One of the first things we had to sort out when we arrived in Russia was the Internet connection. Yes it is handy to use the free Wi-Fi services in the city but it wasn`t practical to dash down to a Wi-Fi spot and do business from there.
We were staying in Russia for 3 months and the wise choice was to find a 3G-modem on a short-term contract. Luckily Andrey`s nephew works for a company that could help us so we decided to give MTC (Pronounced MTS in Russian) a try.
I am no newbie when it comes to 3G-modems. We use it at the hostel too and I know that some days it doesn`t work too well but we didn`t have much of a choice – we needed to be connected.
To our surprise it worked well.We found that we battled at times with the signal inside the apartment and we had to move the computer closer to a window to get a better signal. It was very comfortable with the modem and when we went to places we took it with us.
Costs: We paid 450 Roubles per month and we had 15 GB which was enough for us. Recharging was very easy and machines were located at supermarkets and shopping centres. (Tip: some places charge an extra commission so make sure you don`t get ripped off.) After 3 months we cancelled the contract and didn`t incur any extra costs. You can also make calls to the modem number, which came in handy.
Tip: The connection would use to stop working at times. We couldn`t understand why. Then we realized as soon as you sent a sms and don`t have money in the account the service stops. Always make sure you have 50 Roubles in the account for text messages.
MTC offices are conveniently located in the cities and you can enquire within.
When: May,June,July and August 2012
Where: Kaliningrad,Russia
