A new player has appeared on the Russian mobile communications market - Yota. For a long time, this corporation was known as a provider of wireless Internet access. In the range of services of the new operator, all those services that are in demand today, that is, voice communication, SMS, as well as network access. The latter is characterized by unlimited, and in absolutely real terms. If the tariffs of other mobile operators apply a traffic limit in excess of the prepaid volume, then Yota does not use this approach, at least for now. What are the chances of gaining a foothold in the Russian market with a mobile operator as young as Yota? What kind of reviews prevail? What is the advantage of using Yota services for subscribers?
Access to the market
The new mobile operator Yota actually entered the market in August 2014. The issuance of SIM-cards under this brand began in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Tula and the Far Eastern cities: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Interestingly, users could submit preliminary applications for receiving SIM-cards in advance through the mobile application. At the same time, Yota (the "mobile operator") announced its new status back in April. Before that, for many years this organization was mainly engaged in the provision of wireless Internet access services. Activities in this direction are still being conducted by the company: it sells branded modems of the corresponding type. Therefore, for an unmistakable distinction between the two main types of services provided by the organization (mobile Internet and mobile communications), we will refer to the company as "Yota-mobile operator" in our article. In turn, if we are only talking 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 mobile services in all regions of Russia. The target audience identified by Yota-mobile operator are iPad, iPhone and Android enthusiasts. That is, those people who are used to using mobile Internet. We also note that the company Yota can be relatively arbitrarily considered an independent player in the cellular market. The fact is that this organization is a subsidiary of Megafon. At the same time, as some analysts believe, the Yota-mobile operator can still win a certain market share from other major segment corporations (MTS and Beeline).
Basic rates
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 SMSs for 750 rubles per month. Those that the Yota-mobile operator offers, the tariffs today mainly differ in the number of calls to phones. That is, there is a "basic" monthly payment of 300 rubles, it guarantees unlimited Internet. In turn, you can pay 50 rubles and get an unlimited number of SMS messages. The minimum surcharge for voice calls is 140 rubles (100 minutes), the maximum is 990 (1200 minutes).
Limitations
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 released by the Yota-mobile operator, w3bsit3-dns.com type, will be fully functional. Also, with the help of 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. The truth is not entirely clear how this will be implemented in practice.
At the same time, the company will introduce a similar limitation if it is discovered that the owner of the mobile device is using file-sharing networks , for example, torrents, or large files are being uploaded. Unlike determining the fact of Wi-Fi distribution, Yota should not have problems with fixing 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 the 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 the mobile application. The ordered SIM card will be delivered by the courier. It can also be picked up at pick-up points, the address of which will be displayed in the application. If customers experience difficulties in using the services, the Yota-mobile operator will send the settings through their support service, they are necessary for the correct operation of SIM-cards. The emphasis is on the interaction of the appropriate supplier structure with customers through online channels, for example through chat.
Reviews
The Yota mobile operator has very diverse reviews from experts and users. They can conditionally be classified into three categories. The former characterize the quality of the provision of communication services. The second is the pricing policy of the company. Still others are 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 the Megafon infrastructure, which is probably not inferior in technological effectiveness 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 by simply comparing them even with those that Megafon has, their benefits are not so obvious. Moreover, there are marked limitations in using the Internet. There is another point of view on which tariffs from Yota are quite fair. The fact is that you can get really unlimited Internet for a monthly fee of 300 rubles per month (if you do not violate the rules for its use, it does not have restrictions on traffic, speed, etc.), not every operator can.
Many users, by the way, are impressed by the sales channel, which was organized by the Yota-mobile operator. Customer reviews say that courier delivery is convenient. You can order a SIM card anywhere in the city, home, to work.
Coating
How effective is the new operator ready to serve subscribers in terms of coverage? Everything depends, first of all, on the applied communication technology. Of course, the Yota-mobile operator provides coverage by 2G and 3G standards almost everywhere, if we talk about the cities where the company operates.
Another thing when it comes to the latest technology 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, those resources that include the 3G standard are sufficient to meet the basic needs of using the Internet. Given that it is undesirable for Yota customers to upload large files, the practical need for speeds of more than 3-4 Mbit, which gives 3G, may be low.
Marketing
Actually, you can talk about the reviews that characterize the market prospects of the new mobile service provider. It is believed that Yota, in particular, is not quite effective in terms of engaging sales channels. As we have already said, the distribution of SIM-cards is carried out by ordering via the website and delivery by courier or using points of issue. This is not the most optimal path that the Yota-mobile operator has chosen, the reviews of employees of some analytical agencies are kept in this tone. The fact is that in order to conquer a significant share of the company’s market, it is necessary to win a target group of customers of 10 million people, for this we need larger distribution channels, such as, for example, retail brand chains.
Sales Innovation
There are also experts who believe that the resources selected by Yota for distributing SIM cards are, in fact, revolutionary in their own way. The fact is that when standard channels are activated, in particular, retail brand chains, the cost of attracting a client is about 500-700 rubles, and this is usually a 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 are lower. However, it is entirely acceptable to assume that Yota will use innovative distribution methods only at the very beginning of the business, if necessary using standard, albeit more expensive channels.
Will the Internet be unlimited?
It is believed that over time, Yota, announcing its willingness to provide Internet access services in a completely unlimited format, will move to a model in which restrictions may be provided. Now this mobile operator, due to a fairly small number of users (if compared with the number of subscribers of the same Megafon and other Big Three companies), can provide unlimited access to online 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 uploads files and data by about 3-5 gigabytes per month.
The user does not 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 special reason to expect that in the segment where the company will provide services, the average monthly volume of traffic will increase significantly from 3-5 gigabytes (especially taking into account 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 move away from the policy of providing unlimited access to the Internet.
Market segments
We said above that Yota is likely to focus on Premium level customers. That is, those who may be willing to overpay for additional communication services provided that they use unlimited Internet. At the same time, there is a version that the range of customers of the new operator will also be replenished by those who are accustomed to average prices. This can be facilitated, for example, by the profitable roaming policy of Yota.
All calls between subscribers of this operator are now free throughout Russia. In addition, according to some experts, unlimited SMS for 50 rubles is a very 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 of the business model that the Yota-mobile operator offers, when exactly the company will master the new target customer groups.
Yota - a competitor to Megafon?
Can Yota be considered a direct competitor to Megafon, despite the fact that it is a subsidiary of one of the leading Russian operators? Experts believe that this is not so. There are completely radical versions in this regard. According to one of them, Megafon, in principle, is not interested in the success of the new business implemented by Yota. The mobile operator (reviews of some analysts, at least contain such assumptions) did not appear on the market in order to select part of the holding’s customers, 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 fundamentally new niches for the Russian mobile 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 can use this opportunity in the future. But for now, as evidenced by the experts regarding the activities carried out by the Yota-mobile operator, reviews and reviews on thematic portals, the company is trying to negotiate with dealers at the Euroset and Svyaznoy level. 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 the potential client does not have to look for other options, such as going to the office of a retail brand.