A new player has appeared on the Russian cellular communications market - Yota. For a long time, this corporation was known as a provider of wireless Internet access. The range of services of the new operator includes all those services that are in demand today, that is, voice communication, SMS, as well as access to the network. The latter is characterized by unlimitedness, and in absolutely real terms. If the tariffs of other cellular operators apply a restriction on traffic in excess of the prepaid volume, then Yota does not use this approach, at least now. What chances does a mobile operator as young as Yota have to gain a foothold in the Russian market? What kind of reviews prevail? How is using Yota services especially beneficial for subscribers?
Going to market
The new mobile operator Yota actually entered the market in August 2014. Issuance of SIM-cards under this brand began in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Tula and Far Eastern cities: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Interestingly, users could apply for SIM cards in advance through a mobile application. At the same time, Yota has its new status ("mobile operator").communications") announced back in April. Prior to that, for many years, this organization was mainly engaged in the provision of wireless Internet access services. Activities in this direction are still carried out by the company: it sells branded modems of the appropriate type. Therefore, for an unmistakable distinction two main types of services provided by the organization (mobile Internet and cellular communications), we will refer to the company as "Yota-mobile operator" in our article. In turn, if we talk only about the mobile Internet, we will call the company "Yota-provider".
The company plans to ensure the presence of the brand as a provider of cellular services in all regions of Russia. The target audience, which was determined by the company Yota-mobile operator, is iPad-, iPhone- and Android enthusiasts. That is, those people who are used to using mobile Internet. We also note that Yota can be relatively conditionally considered an independent player in the cellular communications market. The fact is that this organization is a subsidiary of MegaFon. At the same time, according to some analysts, Yota-mobile operator can still "win back" a certain market share from other largest corporations in the segment ("MTS" and "Beeline").
Basic fares
The tariff policy of the new mobile provider is quite young. For example, at the time of entering the market, the company made it possible to use only one tariff,including 300 minutes of calls, unlimited internet and any number of SMS for 750 rubles per month. Those offered by the Yota-mobile operator, the tariffs today mainly differ in the number of just calls to phones. That is, there is a "basic" monthly payment of 300 rubles, it guarantees unlimited Internet. In turn, you can pay an additional 50 rubles and get an unlimited number of SMS for use. The minimum surcharge for voice calls is 140 rubles (100 minutes), the maximum is 990 (1200 minutes).
Restrictions
Note that the SIM card from the new mobile operator is only suitable for smartphones, tablets and cell phones. You cannot connect it to a PC, you can use a modem from a Yota provider to access the Internet.
Devices in which the SIM-card issued by the Yota-mobile operator, w3bsit3-dns.com-type will be fully functional. Also, using mobile devices with a SIM card from Yota, you can not "distribute" the Internet in Wi-Fi mode. Some experts note that if the provider detects violations in the use of the SIM card, then the speed of access to the network can be reduced to 32 kbps. True, it is not entirely clear how this will be implemented in practice.
At the same time, the company will introduce a similar restriction if it is discovered that the owner of the mobile device uses file-sharing networks, such as "torrents", or downloads large files. Unlike determining the fact of distribution of Wi-Fi, problems with fixingYota should not have requests for trackers. If there are no violations on the part of the user, then access to the network is guaranteed at a decent speed through the 4G standard and, moreover, unlimited.
Connection
How to connect to the services offered by Yota-mobile operator? There are two main ways. A SIM card from this communication service provider can be ordered through the company's website or use a mobile application. The ordered SIM-card will be delivered by a courier. You can also pick it up at the points of issue, the address of which will be displayed in the application. If customers encounter difficulties in using the services, the Yota-mobile operator will send the settings through its support service, they are necessary for the correct operation of SIM cards. At the same time, the emphasis is on the interaction of the relevant structure of the supplier with customers through online channels, for example, via chat.
Reviews
Yota-mobile operator reviews of experts and users is very different. They can be conditionally classified into three categories. The first characterize the quality of communication services. The second is the pricing policy of the company. Third, the market prospects of the new operator. Regarding the reviews of the first type, we can say that in general they are positive. And this is not surprising, since Yota largely uses MegaFon's infrastructure, which is probably not inferior in terms of manufacturability to that used by other operators. Regarding prices, the opinions of users and experts are different.
Premium Product
Yota-mobile operator offers tariffs mainly for customers in the premium segment. Since, with a simple comparison of them, even with those that Megafon has, their benefit is not so obvious. Moreover, there are marked restrictions in using the Internet. There is another point of view, according to which the tariffs from Yota are quite fair. The fact is that not every operator can get truly unlimited Internet for a monthly fee of 300 rubles (if you do not violate the rules for its use, it has no restrictions on traffic, speed, etc.)
Many users, by the way, are impressed by the sales channel organized by Yota-mobile operator. Customer reviews say that courier delivery is convenient. You can order a SIM card anywhere in the city, home, work.
Covering
How effectively is the new operator ready to serve subscribers in terms of coverage area? It all depends, first of all, on the communication technology used. Of course, Yota-mobile operator provides 2G and 3G coverage almost everywhere, if we talk about the cities where the company operates.
It's different when it comes to the latest technologies based on 4G. In this case, the one that the Yota-mobile operator guarantees, the coverage area is distributed, even if we talk about Moscow, not always evenly. At the same time, to meet the basic needs of using the Internet, there are enough resources that the 3G standard includes. Taking into accountSince Yota customers do not want to download large files, the practical need for speeds over 3-4 Mbps, which gives 3G, may not be high.
Marketing
Actually, the reviews that characterize the market prospects of the new mobile service provider can be discussed separately. There is an opinion that Yota, in particular, is not quite effective in terms of engaging sales channels. As we have already said, distribution of SIM cards is carried out by ordering through the website and delivery by courier or using points of issue. This is not the most optimal path chosen by Yota-mobile operator, reviews of employees of some analytical agencies are sustained in this tone. The fact is that in order to win a significant market share, a company needs to win a target group of customers of 10 million people, this requires larger distribution channels, such as, for example, retail brand networks.
Innovation in sales
There are also experts who believe that the resources chosen by Yota for the distribution of SIM-cards, in fact, are revolutionary in their own way. The fact is that when using standard channels, in particular, networks of retail brands, the cost of attracting a client is about 500-700 rubles, and this is usually the minimum. If you use the services of a courier, then the figure is reduced by about half. Another thing is that the dynamics of distribution in this case is lower. However, it is quite reasonable to assume that Yota will use innovative methods of distribution only in thestarting a business, using standard, albeit more expensive channels if necessary.
Internet will be unlimited?
It is believed that over time, Yota, which announces its readiness to provide Internet access services in a completely unlimited format, will move to a model that may include restrictions. Now this mobile operator, due to a rather small number of users (when compared with the number of subscribers of the same Megafon and other Big Three companies), can provide unlimited online access without any nuances (except for restrictions on downloading "torrents"). There are experts who believe that there are no objective prerequisites for this. At least for the reason that the average Russian mobile Internet user downloads about 3-5 gigabytes of files and data per month.
User doesn't need much
This volume is generally guaranteed in the "standard" tariff plans of other mobile operators, but within the framework of prepaid traffic and for the same 300 rubles per month. Probably, experts believe that, firstly, Yota has no particular reason to expect that in the segment where the company will provide services, the average monthly traffic volume will increase significantly relative to 3-5 gigabytes (especially given the restrictions on "torrents" and files large size), and secondly, technology is still developing. And therefore, the potential load on the server may not be so critical as to deviate from the policy of providing unlimited accesson the Internet.
Market segments
We said above that Yota is likely to focus on premium customers. That is, those who may be willing to overpay for additional communication services, provided they use unlimited Internet. At the same time, there is a version that the range of clients of the new operator will also be replenished with those who are used to average-priced tariffs. This can be facilitated, for example, by Yota's favorable roaming policy.
All calls between subscribers of this operator are now free throughout Russia. In addition, according to some experts, unlimited SMS for 50 rubles is quite a competitive price even against the background of "standard" tariffs from other operators. SMS has not yet gone out of fashion, despite the fact that online messengers are gaining more and more popularity. True, experts find it difficult to say, analyzing the prospects for the business model offered by Yota-mobile operator, when exactly the company will master new target groups of customers.
Yota - MegaFon competitor?
Can Yota be considered a direct competitor of MegaFon, despite the fact that it is a subsidiary of one of the leading Russian operators? Experts believe that this is not the case. There are completely radical versions on this score. According to one of them, MegaFon is not interested in the success of the new business implemented by Yota. The mobile operator (the reviews of some analysts at least contain such assumptions) appeared onmarket not in order to select a part of the clients of the holding, of which it is an integral part. Most likely, experts believe, this is due to the desire of the management of an innovative company to get used to niches that are fundamentally new for the Russian cellular market.
There is a version that Yota was forced to develop unusual distribution channels for SIM cards to a certain extent because Megafon did not provide the company with a resource in the form of its own dealer network.
Yota and retail chains
There is also an opinion that the mobile operator may use this opportunity in the future. But for now, as testified by the reviews and reviews left by experts regarding the activities carried out by the Yota-mobile operator, reviews on thematic portals, the company is trying to negotiate with dealers of the level of Euroset and Svyaznoy. Therefore, even if the holding does not give the green light to the involvement of the dealer network, Yota will have a spare resource. Although the resource possessed by the Yota mobile operator allows you to connect fairly quickly, and it is not at all necessary for a potential client to look for other options, such as going to the office of a retail brand.
