MegaFon-Moscow: Rubel MMS-tariff grace and "building blocks"

The attraction of unprecedented generosity - MMS in MegaFon-Moscow during the month will be billed for 99 cents apiece from VAT, the description of the action is here. Given the amount of piling on one MMS-message letters, text communication is virtually free, not to mention the ability to transmit photos, pictures and ringtones. It is very tempting offer if it were not for a couple of important "but".

Weighted average cost of MMS for different operators is about six rubles, ie 99 cents is as frank dumping. It would seem that what the operator to abandon its legitimate profits? The answer is simple and clear: the action is - a kind of business investment and another step towards increasing the share of VAS (value added services) in the structure of the income statement. Month of action fly by, but a habit to send multimedia messages will and will bring additional revenue to the operator. In MMS-service generally difficult fate of the world, the popularity of multimedia messages was dramatically lower than planned levels. Promised analysts 'boom' and the displacement of conventional SMS never took place, a cavalry attack promotional articles to be nearly useless, now I have carefully, purposefully and gradually accustom users to the "new" service. Despite the age of service, most subscribers only vaguely heard something about the MMS, and have tried out this service to regular customers have become very few. Well, do not want people to consume large quantities MMS, although the advertising leaflets - a complete multimedia happiness and wide field of opportunities for self-expression. What the ads lies? No, not lying, just modestly silent about some features of the service.

Not all chocolate

MMS-service suffers from a number of "diseases": birth defects, technical troubles, the complexity of development and administrative obstacles. However, not all that bad, with most of the difficulties so far managed to cope, and potential consumer is unlikely to be disappointed. Let's see what keeps us from MMS-anticipated activity, and that on this occasion made to date.

• Lack of the necessary "critical mass" of users. Radical difference from SMS - service must be plugged in and operable from the message recipient. Until recently this required a number of additional and complex movements, but also the Beeline network subscription fee for a "package of three services'
• "Intranet" essence MMS - is another disorder, communication between networks of different operators did not go. Now interworking MMS is more or less adjusted, although the guaranteed delivery of MMS in someone else's network yet can not speak. This "ruble" MMS-action MegaFon is precisely aimed at dramatically increasing MMS-audience, but the effect would be ten times more in the case of "symmetric" response to this initiative from the Beeline and MTS. It is strange that the operators were unable or unwilling to agree on concerted action in this field.
• The complexity of configuring the terminal. The need for delving into the many menus did not contribute to the popularity of services. Today the problem is dramatically simplified, configure MMS-service can be ordered on their own and get on the phone as a SMS-message.To perform certain actions still have (at least to enter the site operator or call abonsluzhbu), but the basic configuration problems eliminated.
• Some "confusion" of the shipment. Messages are sent via a packet data (GPRS) and MMS for sending one really takes 2-4 minutes, and in case of an unstable GPRS and even more. It seems to be a trifle, but unpleasant and unnatural, even against the backdrop of the instant of sending an SMS and virtually instant dial to another mobile subscriber. Now GPRS, all three operators is reliable and stable, and if there is EDGE sending MMS generally does not cause negative emotions.
• Geographically limited service. In principle, the MMS-service is ideally suited for international travel: in the process of browning the body on a beach resort can be a whole story to fill in the phone button and send to your friends / girlfriends. Especially because the story can be provided with photo illustrations. Stopped the absence of GPRS-roaming, but now the problem is basically solved all operators. The price issue is not pleased, but still much cheaper international calls home.

MMS: Tricks and Big Trouble

An important advantage of any mobile communication - his documentary. Time / location and all the important figures do not forget and do not confuse the text (as opposed to a call) you can always refresh your memory. In the presence of QWERTY-keys or the virtual keyboard to produce a multi-MMS-message is not so difficult, would be the desire and need. With conventional tubes is not so rosy, the writing of even a relatively short message will take time. In the case of compatible phones can rescue sent by MMS talk record, depending on the codec standard 100 KB able to shove a half minutes of live speech. May be useful not only in roaming, but also for the transfer of sensitive information. Surely there are many other innovative ways to use MMS-service, especially in his 99-penny option pricing. For example, in the case with a cheap camera phone without a computer interface, IrDA and Bluetooth can employ cheap MMS for transfer to the email-address has accumulated a collection of unique images.

GPRS-roaming rates can result in unexpected expenses. Known for a very specific case where the wrong MMS-settings smartphone led to the emergence of roaming accounts for many tens of dollars: an attempt was made to send MMS (message send), after which the smartphone purposefully and without the knowledge of the host in the background, repeated attempts every 10 minutes within a few days. A half-dozen of bytes transmitted each time carefully rounded up and charged as a single session with all the ensuing consequences for the purse - printing roaming bill took nine pages.

TP-modifiers: Rate Yourself

Rate modifiers have a long and successful run-in North-West MegaFon, now this convenient technology, "tarifostroeniya appears in Moscow. A typical example - a new linear corporate rates "Corporate". By itself, the tariff plan is nothing special or outstanding, are two main types of tariff: Moscow's "Universal" with a mixed uniform traffic and Moscow "Special" (hmm, something familiar about the name ...) to the prevailing intra-communication. Zest - it is a modifier that allows for this simple database design quite a large number of options in accordance with the profile of communication.Enumerate the different options does not make sense, it is easier to read the source (the description on the website), but the approach is very interesting: instead of "rolling out" on the market a long line of different tariffs to suit all tastes operator offers a set of options-pieces - a kind of building blocks. An association with the block-house construction, when the standard modules we can build a dwelling on almost any taste. It remains to determine whether the transferred useful experience to the usual contractual (not corporate) rates.