Once you have obtained a phone that is compatible with the Russian phone system, you will need to contact your service provider to make sure that you have a "roaming" feature on your cell phone, which will also require you to pay an additional fee. The cost of this feature can be quite expensive, with some companies charging you over $1.00 per minute.

Bringing your cell phone into the country should not be a problem. Russian custom regulations do not require travelers to claim their cell phones upon entering the country. So as long as you have the proper phone and the "roaming" set up, you may have no problem in using your phone during your visit.

Another obstacle that you may run into when you reach Russian soil is the ability to send and receive text messages. In order to use this feature, your service provider must have a special roaming agreement with the Russian service providers. If this agreement is not in existence, you will not be able to use the text messaging feature at all.

You will also need to purchase some extra accessories in order to charge your cell phone when visiting this country. You will need to have a plug type "C" or "F," as these are the only two types that the country uses. Russia also uses 220 volts for almost everything, so you will need a 220 volt transformer. If you try to charge your phone without one of these devices, you run the risk of burning it up.

You may want to purchase a cell phone once you arrive in Russia. Statistics have estimated that there are more cell phones in Russia than people. With a total population of over 142 million, that equals a lot of cell phones. Unlike other countries, it is relatively easy to purchase a cell phone and SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card that will allow you to have a Russian phone number. The downside of making one of these purchases is the fact that the SIM card rates are valid only in the city in which they were purchased. If you use your cell phone in a different city, the rates per call can rise dramatically.

These are just a few of the options that are available to you if you wish to use your cell phone while visiting Russia. As you can see, it is probably best to contact your cellular service provider to discover the least expensive way that you can use one of these devices while you are away from home.

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Cell Phone Mania

A look at the astonishing rise in cell phone use in Russia. One report indicates that over 60% of Russians now have cell phones, versus just 25% two years ago...
Food, Water and Cell Phones

Cell phones may not top food and water on Russians' list of vital necessities, but they might well place a tight third place.

Russia — young, capitalistic and always on the go — is distinctly mobile. Staying connected is becoming as much an obsession among Russia's younger set (and the not-so-younger set), as it is in the Western world.

Within the past year, cell phone penetration rose from 53.9 to 88.3 percent, according to ACM Consulting data, RIAN reports, indicating that there are now 128 million cell subscribers, versus just 78 million a year ago. Since ACM tallied cell phone users by number of SIM cards sold, the number is most likely inflated — many people use multiple SIM cards. It's not uncommon for Russians to have phone numbers for each city they visit regularly, say a Moscow and a St. Petersburg number. Hence, in some regions, cell phone penetration exceeds 100 percent. According to a more conservative, and a more realistic estimate by a national pollster, Romir Monitoring, Russian cell phone penetration is around 60 percent, still quite high. In rural areas with few landlines, cell phones are often the only means of communication, but, given lower income levels in rural areas, only 47 percent of village residents are said to have cells. In the more affluent cities, penetration is over 75 percent.

But for many Russians, just having a cell phone is not enough. Another part of being a Russian mobile-phile is having as expensive a phone as one can afford, perhaps one that is even more expensive than one can afford. One has to stay on the bleeding edge of fashion, after all. With a national median monthly salary of $300, Russians spent an average $165 on their cell phones, and they spend 70 percent more if they are buying on credit, according to several polls. The fashion-conscious typically upgrade their cell phones every three to six months, with upper middle-class consumers often spending around $400. There are no free-phone deals in Russia, as is common in the U.S. Similar to elsewhere in Europe, Russian cell phone operators mostly us a minutes-prepaid system, and phones have to be bought outright.

The market picks up on this demand. Last year, cell phones topped the list of Russian electronics imports, marking more than 20-fold increase in value vs. 2004, according to the head of the Federal Customs Service, Alexander Zharikov. The number of phones imported to Russia increased six-fold in 2005, with Samsung the undisputed market leader, with almost a third of the market, followed by Nokia (21.7 percent) and Motorola (19.8 percent).

Equipped with end-of-the line handsets, Russians, however, overwhelmingly ignore most services new phones offer, except SMS, another poll shows. Only one in ten Russians said they would use a cell phone to access Internet, or use mobile operator services, like weather forecasts, exchange rates or horoscopes.

In point of fact, SMS rules. Over two-thirds of Russians send text messages regularly, and, for people under 24, the number goes up to 90 percent. Providers capitalize on this addiction, launching SMS games, dating portals, competitions and paid SMS services. Some go crazy, like one Russian girl, who was reported to have spent over $1000 on text messages for her boyfriend around Valentine's Day. Others seek practical uses, such as the high school principal in Chelyabinsk who launched an SMS information service for parents to update them on their kids’ grades and school absences. In one case, a policewoman in Krasnoyarsk, used SMS to lure a fraud suspect out with a flirty text message, eventually leading to his arrest.

Russia Has Third-Largest Number of Cell Phone Subscribers

The UN released Information Economy Report 2006 on Friday, recording 1 billion Internet users around the world. The United States is the leader in terms of the number of the world web users with 200 million people. Russia is 11th with 21.8 million users. In terms of cell communication, Russia has the third-largest number of subscribers.
The number of Internet users exceeded 1 billion people, the report of the UN Conference on Trade and Development says. 1 billion and 20 million people were using it as of January 2006, which is 19.5 percent more than last year. The United States is the world web leader with 200 million users, China is the runner-up with 11 million people and Japan is ranked third with 85.3 million. The report makes it a point that these countries managed to reach these impressive figures because of substantial state support. Russia has landed on number 11 with 21.8 million users, ahead of the CIS and Eastern Europe. The number of Internet users in Russia grew 17.8 percent in one year. Experts note that Russia can achieve a real breakthrough in this sector only with the help of special state programs.

The report also cites statistics on cell communication subscribers. 2.17 billion people were using cellular communication at the end of the year, 23.5 percent more than last year. China tops the list of cell phone subscribers with 393 million people and the United States occupies the second position with 201 million users. Russia has climbed to number three with 120 million subscribers. However, Russia beats these two countries in terms of phone use percentage. 83 out of 100 Russians have a cell phone while in the United States only 70 percent of the people have it, and only 30 percent – in China. Lithuania is the leader in terms of number of cell phones per capital – 127 percent. The rating was compiled on the basis on the number of SIM-cards but not on the number of their owners.

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