or wait for optimization for the new one.” Agree, not everyone is the first to install beta versions of a mobile operating system, so I would take this answer quite adequately. But, fortunately for me, the problem was solved without downgrading to stable iOS 7. It should be noted that the operator’s waiting time did not exceed the norm - of all my requests, I only had to wait more than five minutes for an answer.

Communication quality

So far I have only been using the new SIM card for a week, so it is difficult to objectively evaluate the quality in full, but I constantly take speed measurements and their indicators please me: the download speed was about 8 Mbit/s several times (of course, this also depends on your location), but has not yet dropped below 3 Mbit/s. The figure of 3 Mbit/s was the maximum for my previous operator, so quality improvements are immediately visible. As you understand, we are, of course, talking about 3G networks, since I have an iPhone 5 at my disposal, which does not work in our LTE frequencies. But I think there will be no problems with LTE either, but we will check this only after the release of the iPhone 6.
As for voice calls, everything is quite clear: Yota uses its towers to provide the Internet, and Megafon stations for voice calls. Nevertheless, the connection between all three main operators seems to be more or less the same, so at this point there are no revelations. In places where Megafon does not receive reception, Yota will not work either.

Cons

Of course, there are disadvantages everywhere, even Yota. There are two of them: when using a smartphone in modem mode, the speed is limited to 64 Kbps, and when downloading torrents – to 32. And if the second limitation is quite reasonable, then I don’t really like the first. In those moments when there is no Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone always came to the rescue, with which you could access the network without any problems. Now this is very inconvenient due to the low speed. I understand perfectly well why this was done, but I hope that the company will still reconsider its restrictions and at least double the speed.

What's the result?

But in the end, I got what I wanted: the absence of complicated tariff plans, hundreds of options and constant traffic restrictions. I don’t have a lot of conversations on the phone, so 100 minutes a month should be enough, and even if the Internet speed continues to not drop below 3 Mbit/s, I’ll finally be able to use FaceTime for conversations. After all, the sound quality there is much better than over the cellular network. And on long trips around Russia, it will be very helpful because there is no roaming within the country. In any case, Yota for me is, first of all, the Internet, and unlimited, and so far none of the operators can offer this.