BeeLine Perm: hard to come to the market's fourth
August 10 Beeline launches another segment of its network of GSM, this time in Perm and Kudymkar. A landmark event for VimpelCom: finally closed the last remaining "uncovered" the Russian city with a population of more than a million people. Perm Region and Komi-Perm Autonomous District were 67 m and 68 m regions of the federal network of Beeline.
VimpelCom arrived in Perm with significant delay: Uralsvyazinform deployed in the region, its GSM network for more than five years ago, MTS and MegaFon, too, have long settled in the local mobile communications market. Beeline has received a license by purchasing the East-West Telecom, and in most of Perm for only licensed frequency band 1800 MHz. The remaining band license covering the East-West Telecom: Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Kurgan and Kirov regions, republics of Udmurtia and Komi, Yamal-Nenets, Khanty-Mansi, Komi-Perm autonomous district.
Grand opening of the office in Perm quite impressed, the show program worked conscientiously. The first (official) call in the network, the performance of clowns, VimpelCom's management and chorus gypsies - look and listen to what was. Along the way, lovely lady has convincingly demonstrated that for such a wonderful occasion no sin vylakat bottle of champagne, even in the last month of pregnancy.
Podtyanuvshiesya at the sound of music the locals have learned many interesting things: for example, widely rastirazhirovanny slogan "With us, it is convenient!" Yiddish sounds like "Have it Aylen Sehr Gut!". Sam is really a sales office "Sehr Gut" and it still is convenient, the girls behind the counter look stylish, cute and friendly. And they had the first day is not easy: a few hours of work (open an office in the middle of the day) managed to connect 512 new subscribers.
The mobile market in Perm light can not be called, most potential customers already connected to one of the three remaining operators. However, price dumping BeeLine do not become, the assurances of the Director of the Perm branch of Alexander Melnikov tariffs BeeLine only 10-15% lower prices of competitors.Local version of BBC + BOOM looks quite attractive: 10 cents for the first minute, 5 - for the second, starting from the third minute of conversation is not rated. True, there were notes in small print that the "zero" billing from the third minute may be canceled after 14 November 2004. The second tariff plan - Bee + Time per-second billing - is focused on the most economical. Home "zavlekalochka and more incentive to connect - completely free local connection to 23 August inclusive. The correct marketing: two weeks free mobile anlim - a tempting offer, many will buy a starter kit. With a network during this time nothing will happen, because should it be built with a decent margin of capacity. For arranging full coverage of the city only in 1800 MHz base stations should be placed on 25-30% more than what is already talking about the significant resources the network infrastructure.
Contracts with direct dialing until you sell or before December-January will not sell. At the end of the year Perm will move to seven-digit numbering, the existing rates will vary. After the transition, and begin selling direct numbers to BeeLine, Uralsvyazinform agreement with the allocation of numbering capacity is already there.
During the trip had to talk a lot, the quality of the network did not cause complaints. It is quite predictable: fully floating network and should not work badly. Pleasantly surprised by the absence of distortions and deletions frames on the boundary of the coverage network in Moscow with the testimony of the signal strength indicator in most cases it is impossible to say.
With regard to the quality of coverage, the first day of official operation of the network with it did not matter. "White spots" occurred even on the street, not to mention Indore. There was no connection, and in place of the conference on the launch of the network - seemed funny. Toward the end of the day things clear: the inclusion of the base stations could be seen on the phone and in the evening, all 50 BC earned. According to the direct participant of the network to start, the last days of work were carried out in a crazy pace and managed to sleep for 3-4 hours a day, but run all the BS within no time, sorry. In any case, local subscribers are unlikely to have noticed these temporary defects in the coating. By the end of the year the number of RBCs should increase by half (up to a hundred pieces), the network operates a separate switch up to 400 thousand numbers.
An important competitive advantage Beeline - The availability of all the advanced services from day one of the network. GPRS, WAP-GPRS and MMS are functioning properly, than they can boast, not all GSM-network in the region. From the other networks more than any other network like Uralsvyazinform: good and stable coating, excellent voice quality, good indoor.Uralsvyazinform already provides its subscribers with GPRS, within one to two months is planned to launch the service MMS. At a press conference Nikolai Pryanishnikov repeatedly thanked Uralsvyazinform for help in building the network, it is interesting to observe such friendly relations between the rivals.
Beeline subscribers currently roaming in the network is available Uraltel. Stay in touch is nice but expensive, so in this case the 50-dollar threshold for the automatic inclusion of roaming can be regarded as good, less risk of accidentally "get on the money."
Beeline for the region as a whole. Number of subscribers of Beeline throughout the Urals region - about 300 thousand, the operator works in Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Kurgan and Izhevsk. The nearest plans - Kirov, Khanty-Mansiysk, Nizhny Tagil, Magnitogorsk and Surgut.
Among the other impressions from the trip - an incredible natural beauty, famous Kungursky ice caves and ... requirement off mobile phones on the bus to avoid fatal damage delicate electronic equipment of the vehicle. What is the equipment - could not figure out.
