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Author Topic: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?  (Read 6285 times)

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Offline Manny

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Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« on: May 20, 2010, 05:14:08 PM »
I am going to Russia in two weeks. (Samara - Togliatti region in case it matters for local providers)

I usually use an internet cafe there, but this time I am thinking of taking a laptop (notebook) with me. Is there a pay-as-you-go internet dongle available at a reasonable price does anyone know? And if yes, from whom or where?

We have these "3G" ones in the UK that seem to work OK and are not expensive now. I know this technology is in Russia, but is it affordable mainstream yet?

I was thinking of a dongle I could buy somewhere, load up with some cash and I'm good to go. Can anyone help with this please?
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Offline Vinnvinny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2010, 05:19:13 PM »
I bought (Kievstar) and use one in Ukraine Manny if that's a guide. The dongle was about £20, installation software had English option and using my existing Kievstar sim it's dirt cheap.

Offline Manny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2010, 05:21:22 PM »
I use bought (Kievstar) and use one in Ukraine Manny if that's a guide. The dongle was about £20, installation software had English option and using my existing Kievstar sim it's dirt cheap.

Where did you get it from? Just the local phone kiosk?
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.


Offline Vinnvinny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2010, 05:25:50 PM »
I use bought (Kievstar) and use one in Ukraine Manny if that's a guide. The dongle was about £20, installation software had English option and using my existing Kievstar sim it's dirt cheap.

Where did you get it from? Just the local phone kiosk?

Sort of. I got it from a metro kiosk that sold everything from papers to beer so I'm sure they would be available from dedicated phone outlets.

Offline Manny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2010, 05:30:42 PM »
Was it 3G? Did they understand the term "3G" or must we just ask for "tree geh" (3Г) for example, or is there another term?
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline Vinnvinny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2010, 05:36:18 PM »
No idea sorry. Someone I know in Kiev who has one and I used it in an emergency on my laptop once, was suitably impressed so i got them to take me and get me one too. I just stick my PAYG sim card in it and I'm away.

Offline dbneeley

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2010, 09:59:10 PM »
The ones advertised on TV here seem to run about 300 gryvnia---I haven't looked at the discount places to see if they can be had cheaper.

Yes, they are at least 3G, judging from the one I used last year in the hospital here that was loaned to me by a friend.

Prepaid cards are available all over, once you have a SIM from your chosen network. I understand it's the same deal in Russia.

David

Online andrewfi

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2010, 12:51:24 AM »
You will not find a dongle that is NOT 3G but of course they will fall back to EDGE or GSM if coverage is poor.

If Russia is similar to here then you may well find that you can buy a PAYG sim card and then you send an SMS to allocate value on the sim to data. That'll be much cheaper than paying the on-spec rate for data.

One thing to check, is your current dongle operator or sim locked? Check it with a sim from another network in the UK, if it works then you do not even need to buy another dongle.

Almost certainly using a dongle will cost less than the internet cafe though, assuming you don't go mad on downloading loads of pr0n pics of new ladagirl clients.
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Offline Manny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2010, 01:18:38 AM »
I get it now.

I'll pick up an unlocked dongle that a SIM can be used with from eBay then and take it with me.  :nod:

I have to buy a new SIM anyway as my old one will have expired so I'll just be sure to get one that is on some kind of 3G data deal.

Most of the ones we have here you do not plug a SIM in any more - at least from the ones I have seen recently. I remember the early ones here were like that.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline Vinnvinny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2010, 01:29:24 AM »
I get it now.

I'll pick up an unlocked dongle that a SIM can be used with from eBay then and take it with me.  :nod:

I have to buy a new SIM anyway as my old one will have expired so I'll just be sure to get one that is on some kind of 3G data deal.

Most of the ones we have here you do not plug a SIM in any more - at least from the ones I have seen recently. I remember the early ones here were like that.

Thinking about it ... The one I borrowed you did have to but your sim card in but the one I bought I dont. You will be like this when you're old.  tiphat

What I do remember clearly is that in the connection option menu I had to pay around with certain 'tariffs' as they all seemed to connect at the same speed, but some were ridiculously more expensive than others.

Online andrewfi

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2010, 01:40:04 AM »
Kewl. If Russia is similar to Estonia (and I bet it is!) then you just buy any ordinary sim but allocate value to the data and it is a permanent thing. Once you put cash onto the account and allocate it to data then it stays there, you can not transfer it back to voice. Of course you can always add more credit for whatever you need.

You will need (I think) to go to a fone shop to get a bright spark to show you the procedure first off coz the info will be clear as mud on some page of the foneco website. :(

Here the money you allocate to data 'dies' after one month, a real rip off given that voice credit is retained for many months.
...everything ends always well; if it’s still bad, then it’s not the end!

Offline sparky114

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2010, 02:06:58 AM »
Try MTC they have a deal for about 1000 roubles for a month unlimitted, it is what i used in my unlocked dongle at Christmas.

The only thing i found it was more EDGE coverage than 3G but still worked ok
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Offline Olga_Mouse

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2010, 10:31:56 AM »

Try MTC they have a deal for about 1000 roubles for a month unlimited, it is what i used in my unlocked dongle at Christmas.

The only thing i found it was more EDGE coverage than 3G but still worked ok


790 roubles, actually - or 900 roubles for unlimited  :-X

http://www.mts.ru/services/internet/connect/
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Offline sparky114

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2010, 11:58:15 AM »

Try MTC they have a deal for about 1000 roubles for a month unlimited, it is what i used in my unlocked dongle at Christmas.

The only thing i found it was more EDGE coverage than 3G but still worked ok


790 roubles, actually - or 900 roubles for unlimited  :-X

http://www.mts.ru/services/internet/connect/

Miss Mouse my thanks to you for absolutely clarifying my post to the nearest kopek  :P

As i said Manny it is around 1000 roubles for unlimited  :chuckle:
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Offline Donhollio

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2010, 04:26:16 PM »
 WTF is a dongle  ???  I just learned what a blog was a year ago , and now we dongles? Manny I noticed the McDonald's all had y -fi. Every teenager had their laptops open. Or you can hold off on buying that 'dongle' and see if fat Yuri has y-fi in his flat. If so you can whore in on his kopeck!   :party0011:

 ok.... I'll show my way to the door.... :LIMP:

Offline Manny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #15 on: May 21, 2010, 04:53:07 PM »

Try MTC they have a deal for about 1000 roubles for a month unlimited, it is what i used in my unlocked dongle at Christmas.

The only thing i found it was more EDGE coverage than 3G but still worked ok


790 roubles, actually - or 900 roubles for unlimited  :-X

http://www.mts.ru/services/internet/connect/

Spaciba Balshoye Ms Maish.  tiphat

I shall despatch wifey to the nearest телефон kiosk before my arrival to acquire same.  :nod:
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline Manny

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #16 on: June 11, 2010, 01:36:46 PM »
For the purposes of completeness, I am writing this post courtesy of the afore mentioned pay-as-you-go internet dongle.  :party0031:

From the local MTS kiosk, 940 Rubles including the first months traffic. You need a local to show a passport to buy one (as with many things). Set up is real easy, and it has an English interface too. You must put the chip in a telephone first and call somewhere to activate it before use (Wifey's department).

940 Rubles is around £20 or $30. That's "throw it away when you are done" money for foreign internet access. Excellent!  :nod:

Speed isn't all that, but what do you want for that price? For a 3G dongle, its OK and usable.  :nod:

For guys writing women who have internet difficulties, but them one of these! Double the price and you buy them 6 months access. No more Russian internet cafe stories:)

A superb find! Thanks Sparky and Ms Mouse.

Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline Voyager

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2010, 01:07:49 AM »
I am going to Russia in two weeks.
I usually use an internet cafe there, but this time I am thinking of taking a laptop (notebook) with me. Is there a pay-as-you-go internet dongle available at a reasonable price does anyone know? And if yes, from whom or where?

It also depends on how often you need the internet (how addicted  :chuckle:)
I use the same systen in canada too, but it can be a bit iffy getting a signal sometimes.

If you only need to check in occasionally, you might check to see if there is a local cafe that offers complimentary WiFi.
I found one in Ukraine near where i was staying, I went in for breakfast & checked e-mails.  :)

Offline dbneeley

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Re: Using a Local Pay-As-You-Go Internet Dongle in Russia?
« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2010, 01:25:09 AM »
I know several people here in Ukraine who use these and seem quite happy with them.

A few months ago, these dongles were being advertised on TV for 300 UAH, but I have not attempted to price them myself.

It is my understanding that the monthly service includes some set amount of data transfer--I think in 5 Gbit units, if memory serves from an explanation a friend gave me last year when he loaned me his netbook with the dongle for a few days when I was in the hospital.

Today, if I had occasion to travel much in Ukraine, I would probably get one of these myself. I imagine there are large areas of Russia in which cell service would be spotty, but I would expect excellent results in the cities pretty much everywhere. Cell phones over here seem as ubiquitous as in the West these days, after all.

As far as I am aware, all the cellular services offer these, too. The largest operator in Ukraine is Kievstar. although MTS is also here along with a few others (including Life and Beeline, from what I have noticed). We're on Kievstar, since most of our friends and family members are also, and calling them on the same network doesn't run up the minutes.

David