Phones N SMS - FSU

[BCARTR]

I thought I would put something together concerning purchasing your own phone to use in the FSU.
My examples below are for Ukraine, but I am pretty sure this works the same way in Russia. ;-)

Phones:

The FSU uses the GSM Wireless Technology as most European countries.
Here in the USA we use AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, and GSM depending on where you are at and what carrier you have (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular, etc )

Most folks in the USA could use their phone in the FSU along with outrages roaming rates. But if you are like me and want to same a few dollars (maybe more then a few) then you may want to purchase your own phone that you can exclusively use while you are in the FSU. You could wait until you get to the FSU and buy a phone there, however the prices are pretty much the same as you would find at any outlet store here.

Now before you go running off and purchasing a GSM phone at a store let me give you some more info. Carriers here actually purchase these phones and offer them at discounts if you sign up for 2 year agreements etc.. Then those phones can ONLY be used by that carrier, that phone is called a LOCKED phone. So what you need is an UNLOCKED phone.
So those of you that already utilize T-Mobile, Cingular or any other carrier that uses a SIM-Card, you could use your phone in Ukraine however you will need that unlock code.
Good luck if you think a Carrier will give you the unlock code for the phone. You could traverse Google and look for software or companies that will help you get that unlock code.  This does work if you have some time on your hands to install the software and work at it.  Of course you could pay someone to get the unlock code for you. Sprint/Verizon does not have GSM networks; therefore do not have SIM type phones.

So the easiest way to do this (if you don’t know software) is to get your butt on eBay and purchase a GSM Unlocked phone.
What you should search for are:
GSM
Unlocked
Quadband
There are 4 Bands that Carriers could use, so why not get a phone that can be used by all Carriers.  Otherwise, just make sure it can do this -> GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900

Here is a link for all GSM Unlocked Phones available in the USA

Here is an eBay link that shows all the phones that state they are Unlocked/Quad Band in the USA.

You don’t need a phone with all the bells and whistles, I mean are you actually going to be on the phone that much to use everything? You should be spending time with your lady if you know what I mean. So go for a less expensive phone, trust me it will not be used that much. I went with a Motorola V188 Quad band phone for $35.00 and I purchased an extra battery and made sure I had a wall charger too. Make sure you get an adapter to use in the FSU as well. I only took one of these adapters with me and it worked for my laptop, cell phone, MP3, and Bose headphones.

So now you have this phone, what is your phone number?
Ah ha, you need what they call a  SIM-card (subscriber identity module)
It is a smart card that is used in the mobile phones. It contains user's identifiers required to access the network and receive calls. It can store personal information, e.g. Phonebook and received SMS.

You could purchase this ahead of time and have it while you’re in the US however it will NOT work unless you are in the FSU. But you would have your number to give to your lady in advance. Or you can do what I did, and pick up a SIM card when you get to your destination.

Just to name the major airports in Ukriane:
Odessa, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk/store within the airport that sells SIM-Cards/Unified cards.

Kiev, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk outside the airport, between the 2 terminals. I do not know if they sell SIM cards, but they do sell Unified cards.

Donetsk, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk/store within the airport that sells SIM-Cards/Unified cards.

You can ask for a SIM card just like that as they seemed to know what I meant when I was there.  For a refill card you can say Scratch Card or just point at the pictures that they almost all have.


The carriers that are in Ukraine are: Kievstar, , DJuice, Life, Beeline, UMC, DCC, Golden Telecom, Jeans, and Sim Sim.
I went with Kievstar so a lot of the information below is for Kievstar.

Here is what a SIM Card looks like, I have 3 of them, one for the USA, one for Brazil (when I traveled there for work) and one for Ukraine. Of course each SIM card has its own unique phone number. I got one for the USA due to the fact that I did NOT want to take my regular Verizon phone and my new eBay Ukraine phone with me (I call it my Anna phone). No reason to take 2 phones so I went to T-Mobile and got me a SIM card for $25, its what they consider a PRE-PAID SIM. You pay for minutes before you use them. It is easier to carry one phone and 2 SIM cards then it is to carry 2 phones, 2 Chargers etc..

Note that this is a bonus that Anna can now SMS me when I am in the US. Yes I would have to have that T-Mobile USA SIM card in the phone in order for it to receive SMSs properly.(Not the Ukraine SIM Card)







 
You will need a Unified Card (Refill/Recharge Card) to put time/money on your phone.
It is basically a Pre-Paid phone now, however you pay and get UAH versus minutes.

Here is an example of a Unified Card and its directions from Kievstar (Ukraine)

You can purchase these almost anywhere in the FSU, shops, supermarkets, and kiosks on the sidewalks. I recommend you purchase 4 or 5(25 UAH) of these and keep them with you. The reason being, there is NO warning when you run out, it just runs out and hangs up on you, actually you hear a beep, but if your not familiar with it you will not know, the beep means you have about 1 min. left. So having an extra card helps. Of course you could fill it up to 200 UAH and not worry about it, but then again, it all depends on how much you use your phone when in the FSU. When calling to the USA with your new phone, it will be expensive, I believe a 7 minute call cost me about 200 UAH, so just be aware.

SIM-Cards/Unified cards do have an Expiration date associated with them.
A SIM Card is good up to 6 months once it is activated, you can only activated it while in the FSU. When you place a call (from the FSU) your expiration date on your SIM card automatically adjusts to 6 months past the last time you used it.
SIM-Cards come with 10 UAH so you can use your phone right away.

Unified Cards are good for 3 months, meaning you need to use your time ON your phone prior to 3 months otherwise you lose that UAH. If you have a card, there is an expiration date on it, usually a year, as long as you dont use that card your ok. But once you activate those UAH, then you have 3 months to use.

You can read the Kievstar web page for instructions but I thought I would put the few tips that you should know.

Activating Your SIM Card/Phone:

• Go to Ukraine/Russia
• Insert the Ukraine/Russian SIM card into the mobile phone
• Turn on your phone
• If prompted, enter the default PIN code - 1111   
• Your first call will activate the service

This is pretty much the same for ALL SIM Cards (to activate) however the Default PIN Code may be different, you can try 0000 or read your SIM Card instructions as it should have it on a label there for you.

Now here are some shortcuts for you guys to replenish your cash on your phone once you purchase a Unified Card.
The card is in Ukrainian/Russian so here is all you have to do.

Replenishing your phone with a Unified/Refill card.[/color]

• Scratch off the back to obtain that long number
• Input this in your phone like your placing a call (stars included) -> *123*YOUR_Recharge_CODE* [color = red]Hit the Talk/Send Key[/color] Now just watch your screen, you will get a confirmation that you added X amount of UAH.

Here is a fun one, you can SEND UAH to your lady's phone. This is in case you want to donate some UAH to her phone. It may be better then purchasing her a card, you could tell her that your minutes are going to expire prior to your next trip so you might as well send her what you have.  Anyways, you can then add UAH to your phone, and use this method to send UAH to her. Of course you have to be in Ukraine to do this.

Sending UAH to your ladys phone(or anyone elses) [/color]
Input -> *124*money*XXXXXXXXXXX# Hit the Talk/Send Key

Where Money equals the amount of UAH you want to send.

Where XXXXXXXXXXX = her FULL phone number. Country code included.
Example: 380671234567
The Stars* and the Number Key# is necessary…..
Example: *124*75*380671234567# Hit the Talk/Send Key
Once you hit send you will receive a Confirmation SMS message with a code, asking you if you are SURE you want to do this. Enter that code as stated(it changes) and hit Talk/Send and your done.
The example shows that I sent 75 UAH to 380671234567 


when receiving calls in Ukraine, they are normally free (incoming calls free) so you only use up RPH when you’re placing calls.  So you can call your lady all the time and her RPH will not be depleted.
That seems to be the same for incoming SMS messages as well.  Outgoing SMS messages are charged, another reason to use the Web page to send your SMS messages to your lady.

To make calls from the USA to Ukraine/Russia this is what you need to do.
Example: Your lady's phone number is +38 067 123 4567

Using a US Cell phone while in the US dial +38 067 123 4567
The plus sign is next to the ZERO key and you may have to hold it down for a few seconds.
Or you can dial  011 38 067 123 4567

Or from your home phone you would dial 011 38 067 123 4567

If you are in Ukraine and using your NEW GSM Phone, you would dial this -> 8 067 123 4567

(Forgive me and the spaces that I included, I did this for easier reading ;-) )

Costs in Ukraine for outgoing calls are as follows (example only)
Price per minute to call within Ukraine = 37 Kopecks (approximate)
100 Kopecks = 1 RPH
5 RPH = $1 USD


Here are Links to Telecom sites in Ukraine as well as links to send SMS messages via the internet.  This is useful for you to send SMS messages to your lady.
The TEXT are links so just click on the Sentence and you will be taken to that site.

Web site for Kievstar
To send SMS Messages via the Web 


Web site for Ace&Base
To send SMS Messages via the Web

Web site for Djuice
To send SMS Messages via the Web


Web site for Life
Life does not allow you to send SMS messages via the web unless you are a subscriber.


Web site for Beeline
To send SMS Messages via the Web


Web site for Sim Sim
To send SMS Messages via the Web  you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page

Website for UMC
To send SMS Messages via the Web  you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page

Website for Jeans
To send SMS Messages via the Web

Website for DCC
To send SMS Messages via the Web

Website for Golden Telecom
Did not find a SMS web page for Golden Telecom

Glossary:

SIM - Subscriber Identity Module
GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications.
UAH - Hrynia Abbreviation for Ukrainian Dollar
Unified Card - Refill/Recharge card
Carriers - Phone Company example: T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint etc.. In the USA. Kievstar, Life, UMC, Beeline, DCC etc.. In the FSU.

[Bruno]

Website for UMC
To send SMS Messages via the Web  you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page

Or go directly to http://www.umc.ua/eng/sendsms.php

[TwoBitBandit]

In Ukraine, I had no problem purchasing a sim card.   However, in Russia, there is some sort of a legal requirement that you have to show a RUSSIAN passport to get a SIM card.  I went to a few different stores and none of them would sell me a SIM card with a US Passport.  I eventually had to have a Russian citizen buy one for me.

[Manny]

Smart in Togliatti will sell to foreign passport holders FWIW.

[Olga_Mouse]

However, in Russia, there is some sort of a legal requirement that you have to show a RUSSIAN passport to get a SIM card.  I went to a few different stores and none of them would sell me a SIM card with a US Passport.  I eventually had to have a Russian citizen buy one for me.

According to my experience, Russian mobile phone companies would sell a SIM card to a foreigner if:

- he has a multi-entry visa for 6 or 12 months;

- there is a registration stamp with a Russian address on his immigration card (or this new additional paper they've introduced since January...).

[AnfieldRiot]

   The above listed info is great, thanks for listing that.

    Just to play it safe... what type of phone would be best for me to buy for someone to use in Russia. My gf's phone is seriously tired and old and in need of an upgrade.

[Vinnvinny]

You can purchase these almost anywhere in the FSU, shops, supermarkets, and kiosks on the sidewalks. I recommend you purchase 4 or 5(25 UAH) of these and keep them with you. The reason being, there is NO warning when you run out, it just runs out and hangs up on you, actually you hear a beep, but if your not familiar with it you will not know, the beep means you have about 1 min. left.

With Kievstar if you dial *111# then you will receive a message telling you how much credit you have left.

[andrewfi]

   The above listed info is great, thanks for listing that.

    Just to play it safe... what type of phone would be best for me to buy for someone to use in Russia. My gf's phone is seriously tired and old and in need of an upgrade.

Any phone that you buy in Russia. It'd be daft to buy one in the US coz it will have no warranty support, at least not without messing around, the book of words will be in Spanish or English and probably not Russian. The menus may not be available in Russian (bloody maddening this because we have THAT problem even here). No need to worry about unlocking or bands, the thing will just work. The power supply will plug straight into the wall, no need to buy new adapters of any kind.

Also, you will have something to do whilst with your penfriend/fiancee/inamorata/whatever and she will have an input into the choice which is never a bad thing.

[JayH]

Another thread that needs  updated information-- what appears the situation from a few years ago has got to be old news.

FWIW-- in Ukraine  you can get sim and phone access quite cheaply without any problems.Also get a data plan for phone.
It is also cheap to get internet access via dongle--it has the advantage of giving  inet access near enough everywhere.
I use phone data to access Skype to make international calls-- my original numbers are diverted to Skype-- so I avoid high cost of receiving international call also.
As far as I know--only US has a system where some phones are not compatible ie phones from everywhere else you can simply put the sim card in-- and it all works!!
Having a local number for incoming calls is easliy the best way to encourage calls.

[Vinnvinny]

It is also cheap to get internet access via dongle--it has the advantage of giving  inet access near enough everywhere.

Not in my experience. Access/connection speed was mostly poor and intermittent and it wasn't cheap.

[Manny]

It is also cheap to get internet access via dongle--it has the advantage of giving  inet access near enough everywhere.

Not in my experience. Access/connection speed was mostly poor and intermittent and it wasn't cheap.

We paid about £20 for an unlimited month in Russia and the dongle was maybe £5. Its probably a bit cheaper now.

[Zachris]

In my experience (Uzbekistan, so take this for what it is worth) internet access via dongle only works well within the confines of the major city (Tashkent). Moving out to the suburbs, the signal degrades and is intermittent. Sometimes it works great, sometimes it is very slow and sometimes it is non-existent.

Prices also vary quite a bit. My recent experiment with a new 3G internet provider resulted in a one hour Skype audio (not video) conversation that used about $2.00 worth of service. Maybe not expensive when thought of as a single event, but getting pricey when you repeat that twice daily over a month. That would be as much as I pay for my internet in the USA, except that this experiment was only used for Skype conversations.

The problem is that DSL is generally not available, and even if it were not many people maintain land line in their homes to take advantage of it.

And, of course, talking about T10 cable internet with your FSUW will probably result in a very confused look.

[andrewfi]

Dongle internet is going to vary quite a bit and I know that many service providers act to hobble VOIP access as, of course, they rightly see that every penny spent on voice chat over the internet is a penny not spent on their voice network.

If you have Skype then it may be worth looking at using Skype from a land-line (Skype To Go) - I do this and the cost is minimal and should be so pretty much everywhere that Skype offers service.

Expect to see 3G connections improve very fast - while USAian providers are moaning about it, in truth, 3/4G access is cheaper to provision than fixed internet and often faster. Over a couple of years I have seen connections move from a little dodgy to rock solid and faster than my cable connection and price is now such that I get unlimited bandwidth for €12 per month tethered to my laptop and for free I get 1Gb on my mobile as long as I buy credit for calls.
BTW, when I say unlimited I mean torrenting stuff when I want to (just as long as I do it at night and not during the day. From about 01:00 to 07:00 is when I get all my 'backups' and Linux distros').

In the FSU I understand that more folks use 3G internet for access than fixed line access.

[JayH]

It is also cheap to get internet access via dongle--it has the advantage of giving  inet access near enough everywhere.

Not in my experience. Access/connection speed was mostly poor and intermittent and it wasn't cheap.

  I use the "LIFE" network and it never let me down.Coverage has improved ( as per their website details) in the period I have used over the last 3 years. I have been in widespread areas in Ukraine and it worked everywhere.Never noticed it being intermittent. Costwise-- I need to check but 300-500grv seemed to last a long time.Website has the cost details precisely. I use pre-pay .As far as speed goes--I think it is comparable to my UK 3 network system is to use in UK.
I will check volume cost and what actuals were.

[AvHdB]

A year ago a dongle cost about €100 and include 100 GB download - do not know upload.

Further if your object of interst has a mobile foon you can send an SMS (text message) to MTS net numbers, 50, 66, 95, 99 via

http://www.mts.com.ua/eng/sendsms.php

on Kievstar (net numbers 67, 68, 96, 97, 98) you can use

http://www.Kievstar.ua/en/sms/

[JayH]

I have no affiliation with Life( for the record) -- what struck me is that the cost  was cheap-- certainly by standards I am used to.
Currently they have dongle for   $1 with   sign on. The last one I bought a few months ago was about $30 as far as I can remember.
They have plans from days to 30 days and longer( all the usual non expiry clauses if you do monthly top up-- which is about min 6UAH per month( less than $1) to keep it alive.
EG   3000GB   is UAH125( about $16) with 30 day expiry( see previous sentence)
You can operate account via the internet if you need to.( English option)
See  www.life.com.ua
I am quoting numbers as I said earlier it is cheap to use-- obviously I still think it is!!
Phone system works in similar way-- and you can make phone calls from the same sim as internet-- I have two  fro the sake of simplicity of use.

[Tom Cat]

6 FAQs about how to stay in touch when traveling in Russia

https://www.rbth.com/travel/tips/2017/05/27/6-faqs-about-how-to-stay-in-touch-when-traveling-in-russia_771560

[msmoby]

Talk about misleading - Tele2 is maj owned by a Russian company - Rostelecom - who provide a lot of the cable infrastructure in Russia


There are other operators in Russia ...

1/ Yota - who I use - a subsidiary of Megafon - but more data oriented - they are great for tourists as whether you are in Moscow, Piter, Sochi or Vladivostok - the call rates to other Yota users are the same.  You can buy a DATA sim and get 40MBs up/down and unlimited data for 1000 roubles

2/ Ekaterina based Motiv

When using open Wifi - never login to your bank / email, etc., as any script kiddy could crib your passwords.   Always use a VPN  - this applies anywhere

You'll need to provide your passport when buying a RU sim

[Tom Cat]

How to buy Russian SIM card if you are not Russian

https://www.rbth.com/travel/326630-how-to-buy-russian-sim-card

[msmoby]

This article was written by someone who has read up rather than tried  RU networks

1/They forgot YOTA which is a sub division of Megfon.

2/ Most folks priority is DATA and they use VoIP to make calls home, if they are sensible.

Currently, Russia is now scrapping unlimited data bundles and I can't find ONE on a sim only mobile phone plan(

However ....

If you have a mini WiFi router one can still buy unlimited data packages from Yota and use the data from the WiFi the device into which the sim is inserted.

3/Tele2 is more Siberia based and will not work in many cities..

If you are calling other RU networks, calls work out 'expensive' so best have a dual SIM phone and use the same network as your loved one!

[Poldark]

Currently, Russia is now scrapping unlimited data bundles and I can't find ONE on a sim only mobile phone plan

Who needs unlimited data on a mobile? I have 20GB on my EE sim and I only use 10GB but I can't understand how anyone would use fully unlimited data on a mobile, unless they're using it for mobile hotspot.

[msmoby]

Currently, Russia is now scrapping unlimited data bundles and I can't find ONE on a sim only mobile phone plan

Who needs unlimited data on a mobile? I have 20GB on my EE sim and I only use 10GB but I can't understand how anyone would use fully unlimited data on a mobile, unless they're using it for mobile hotspot.

Well, I can manage it - as I am often doing video calls for biz and relationship reasons !

[Ste]

Currently, Russia is now scrapping unlimited data bundles and I can't find ONE on a sim only mobile phone plan

Who needs unlimited data on a mobile? I have 20GB on my EE sim and I only use 10GB but I can't understand how anyone would use fully unlimited data on a mobile, unless they're using it for mobile hotspot.

I have unlimited data on all three of my Three sims, meanwhile the better half turned on her data in Eberg to find sonwhere got charged 42 quid for 7mb of data.

Daylight robbery!



.

[andrewfi]

Ste, looks like somebody needs a phone with two sim slots.

Here's an inexpensive option that works really well: UMIDIGI Z PRO

This is what I use. Found it very handy for traveling. Use it as a hotspot for my other stuff. Easy to switch sims from place to place, responds to calls to either sim.

[msmoby]

I have unlimited data on all three of my Three sims, meanwhile the better half turned on her data in Eberg to find sonwhere got charged 42 quid for 7mb of data.

Daylight robbery!



.

THAT is why we use a YOTA data sim and turn off the phones data on a wifi modem... it is unlimited