Beeline GPRS users sent on stage - until the spring

News billing GPRS network Beeline GSM for some time occupied the first places in the lines of "Network of the charts," which is not surprising: with the advent of mobile web access for subscribers of Bee + number to join this popular service in Moscow and Moscow region immediately sharply increased. Recall: BeeLine was the first (and only) the operator of GSM, have offered the prepaid-subscribers with full internet access from your PC / PDA / Smartphone via GPRS without any overt or hidden fee. Bold experiment was not entirely successful, which indirectly confirms the introduction from January 22 monthly fee for a "package" GPRS-services. On explicit and implicit reasons we have already written, but strange delays re-connecting, and some new facts forced to return to this issue.

GPRS in Moscow and Moscow region (and more recently in other towns of Russia) is widely regarded as nehudshee solution to the problem of "last mile". ADSL-connection is expensive and available only in major cities, a landline phone is not installed anywhere and is rarely found in the "personal" before a single subscriber, your home network is poorly developed, the price of "admission ticket" to imprisonment for data transmission network CDMA450 inordinate ... For all This completely humane rates for GPRS-traffic in mobile networks via GSM. In general, once Russia's specificity.

Packet GPRS developers never intended as a substitute for full Internet access. Wap-resources, mail, travel the Internet from a laptop / smartphone, mobile commerce - basically, everything. Network GSM 2,5 G ill-suited for transferring large amounts of data and the operator is much cheaper to borrow money for voice traffic. Distribution of comparatively cheap GPRS-traffic for everyone (Bi +) can pursue three objectives:

1. Supports image of the operator as a technologically advanced and at the same time taking care of all its subscribers, and not just about "contractors"
2. Attracting new customers to improve the statistics (shares on the market!)
3. Getting the small but significant additional income in the hours of minimum load on the network

Now see what happens in reality. The emergence of subscription fees for GPRS on the implementation of paragraph "1" is not particularly affect, putting Internet-GPRS for Bee + itself sufficiently confirmed the intention of the operator to provide prepaid-subscribers a full range of services and opportunities. Paragraph "2" is almost done: nearly all who wanted cheap GPRS subscribers of other operators have already managed to buy a SIM-card B +, but must be connected himself Internet-GPRS "old" subscribers Bee + statistics do not improve. But with paragraph "3" are all very ambiguous. Start with the fact that many of the GPRS-"subscribers" B + use a bunch of SIM-card + GPRS-phone as a let low-velocity, but low-cost permanent Internet connection, and not only during periods of low network load. More - more: if you believe the figures in detail, the Internet traffic on the B + in some cases, charged non-traditional way (to say the least) - is clearly at a loss to the operator. Sometimes the amount of unpaid traffic reaches 30-40%.All of this together, in our opinion, is more than enough reason to introduce a subscription fee for the services of GPRS, but even a week after the announced deadline (22 January), a global switch to a "package of three services" did not happen.

Read the FAQ VimpelCom to accumulated problems - especially for Mobile Review:

Forced to connect 'package' 22.01, apparently, has not happened so far (26.01):

- Beeline abandoned the idea in principle?

- Just delay (comprehends numerous complaints)?

- "Package" (or fee) will be connected only to those who inadvertently disconnected the Internet-GPRS?

- Decided to try to introduce another option pricing?

None. Just off the process from the old principle of connection and transition to the new made in stages.

By some Internet-GPRS is charged at the Bee + is not always in favor of the Beeline - part of the traffic goes unreported and netarifitsirovannym

- Difficulties in the "transition period"?

- Global problems charging GPRS online?

- Informal "gift" to subscribers of Bee +?

This technical features of the work under-paid platform. By March, will put a new release that would allow tariff services correctly.

The introduction fee for GPRS is connected only with many already voiced reasons, or even with the problem of under-registration (and, consequently, under-paid) GPRS-traffic on the Bee +?

We want the subscribers do not forget to disconnect the service after she took it. Otherwise, generate a sufficiently large number of service traffic, which leads to employment channels and loss of quality.

Are there any statistics on the number of subscribers Bee + enjoy only GPRS (without voice)?

Such statistics, we did not conduct.

Still, what happens to the fragmentation of long sessions on a multitude of small (with appropriate rounding to 40 kb)? This technical feature of the data reduction of traffic in realtime, and will remain so in the future?

No other way to implement billing is technically impossible - especially the billing system. For subscribers of Bee + "billing will change by March.

What we do with GPRS in the regions? Will the "bundling" of the three services and there?

Yes, but not all. While such a scheme would not be in the Urals, Central Black Earth region and purchased companies.

The situation with Internet access to other mobile networks, we have not considered quite deliberately. Politics operators in this area varies greatly, there are interesting and very creative solutions. At this point we shall return in the near future, and letters from our readers to help sort out the many "underwater stones" and assess the advantages / disadvantages of different options.

Related link:

• News billing GPRS: Cheese and swallowed mousetrap slammed