Hi everyone,

(Note: I go by SQFreak on HoFo and WirelessAdvisor, but this forum wouldn't authorize that account.)

I'm going to Russia as a student this summer for five weeks in Moscow and one week in St. Petersburg. For reasons that have been explained to me, I'd like to get a prepaid mobile while I'm there that will work in both cities. I've heard it can be difficult for an American to get a prepaid mobile in Russia. Does anyone who's done it know the best way to go about it, the right type of plan, the company that's most helpful to English-speakers (I speak some Russian, but I'm not near fluent.), etc.?

Thanks!

I guess you should check this thread - http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=513 , it's long enough so there you may find all the answers that you need. Although it's about a year passed since the time the thread got started, there's nothing actually changed. I still recommend you to pick the Единый (Ediny) tariff from MegaFon in Moscow, and a local St.Petersburg SIM from any operator + a calling card to call the States. Will you need to call local Russian numbers often? Well, if you need some help with Russian (constructing the phrases that you'd use during a SIM purchase), I'd gladly help.

The phone is more for emergencies than anything else unless calls to the US are very cheap.

I'd be buying a phone in Russia to avoid dealing with Russian bureaucracy more than I have to. The US State Department says that to bring in a cell phone, you have to have a letter of guarantee from the service provider as well as a certification that you'll pay for it, and send it to the Glavgossvyaznadzor to get permission to bring it in, then declare it in customs. So to use the phone on two different networks, I'd have to get it unlocked in Russia, which I'd imagine isn't easy. Correct?

You may use Единый tariff from MegaFon Moscow to call the States, it's about $0.11/min, isn't it so expensive? I guess it's cheap enough. Calling the States using other tariffs and operators is usually much more expensive. The alternative is a calling card, it's $0.03-$0.12/min to the States via a local landline access number.

The things you saying about the Госсвязьнадзор's permissions and so on sound very strange to me. I have never heard a foreigner had any problems with bringing her or his cellular phone into Russia for last 4-5 years and carrying it back home. Some people from this forum or their friends did successfully visit Russia having their cellular phone with them and had no problems. I guess you are talking about the very outdated law: before February 2000 Russians had to register their cellular phones for Госсвязьнадзор too, and any border crossing was a problem both for Russians and foreigners because border guards could have asked for a Госсвязьнадзор permission. The permissions, as I wrote, was cancelled in 2000. Where did you get the info you told me? Do the US State Department update their data on foreign countries sometimes? :blink: By the way, have a look here - http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1006.html . You may read the following: "Visitors may bring in regular cellular telephones to Russia without restriction. Satellite telephones require advance approval from the Russian authorities. ". And, yes, there's a restriction put on GPS, but it's not your problem unless you have a mixed GPS/GSM device. Still have doubts?

By the way, what phone would you be able to bring with you to Russia? Which bands does it have? It's quite important if it has 900 MHz, 1800 MHz or both because different operators use such the bands more or less or even just the only band. And, yes, the phone should be unlocked to accept a Russian SIM card. It's theoretically possible to unlock phone in Russia, and it's quite cheap, but you can't do it without fluent Russian and knowing the local reality well (unlocking is a sort of hidden business here, you get what I mean, right?). However, it's all about your American GSM phone, which is probably locked for now. Keep in mind, all phones sold in Russia are unlocked. You just go to a dealer shop and buy a phone (separately to a SIM, i.e. you may just buy a GSM phone without a SIM as if it was a DECT cordless phone or something like that), and this phone is always unlocked. So, it's not a problem at all. Do not buy a phone at the operator's offices, you'd better buy them in popular dealer shops such as Связной or Евросеть (these are spread both in St.Petersburg and Moscow, AFAIK), which you may find almost at every metro station here. A phone you might buy here would probably be 900/1800 MHz only (good for Europe but useless for the States) or 900/1800/1900 MHz (good for Europe and fine for the States in places with 1900 MHz GSM coverage).

Same here. I know of a few colleagues that have visited Moscow with their phones, and used it there without any issues at all. So, I am not sure where he is getting all this info from.

'K, here's the thing - I don't actually own a GSM phone at all. So I'd either be buying one in Russia or buying an unlocked one off eBay. (My phone here is CDMA.) The reason I was leaning toward buying one there was so it would have the native power plugs and I wouldn't have to worry about converting or possibly transforming it. In the UK, I was able to purchase a prepaid mobile with O2 for about ?50 ($90USD, 2500 руб.) With the new information, I'm starting to reconsider...(plus, an English interface would be nice) Maybe grabbing an unlocked quad-band phone for $100-$150 is the way to go.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/region...ional_1176.html says: Last updated May 2001. I suppose therein lies the problem.

Well, this is funny. Look, I gave you another link within the same site (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1006.html) and it said "Visitors may bring in regular cellular telephones to Russia without restriction", nothing more nothing less. It's dated November 23, 2005, so I guess this is much more correct at present. The things your older link tells us look very similar to the law cancelled in February, 2000, so now I'm sure it's the same thing. By the way, I usually cross the border with two phones and have no problems anywhere, including the Russian border (such the law usually applies both on residents and foreigners). I guess some problems would occur if you carry more than 2 phones with you, though.

My piece of advice for you: buy a GSM phone here, don't mess with eBay. No documents etc. are needed to buy a cellular phone here itself. I guess a phone bought in Russia would be cheaper, and, yes, it would include a charger with the native Russian plug (in fact it's continental European type: thin and round 2 pins) and Russian AC voltage support (220-240 volts only, or may be 110-240 volts so you'd be able to use it in the States via a plug adaptor). Look here - http://www.svyaznoy.ru/shop/cellphon...l?standart=gsm , there you may find a price for an almost every cellular phone that you might buy in one of the dozens of Связной dealer shops (Russian language). As you can see, you may buy a lowend simple phone for 1500-1600 rubles (less than $60) or even for 1400 rubles, and such the phone would be unlocked and fully functional here (both 900/1800 MHz). You'd have to pay more if you need a triband (900/1800/1900) to be able to use it in the States. So, keep in mind cellular phones in Russia are not expensive, eventually.

By the way, I'm afraid it's difficult to buy a quad-band phone here. What models of quad-bands do you know? I'd look for them here. Here most of the phones are either 900/1800 or 900/1800/1900, so no real chance to find 850 MHz supported, I guess. And, menu languages in phones being sold here are usually English, Russian, Ukrainian and sometimes Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian etc., but English does always present (usually including T9 English support too, if T9 is supported itself). So, it's not a problem at all.

I was thinking a Motorola V600 or something of the like. A lot of American phones are quad-band because the main provider, Cingular, is GSM850/GSM1900, and if they want world roaming, they'll need GSM900 and GSM1800, which brings us to quad band.

It looks like there's a Связной just the other side of Вернадского пр. from МГИМО on Лобачевского ул, about 1.5km away. Do they sell SIM cards there, or will I need to go to a Мегафон place?

I'd say buy the unlocked quad or triband phone on eBay before you go. Prices are very reasonable these days.

I'm sure they sell SIMs there, so you can buy a SIM from MegaFon, MTS or BeeLine there, you can top up your SIM there and so on. There's no need to go at an operator's office, dealers sell SIMs too. It's possible they won't find a SIM with the Единый tariff, so you will have to make one tariff change yourself a bit later, but I'm sure you'll be able to buy any MegaFon SIM there. Also, there's the data registration problem. Any Russian SIM should be registered, even a prepaid. It doesn't put any responsibility, it's just a rule and I'm sure they won't cancel it (all these antiterrorist stuff etc. keeps it working). So, they will probably refuse your foreign data, thus you'll need some personal data from your Russian friend or from your American friend with a Russian residence permit to register the SIM. It's nothing more than just informing the state, so it's no problem to supply your data to a person whom you trust. It's even possible that the shop sales personnel will provide their own data. I'm not actually sure about all this registration stuff, but I guess I should warn you. And, there's no problem in buying a phone, it's just about SIM.

I guess Motorola V600 is a sort of rare thing here. I hope you'll find a quadband here, but it's more likely that you'll have to get a 900/1800/1900 triband instead.

Uhh...I don't know anyone in Russia...
I'll be able to give them a Russian address and a US passport with visa; will that help?

I'm afraid it will not but I'm not sure. Anyway, it depends. SIMs are nothing more serious than a calling card here (except of the registration), for example, I mean they give them as presents when you buy a phone or so on, so I guess it will be possible for you to have no problems with getting a SIM. I can directly call the Moscow MegaFon support line in Moscow and ask them if a foreigner can register their SIM for himself this way. Should I? Whatever they say, it could be much more relaxed at a dealer shop, keep this in mind.

You don't have to do that because it wouldn't make any difference anyway. Even if I did need a Russian's details, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it until I got there, anyway.

Thanks for your help!

Yeah, that's right. It's in fact unclear, and the call wouldn't really clear it up. I mean they might say NO and you'll get the SIM using your details in Связной then, or, exactly the opposite. Could you, please, write here the result later? I'm really curious what will happen at the dealer shop in Moscow. Hope everything will be OK and they will sell you both phone and SIM.

So, while I'm resurrecting this, I figure giving an update now that I'm back from Russia might help others in the future. I brought an Ericsson T39mc with me.

1) They would not sell me a SIM card to any operator at Domodedovo Airport, International Arrivals Hall.
2) MegaFon in ТК "Тук Тук" on Пр. Вернадского would not sell me a SIM card without a registration stamp on my migration card, despite the fact that I had a document stating that my passport was currently not in my possession so that it could get said stamp.
3) BeeLine in the same place (downstairs) selled me a SIM card the same day. But the tarriff was terrible and I bought a new SIM card at...
4) DIXIS at Охотный Ряд did sell me a MegaFon SIM card (100руб) with no problems once I had the registration stamp on my migration card. The fact that my passport was issued by the New Orleans passport agency made for some interesting conversation. The agent ended up writing that my passport was issued by Полиция Нового Орлеана (the police of New Orleans). The very official-sounding address I gave them ended up on the registration form too.
5) Recharging of a MegaFon-Moscow-based mobile in St. Petersburg (MegaFon-Cevero-Zapad territory) was possible. Someone else with a MegaFon-Moscow card bought a 500руб payment card in SPB and used it with no problems.
6) I could never get my MegaFon voicemail to work, but that was probably my fault of not understanding the Russian instructions telling me how to set it up.

Any other questions, I'll be happy to answer; just let me know.

Thanks a lot for your info, it's interesting. So, it seems that it's enough to have a registration stamp on your migration card to buy a SIM card, isn't it? It's not that bad, I mean they do not ask for a long term residence permit, at least. What's strange about Полиция Нового Орлеана? Here passports are being issued by милиция (i.e. police), so Russians think it's police who issue passports everywhere. Here it's common to use the passport issuing date and issuer's info to identify a person as well as other personal data.

MegaFon currently sell recharge cards valid for all of their branches, which are called 'Единая карта оплаты' and usually look as a green colored card with big white digits showing the card value in rubles on it's face. I haven't seen regional recharge cards (valid for the only branch) for long enough.

Accordingly to the MegaFon Moscow site their voicemail should be activated by a call to *105*4*3*1# (Лайт tariffs) or *105*3*1*1# (contract tariffs). Had you tried such the combination? Also, it seems you have to set up call redirection (when not reachable or may be when busy etc.) to the voice mail number (+79262000222) yourself. Also, first time you call the voice mail number you have to specify your password and record a voice phrase. There are some other complicated options. Also, their voicemail is not free (monthly fee on some tariffs and 30..70 rubles just for switching it off). So, it's not that easy to get it working for a foreigner. :(

And, finally, visitors to Russia should keep in mind that CPP (Calling Party Pays) is now working here (since 1st of June). So, any calls to Russian SIMs (including calls from abroad) are free for their owners.

Yes. That's also the story I got from the people at Domodedovo airport. It's also the story that my professor, who is fluent in Russian, got from the people at Megafon. She bought her SIM from a semi-reputable dealer in the US and, when she arrived in Russia, it didn't work. They made it work, but it was an interesting ordeal, because obviously the SIM wasn't registered to her and they wouldn't let her buy a new SIM without a stamp on the migration card. Then, as she was arguing with them in the Megafon store about making it work, after not being able to place a call not five minutes before, it started working. Worked fine after that!

I know that, but I still think it's funny, because it said "New Orleans Passport Agency" and I'm from North Carolina. That's a quarter of the way across the country. It's also certainly not issued by a police department, a city-funded - not federally-funded or even federally-regulated - agency in the US.

I was kind of wondering why it was the "one card of payment." That explains that.

I'd set it up, but I had (and still have) no idea how to set up call redirection. I haven't had a GSM phone in four years.

1st of July you mean, right? And only when you're not roaming? I had to pay for incoming calls to my Megafon Moskva number (+7-926...) while in St. Petersburg on the Megafon Severo-Zapad network from July 1 to July 7. I didn't use it much for that reason. And because I didn't think I could recharge it.

Well, I have an idea that the SIM was not registered in the network and in the MegaFon users DB before it got transported in the US. So, it remained inactive for all that time. Russian SIMs are usually inactive since their birth, and in many cases they should be specially activated by sending the personal info from a dealer to the operator support. It usually takes a few hours to go online. So, she had probably gotten an inactivated SIM. They could refuse to activate the SIM, so I'm sure it was them (MegaFon support) who did activate it after they talked and they probably did it on their good will only (since she was not able to prove the SIM was hers).

For a Russian it seems to be completely strange to have passports issued by non state organizations, since passports are supposed to provide some personal identification, which is completely linked to the rights and responsibilities put and allowed by the state. Anyway, here a passport might be issued in another region than your home one too, because you can move and you do not have to change your passport with every move you make. You just change passports when they expire.

Absolutely. Before, cards were different for every branch, and were carrying the same brands (MegaFon, GSM Lite etc.), so it made some mess for people travelling from one region to another.

You can do it from the phone menu (it should be something like Settings->Call options->Divert calls->Voice calls->Not reachable->Activate on your T39) or using the network control codes. It's quite easy to do.

Oh, yes. I mistyped. And, yes, CPP works only when you are located in the SIM's home region. Once you leave it, the 'innernetwork' roaming starts, thus incoming calls are no longer free. AFAIR they are 9 rubles/min with MegaFon. A region... do you know what's that? It's область, i.e. there are 4 regions between Moscow and St.Petersburg: Moscow and St.Petersburg with their rural areas themselves, Novgorod region and Tver region. You need to buy separate SIMs for every region you visit to get free incoming calls along the whole route. It's not any convenient. :( Luckily, you still can recharge in another region, you can use some network specific services etc., it's a sort of strange roaming, half-roaming. :wacko: