Mobile communications Iota - what is it and how does it work

Iota is a telecommunications company that has been providing telephony and Internet services to citizens of the Russian Federation since 2007. The organization provides coverage with 2G, 3G and 4G networks operating on the basis of FullMVNO, which is the combined network of MegaFon and Scartel. During its activity, the company has earned the status of a reliable supplier with flexible tariffs, which sets Yota apart from its competitors. Below we will consider what Iota is, how this organization was formed, what are its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with its competitors.

Iota development history

It’s worth starting with what Iota is and how the company came to be. The company entered the Russian market in August 2014. The first SIM cards began to be issued in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Later, SIM cards became available in Tula, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Vladimir. Even before the card was issued, users could make a pre-order by downloading a mobile application. The company announced its status as a mobile operator back in April 2014. The company was initially founded to provide customers with access to wireless Internet. And the Yota operator continues to develop, it also gives subscribers the opportunity to use access to the network. Now it’s worth talking about the company as a mobile operator.

The provider's plans include providing affordable mobile communications to subscribers throughout the country. In addition, users have access to the Internet on their mobile from the Yota company. The work is aimed at iPhone and Android users; this is the audience that actively uses Internet access. This company cannot be considered independent, since it is a subsidiary of Megafon. But analysts believe that Yota's cellular communications are capable of becoming a competitor to companies such as MTS and Beeline. On the official website, customers are provided with a coverage map so that they can see if there is coverage in the region where they live.

Our time of the mobile operator Yota

In 2014, she launched a new PR campaign. Now Yota is called the fourth federal operator. Although in fact Tele-2 can be considered such, but not Yota. Limited Liability Company Scartel is not now completely absorbed by MegaFon only because it lives off its own money. The largest Russian operator does not pay its subsidiary a penny.

But it’s difficult for the Yota operator to live on his income. Now he does not have money to develop networks throughout the country. Tariffs need to be made expensive, otherwise they simply will not pay for the use of equipment from MegaFon. And because of their high cost, there is no particular influx of users. The company writes in a press release that it expects to connect a couple of tens of millions of users in just a year. But the growth rate of the audience shows that it will take several years to wait for such a number of subscribers.

What new does the company offer to clients?

It has already been discussed above what Iota is and what services the company provides. Now you can find out in more detail what new products the company offers to customers. This operator differs from other mobile operators in that it provides customers with unlimited access to the network on computers and tablets. Other cellular companies also have unlimited Internet, but Yota does not limit users’ connection speed. In this case, the subscriber can independently select the appropriate speed.

If the client uses the network on a tablet, the operator provides the connection at maximum speed; there will be no traffic restrictions. Speaking about the computer, here the speed can be adjusted by the user. But the higher the speed limit, the more you will have to pay a subscription fee.

• note
• The operator does not have a maximum traffic speed limit.

Iota mobile communications also provides clients with Internet access, but phones have limits from 5 to 30 GB. Also, subscribers cannot download torrents, which is a disadvantage for users. If a subscriber needs a SIM card to check mail, surf and social networks, then the Yota operator will be a suitable option.

• Interesting
• In addition to accessing the network, clients can use instant messengers WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook, as well as VKontakte, Viber and Odnoklassniki.

In addition to unlimited Internet, subscribers can use communication services anywhere in the country without roaming. Calls within the network will be free by default, and other calls will be made according to the selected tariff. Although Yota offers clients a single tariff, users can customize it independently to suit their requirements. To do this, install an application on your phone or register on the official website. In your personal account, you specify the number of minutes for a call, the SMS package, and also activate additional services.

• note
• If the SIM card works in roaming for more than 30 days, the tariff plan will automatically change to “Regional”. Incoming calls will remain free.

Features of using the services

Service packages for phones and tablets have some restrictions when using the Internet:

1. SIM cards for tablets and smartphones cannot be used in routers.
2. Wi-Fi can only be distributed for a fee. The distribution option can be activated for 2 or 24 hours. If you just start distributing Wi-Fi, the speed will instantly drop.
3. If you start downloading files from torrent resources, the operator will limit the speed to the lower limit.

There are no such restrictions for modems.

The Iota operator continues to develop dynamically, increasing its coverage area every year. In addition to providing communication and Internet services, the company leads an active social life. For example, she organizes the Yota Space festival, where she gives young designers and artists the opportunity to express themselves by organizing exhibitions of their work.

The main advantages of the Yota company

Cellular communications Yota is a new operator, but the company has already managed to show its advantages. The company is distinguished by the quality of its services, as well as reasonable prices for communications and Internet. The provider has several advantages over other mobile operators:

• On sale, users can find separate SIM cards for a modem, smartphone and tablet;
• delivery of a SIM card to your home by courier in 1-3 days (although there are not many offices throughout the country, delivery is fast and on time);
• when traveling throughout Russia, the subscriber can use communications without roaming for 30 days;
• customers are provided with 24-hour technical support; you can contact the operator via online chat, as well as by calling a hotline number or via mailbox;
• the price for calls throughout Russia remains fixed;
• on any mobile gadget, the user can access the Internet.

• Interesting information
• Yotafon was recently released for sale; this smartphone is popular among the company’s customers.

Yota clients value the operator for high-quality communications and constant access to the Internet. The prices for voice calls and Internet here are more favorable than those of other operators.

Megafon Yota

Yota is a subsidiary of Megafon. But this does not mean at all that they are the same thing. Yota has a completely different specificity and concept, different tariffs and offers. What towers does Yota use? This operator operates on Megafon equipment, but also uses its own base stations. The network coverage areas of both companies are almost the same. The only difference is that in some cities Megafon was able to supply LTE Band 20. But Iota in such areas does not operate on the fourth generation network. The question often arises among users: Which operator's Iota towers are used? Now we know whose towers Yota uses to service its subscribers.

Features of tariffs from the cellular company Yota

The communication tariff from Yota is offered to customers in one version, but the user can independently customize it to suit their requirements. On the official website, after registration and authorization, the subscriber can select the appropriate number of SMS, Internet speed and free minutes for calls. This option helps optimize communication costs. If the package limit is exhausted, the client uses a SIM card at the following tariff:

• outgoing calls cost 1.9 rubles per minute;
• messages will also cost 1.9 rubles per piece;
• Internet speed drops to 64 Kbps, but access is not disabled.

The subscriber can additionally activate the following services:

• unlimited SMS, the price is 50 rubles;
• 100 minutes of outgoing calls, the price will be 150 rubles;
• additional 5 GB of Internet traffic, the price will be 100 rubles.

And in order to have constant access to social networks, an additional service is connected. To use one social network, the subscriber pays 20 rubles, the price for the messenger is 10 rubles.

Rates

You can choose the tariff yourself, depending on which SIM card functions are most important to the user. The basic cost of unlimited Internet at a speed of 11–15 MB/s for a smartphone plus unlimited calls to Yota subscriber numbers is 300 rubles per month. Next, the user chooses how many minutes per month he spends on conversations with other operators (the cost varies from 1 rub./min to 1.4 rub./min), and, if desired, can connect unlimited SMS for 50 rubles per month.

There is no additional charge for roaming within the Yota network in Russia.

Who will be interested in the mobile operator

Mobile communications Yota offers communication and Internet services in almost all points of the country. Only residents of Crimea and Chukotka cannot use SIM cards. But the operator guarantees that these regions of Russia will soon be covered by the network. Services from the Yota company may be of interest to those users who:

• often travel outside the borders of their “home” region;
• use the Internet several times a day;
• They make a lot of phone calls or send SMS;
• want to save on communication services.

To summarize, we can say that the Yota company offers customers high-speed Internet and high-quality communications. A subscriber can purchase a SIM card for a tablet, modem or smartphone to use the Internet. Users are given the opportunity to independently select the Internet speed, the number of minutes for outgoing calls, as well as SMS. The higher the speed used, the higher the price of the tariff.

Advantages and disadvantages of Yota

Let's consider the advantages:

• Wide coverage - Yota is represented in most Russian regions, providing residents with voice communications and Internet access.
• Real unlimited – provided for tablets, modems and wireless routers. The maximum speed is limited to 20 Mbit/s, and the speed can also be reduced if there is a heavy load on the network.
• Adjustable tariff plans – we choose packages of minutes and traffic independently. On tariffs for routers and modems, you can select the access speed.
• Many branded modems and routers - from pocket to stationary.

There are also disadvantages:

• A large number of complaints about Internet speed are typical not only for Iota, but also for any other operator. Low signal level and BS congestion lead to a decrease in speed;
• Lack of unlimited access for smartphones - it was canceled several years ago. Thousands of Russian subscribers cannot forgive this. For those who purchased SIM cards before the cancellation of unlimited, it was retained.
• Iota modems do not work where there are no 4G networks - a serious drawback.

Next, we'll go over the main differences and discuss the tariff plans of the two operators.

All operators

• 7k
• iconnect
• AKOS
• Antares
• Apex
• Arctic Region Communication
• Arcturus
• Arkhangelsk Mobile Networks
• ASVT
• Astarte
• Astrakhan-GSM
• Astrakhan-Telecom
• Baikalwestcom
• Belgorod Cellular Communications
• Wireless information technology
• Vainakh Telecom
• WEST CALL LTD
• Volgograd GSM
• Votek-Mobile
• Vympel-Communications
• Gazprom Telecom
• Hals-Telecom
• Global Telecom
• Gorno-Altai Cellular Communications
• State Unitary Enterprise Automatic Telephone Station of Smolny
• State Unitary Enterprise RP KRYMTELECOM
• Dagest cellular communication
• Dalsvyaz
• Business Network - Irkutsk
• Delta Telecom
• Yo-Mobile
• Ekaterinburg-2000
• Yeniseitelecom
• Integral
• Intercom Technology
• INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
• Internode
• Information trunk systems
• K-telecom
• CountryCom
• Kemerovo Mobile Communications
• TransTeleCom Company
• Computer ambulance
• COMSTAR-Regions
• CTC TELECOM
• Kuban-GSM
• Kuzbask.cell connection
• Kurgan Cell Phone
• Link Master
• MAG
• MATRIX telecom
• Megaphone
• Interregional TransitTelecom
• Metro Pay
• MIT-TEL
• MMS of Ingushetia
• Mobile cellular communication
• Mobile Telesystems
• Moscow city telephone network
• Moscow Cellular Communications
• MTT Invest
• MTU-INFORM
• Murmansk Mobile Network
• MURMANSK TRAWL FLEET

• Navigation and information systems
• Our network
• Nizhny Novgorod Cellular Communications
• Nat Bai Nat Holding
• Osnova Telecom
• Penza-GSM
• Personal Communication Systems in the Region
• Radio pulse
• RadioTel
• Regional technical center
• Rostelecom
• RT-Mobile
• RusSDO
• Saratov Cellular Communication System
• SEVASTOPOL TELECOM
• Northeast Telecom
• Northeast Telecommunications
• ServicePartner
• Sibintertelecom
• Sibirtelecom
• Sigma Telecom
• SIM TELECOM
• Systematics
• Sky Link
• Sky-1800
• Scartel
• SMARTS
• SMARTS — Volgograd
• SMARTS — Ivanovo
• SMARTS — Ufa
• SMARTS-Astrakhan
• SMARTS-Yoshkar-Ola
• SMARTS-Penza
• SMARTS-SAMARA
• SMARTS-Saransk
• SMARTS-Saratov
• SMARTS-Ulyanovsk
• SMARTS-Cheboksary
• SMARTS-Elista
• Smolensk Cellular Communications
• Smoltelecom
• Promoting the development and use of navigation technologies
• Sonnet
• Sotel-cell. connection of Chuvashia
• Cellular Communications of Bashkortostan
• Sprint
• Surgutneftegaz
• T2 Mobile
• Your mobile technologies
• Tele2-Omsk
• Tele2-St. Petersburg
• Telecom-Service
• Tyvasvyazinform
• Tyumenruscom
• Uralwestcom
• FEBO Telecom
• Financial Company Imperative
• Phonecom
• Central Telegraph
• Express TeleCom
• Elemte-Invest
• ESOTEL-Rustelcom
• Yaroslavl-GSM

List of codes

List of involved mobile codes:

90x:91x:92x:93x:94x:95x:96x:97x:98x:99x:

Operator and region by phone number:

Operator by code:

Of the 100 possible cellular codes, 79 are used and 21 are free. Free codes: 907, 935, 940, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 957, 959, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976 , 979, 990, 998. They are in reserve and do not yet belong to any operator. The Big Three operators own entire series of numbers:

• MTS codes - 910..919, 980..989 (26 codes in total);
• MegaFon codes - 920..929, 930..939 (25 codes in total);
• Beeline codes - 902..906, 960..969 (24 codes in total).

See also operator codes by region and other operator codes:

• Rostelecom codes - 901, 902, 912, 930, 939, 955, 958, 970, 971, 991, 992, 993 (12 codes in total);
• Tele 2 codes - 900, 901 ... 996, 999 (18 codes in total);
• MTT codes - 901, 923 ... 995, 996 (28 codes in total);
• Tinkoff Mobile codes - 995 (1 code);
• SberMobile codes - 901, 930, 933, 958, 966, 977, 980, 989, 995, 996 (10 codes in total).