April Fool's joke "Rostelecom"

Absurd Rostelekomovskie rates on long-distance and international communications has long been no surprise. State-owned enterprises dutifully pay thousands of bills (fortunately not from his own pocket), dozens of IP-operators urgently forge production of plastic telephone cards, law-abiding citizens and lazy habit gaining eight on home phones. Boring routine, and occasionally explosive is yet another cry on telecom monopoly in any moderately tsenzuriruemoy newspaper. However, for all foreign gracious image problem of gradual loss of Rostelecom long-distance market is quite obvious.

Rostelecom monopoly on long-distance relationship for a long time, "kicked the bucket" and aware of this, all customers calling cards. Although theoretically could and curious: what is the alternative way operators manage to offer prices almost one and a half times lower, but the telephone traffic flowing through networks of the same Rostelecom? And it is not about IP-telephony, where prices for the long link below several times. Or Rostelecom sells wholesale traffic with huge losses (unlikely), or extremely ineptly uses its own resources. The third option (try getting super simple method obdiralovki) we do not look so as not to spook the public - of course, this simply can not be. But let's not get into the wilds of marketing and features re-distribution of profits, an important fact of increasing competition from alternative operators. Reduce costs rostelekomovskih waited and they (prices) on the application of Rostelecom finally reduced from April 1 this year, reduced from the true modesty, and without publicity. With the new tariff initiatives totally harmless read in advance - so to speak, in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the form of numbers on receipts in mailboxes.

Reduce tariffs higher prices - corporate "know-how" Rostelecom

So, from April 1, 2004 Rostelecom reduces tariffs for international calls. If we believe the figures published in the media - about 30%. Gulnara Khasyanova, Commercial Director of Rostelecom, talks about a more flexible tariff policy to increase the competitiveness of services of Rostelecom and the elimination of the imbalance between the rates for individual and corporate clients. In addition, eliminating the "imbalance" between the rates at weekends and on weekdays, and entered the differentiation value of a call, depending on the type of traffic termination. And here is where the fun begins for the average consumer, "games" with the introduction of new tariffs like a cheap detective. Let us try to understand what is happening.

Let's start with the fact that the new fees do not affect Moscow and distributed in the Russian regions, and in this case, prices vary, including in the near suburbs. The press service of Rostelecom: tariff on long distance and international communications for the residents of Moscow have already been adjusted in 2003 and remain the same. Fees for other regions and suburbs are changing as a general policy of diversification of the regional rates. " Well, let's look together at how we elegantly "diversified", not once.Below - a short plate with a few examples of price per minute conversation on a number of popular destinations, prices are in rubles for Moscow region. Figures in parentheses - the subject of a separate "debriefing" below.

Indeed, prices for calls to European countries seem to be significantly reduced and this can not fail to please residents of the Moscow region. But no less significantly increased the prices of calls to other destinations. Rates for calls to Belarus increased on average by 45% (Gladden relatives in Minsk), the relationship with the friendly South Caucasus is also "balance" of the soul: calls to privileged time fell on the ruble and a half, but the rest went up by five and a half. On April first calls to mobile phones will cost more than landlines - a common worldwide practice, but most Russians, this practice is not known to have become accustomed. The new tariff schedule was restructured presentation rates (in most cases the principle of zonal pricing), and because preparation of a comprehensive comparative table would occupy more than one day, and it is not necessary. It makes sense to carefully examine the new fees for their "own" the direction given by type of phone (mobile / stationary) and day of week / time of day. File in pdf (850 KB) For a complete list of new tariffs can be found at www.rostelecom.ru or take them here.

Good for us with the Internet, but how opovestyat subscribers outside Moscow telephone network of the "reduced" rates, yes and inform at all? On March 25 in helpdesk Rostelecom did not know even the fact of changes in tariffs, not to mention some details of the new rates (interacted with the service 07). According to the press service of Rostelecom, the subscribers were notified "through media such as newspaper (www.gaseta.ru)". Unfortunately, published in the media the information is more of an advertising nature, very roughly (to put it mildly) corresponds to reality.

"Find the seven differences, or how we fought against the arbitrariness of officials

Proceed to the detective of the story. We draw attention to the numbers in parentheses. This - the adjusted rates that appeared in the public domain in just a day before the start of the new rates (http://www.centertelecom.ru/index.html?d=368). Even second graders obvious: three and a half was added to the estimated cost of calls to European countries in zone 1 and threw three ways to price minutes in Zone 2. The remaining charges, seems to have remained unchanged. That is so simple and unpretentious someone at the last moment decided that the customers would be too bold and easy movement of the pen corrected rates. But what about the statement of Commercial Director Rostelecom Gulnare Khasianova: "These steps have been made possible through serious work carried out with international operators, in particular, to optimize the settlement rates. [...] The new tariffs correspond to the market situation and take into account the costs of the Company on termination of traffic abroad ?. Was it worth to spend our money with you on all sorts of market research and hard work with international operators, if tariffs are appointed by the officer who takes prices in the truest sense of the word "from the ceiling?

"Showdown" with the Directorate of Public Relations Rostelecom lasted a total of 15 hours. After lengthy consultations (?) In the bowels of a reputable company born paper is quite satisfactory on the point: converted and posted for all to see retouched rates were declared in error, the only true and infallible, has been named site of Rostelecom www.rt.ru.The one where the "Press Room" at the bottom of one of press releases lonely nestled can credit the coveted've found with the "right" prices. By the way, "criminal" tsifirki on http://www.centertelecom.ru were promptly corrected. Well ladnenko, we have no objection. Important because the end result, is not it? We agree with the fact that a malicious attacker send a cunning script on defenseless site nationwide operator and the script subtly raised the prices a couple of lines between work counting rates in neighboring cells - so be it. Let me now do not inadvertently disable a home phone - bugs, you know, tend to accumulate in the system and manifest itself in unexpected ways ...

Next stop - Moscow

Rates on long-distance call require close study, the new regional pricing we have not considered at all. However, some preliminary conclusions can already be drawn. The situation Moscow suburbs seems paradoxical: how not to go, in fact, from Moscow, Pushkin's capital to call relatives in Belarus? Or vice versa - from Moscow to Pushkino for serious savings on calls to Europe! Venture to suggest that the number of regular callers to the European countries from the cities of Moscow region is very small compared with the number of callers from Moscow, so declared "price reduction" Moscow is just not affected. But, maybe, Rostelecom really decided just yet, "do not touch" is already retouched Moscow tariffs for MGTS subscribers (version of the press-service)? Believe. However, the tariffs for calls made from payphones in Moscow April 1, 2004 will still vary (the file with the new rates can be found here), respectively Rostelecom did not hurt to cut prices for calls to Europe, even from pay phones. Look closely: a valid daily, day and night tariff for calls to European countries - 15,00 rubles, introduced from 1 April 2004 - 16.50 ruble. And now we read with astonishment the press release Rostelecom: tariff reductions for individual and corporate clients at the most competitive areas: on weekdays will be reduced rates for telephone calls to subscribers of fixed networks in Europe. " Perhaps, a press release should not be stupidly perceive as the general direction of pricing in Moscow is much thinner. Again we have to collect the plate with the current "decline" prices - now for the card payphones in Moscow.

Well, what about Rostelekomovskoy interpretation of global trends to reduce rates for long-distance relationship? In my opinion, Rostelecom us once more "diversified". Not very painful, but still delicate. We must pay tribute to the marketing department of the operator: in this regard are no press releases issued were not.

However, there is an actual decline in prices, there is! Only need to look good. Let risen calls to Australia, but the cost of calls from payphones in Moscow to China from April 1, radically reduced - by as much as much as 25%. Downright devastating blow to the IP-competitors that sell Chinese minutes five times cheaper than this reduced fare. And here is another pertinent quote from the press release: "As a result, we expect to see growth as international traffic, and revenue of Rostelecom. I can not judge on other regions, but in relation to Moscow these expectations, I would characterize as very brave. Simply dial the phone with the apartment "eight" is convenient, but still the services of Rostelecom people use every day less, especially in Moscow. And a few crafty "reduction in tariffs for the public" is hardly able to seriously affect the situation in a competitive Moscow market.Alternative operators, IP-telephony, even mobile operators (!) - Call options cheaper becomes every day more and more. However, the quality and range of services of alternative operators - the subject of a separate conversation, the topic we'll be back soon.