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AbkhaziaDespite the fact that Abkhazia borders with the Russian Federation and the countries have very friendly relations, the use of cellular communication of Russian operators in Abkhazia is equivalent to its use in any other country, i.e. you will pay for communication in international roaming in full. It's the same with mobile Internet. Therefore, if you plan to actively use voice cellular communication and mobile internet, it is worth considering the option of purchasing a SIM card of a local cellular operator, or you need to connect special options from your home operator. More about everything:
Buying a local SIM card in Abkhazia
In total, there are two mobile operators in Abkhazia, which practically do not differ in the cost of tariffs and coverage area, so you can safely choose any of them:
- Aquafon, a website - http://www.aquafon.com/
- A-mobile, website - https://www.a-mobile.biz/
There are already ready-made prepaid sets of SIM cards for guests of the country, so there will be no problems with the choice. Such kits are sold everywhere, starting from the border crossing, and of course in tourist areas at resorts. A passport is not required for purchase. There are sets of 500 rubles, and 350 rubles of them will have to pay for the SIM card itself, and only 150 will be credited to the account.
When you buy a SIM card, you can not connect any options and immediately start communicating at local rates and without a subscription fee. You can also connect packages of minutes, SMS and mobile Internet. Package rates are supposed to save money, but that's only if you actively talk and use the Internet. If you need the connection only for a few calls (for example, to search for housing on the spot and a couple of calls home), then there is no need to connect the packages. For reference here is a description of one of the tariffs:
- The cost of a set of SIM cards-350 rubles
- After the purchase on the balance-150 rubles
- The cost of an incoming call is 0 rubles
- The cost of local outgoing-5.8 rubles up to 3 minutes a day, then 2 rubles a minute
- The cost of outgoing in the Russian Federation – 8 rubles/minute
- The cost of outgoing to other countries is 13-200 rubles/minute
- It is possible to connect packages of minutes and the Internet from 90 rubles/package
More information about tariffs can be found on the websites, all information is presented in Russian.
Using a home SIM card
As we have already mentioned, in Abkhazia there is a full-fledged international roaming and tariffs for it are no less than in foreign countries. In some places of the country near the border and in high places, you can catch the "home" signal of a megaphone from cell towers from Sochi, and communicate with relatives at home at home rates, but you should not count on it.
To save money, it is best to connect special options and packages of your operator. Without connecting the options, outgoing and incoming calls will cost up to hundreds of rubles per minute.
For example, Megafon all outgoing and incoming roaming calls in Abkhazia will cost from 109 rubles / minute. But if you enable the option" in Abkhazia as at home" (30 rubles connection + 30 rubles/day), then all incoming will be free, and outgoing will be at home tariff. Beeline has all incoming and outgoing calls without options.
What is good, options from Russian operators can be connected as needed for several days as needed using USSD requests, and as a result, communication will be even cheaper than if you buy a local SIM card for 500 rubles.
Comparison of popular options of Russian mobile operators for Abkhazia:
| Option | Cost of the option | Connection | Disabling it | Cost of an incoming call | Outgoing call cost | Outgoing SMS | Internet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megafon | |||||||
| It's like home in Abkhazia | Connection 30 rubles / subscription fee 30 rubles/day | *541# | *541# | free of charge | at home rates | at home rates | 400 rubles for 80MB per day |
| 25 minutes Europe and CIS | Connection 329 rubles, no subscription fee | *116# | - | free 25 minutes | Outgoing flights to Russia and Abkhazia for free 25 minutes | - | 400 rubles for 80MB per day |
| Beeline | |||||||
| The most profitable roaming | Connection 200 rubles, no subscription fee | Turns on automatically the first time you call during the day | Automatically turns off at the end of the day | free 20 minutes in the amount of incoming during the day, then 10 rubles until the end of the day | free 20 minutes in the amount of outgoing during the day, then 10 rubles until the end of the day | 30 rubles | 200 rubles for 40MB per day |
| Unlimited internet roaming | 350 rubles per day. Attention! This option is valid from the moment of activation until the end of the current day, and not until the next day | *110*20171# | *110*20170# | - | - | - | unlimited internet with no speed limit up to 100MB, after 100MB speed up to 128kbps |
| Per-minute billing in international roaming | free of charge | *110*201# | *110*200# | 30 rubles / minute | 30 rubles / minute | - | - |
| MTS | |||||||
| Zabugorishche | Connection is free of charge / subscription fee 320 rubles per day | *111*771# | Turns off automatically when not in use | free 100 minutes during the day, then 25 rubles until the end of the day | free 100 minutes during the day, then 25 rubles until the end of the day | - | unlimited internet with no speed limit up to 500MB, after 500MB speed up to 128kbps |
| Zero Without Borders | Connection is free of charge / subscription fee 125 rubles per day | *111*4444# | *111*4444# | free 60 minutes during the day, then 25 rubles until the end of the day | free 60 minutes during the day, then 25 rubles until the end of the day | - | - |
| Tele 2 | |||||||
| Conversations without borders | Connection is free of charge / subscription fee is 5 rubles per day | *143*1# | *143*0# | 15 rubles / minute | 5 rubles / minute | - | - |
| Unlimited internet abroad | Connection is free of charge / subscription fee 350 rubles per day | *143*71 | *143*70 | - | - | - | unlimited internet with no speed limit up to 200MB, after 200MB speed up to 128kbps |
Whatever option you choose and connect, carefully read the operator's website with the current conditions and tariffs, as there are "pitfalls" everywhere. For example, if some of the options are not disabled after the trip, they will continue to operate on the territory of the Russian Federation, debiting money from your account.
Internet in Abkhazia
About working with the mobile Internet, See above. As for the availability of high-speed connection and Wi-Fi, everything is more or less in order in Abkhazia. Free Wi-Fi is offered in most hotels and guest houses, in rented accommodation. However, if you stay in a rented private sector, check the availability of Wi-Fi, as it is not everywhere, or it may not be "caught" in the rented rooms.