Skylink is a Russian telecom operator providing services in the IMT-MC-450 standard. The company's unique technologies make it possible to maintain high speed wireless data transmission in remote locations with unstable GSM coverage. Skylink base stations operate at frequencies of 450 MHz, coverage radius is 20 km. The provider guarantees high-quality signal transmission to complex architectural and underground structures. The Skylink modem will be a salvation or is it another publicity stunt. We will understand in more detail.

What regions does Skylink work in?

In 2016, Tele2 under the Skylink brand is gradually introducing a 450 MHz LTE network in Tver, Novgorod, St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Skylink coverage area is expanding in Ulyanovsk at the beginning of 2018.

Unlimited Internet from Skylink - tariffs and packages

Tariff scale for retail and business clients:

Payment is deducted in proportion to the number of days in a month. When the package is exhausted, traffic in excess of the package is paid based on the used MB. An unused balance is transferred to the next month free of charge if the subscription payment is credited in time (before the 1st day).

Initially, the transferred limit is spent, then the new package provided for by the fee. By changing the tariff plan, the unused balance is liquidated.

The subscription fee is charged according to the following scheme:

1. When replenishing the balance before the 10th day of the month, the subscription fee is automatically charged.
2. From the 11th, the client independently decides: to pay for the services of the current or next period. In the first case, you will need to click the "Write off the subscription fee" button. Connection of services takes place in the Personal Account on the Skylink website (my.skylink.ru).

Using the Skylink router on other networks

The Skylink SIM card provides access to the network through the router of the same name. For data transfer, voice calls and sending SMS through third-party devices, the following restrictions apply:

• accepting calls in the region of connection - 0 rubles;
• accepting calls in another city Tele2 - 5 rubles / min .;
• calls within the Russian Federation - 5 rubles / min .;
• communication in the CIS - 30 rubles / min .;
• conversations with subscribers living in the EU - 49 rubles / min .;
• calls to other countries — 69 rubles/min;
• SMS within the Russian Federation - 3.5 rubles;
• SMS abroad - 5.5 rubles.

Free use of roaming:

In the cities of Skylink coverage - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tver, Novgorod. In the Tele2 network (4G network): Voronezh, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Orel, Karelia, Komi, Mordovia, Tyva, Khakassia. And also Rostov. Tambov, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Yugra, Tyumen.

The company's prospects are aimed at covering the B2B segment, developing a secure MVNO network for security agencies and government agencies, as well as creating a secure M2M channel for the transport and financial sectors.

Internet connection equipment from SkyLink

Potential customers of the company are offered two types of 4G router: home and mobile module (for travelers). Devices are universal. Supports a frequency of 450 MHz and the usual LTE bands (800 - 2600 MHz). With an increase in the download speed, the devices are automatically reconfigured to a new range.

What equipment is offered to individuals?

Fast Internet anywhere in the Russian Federation will provide a 4G router for travelers. When planning a stationary placement of the device, a 4G router for the home will be an ideal option. Successful purchases!

Terms for business clients

SkyLink demonstrates interesting business solutions:

• home conditions throughout the Russian Federation;
• automatic prolongation of services when the package is exhausted;
• the ability to block the account upon reaching the established limit;
• use of advance or credit system of payment;
• provision of the "Promised payment" service, which allows you to credit the account with a conditional amount at a convenient time in order to continue using the service with a zero balance.

Skylink - work away from the city with unstable coverage of ¾G networks or the absence of towers of other operators. For work outside the city, a 4G router H1 is proposed, for trips - a 4G router M1. A set of two directional antennas with mounts ( price 3300 rub.).

How to connect?

The Skylink provider provides the ability to connect to the Internet and cellular communications using the SIM card of the same name. The full price of the kit is determined by the selected tariff plan. The paid amount will go to the client's balance and serve as a reserve for paying for user services.

Using the LTE450 band will provide a branded Skylink router: for a country house "H1" or travel "M1". If the signal from the base station is weak, you will need to install two directional antennas. The price of routers is 0 rubles, additional sets of antennas are 3300 rubles. Detailed characteristics of the goods are presented on the Skylink.ru website. It is enough to open the section "Choose a router", "Additional set of equipment" and "Tariff plan".

Where to connect Skylink?

Use the services of an Internet provider by placing an order for a router and a SIM card on the official website of the company, Skylink counters or Tele2 salons at the nearest address indicated on the map.

Instructions for placing an order on the site skylink.ru:

1. Explore the capabilities of routers.
2. Pick up an additional set of equipment.
3. Conduct an overview of the tariff scale by activating the "Tariff connection" option.
4. Click the "Apply" button.
5. Fill out the electronic form of the questionnaire with personal information and indicate the delivery address. Check the order details and click on the "Next" link.
6. After receiving SMS and Email notifications, wait for a call from a technical support employee to verify the information provided.
7. A confirmation of the application will be sent to your phone or email.

To receive the goods, you will need a passport or other document used in the formation of the application.

Video "New skylink LTE-450 router"

Mobile operators

By 2003, the analog mobile communication standards NMT-450 and NMT-450i were completely outdated, and the question arose of switching to more advanced technologies. The most promising at that time was considered to be digital communication in the CDMA format.

And so the three companies that worked in the NMT-450, Delta Telecom CJSC, Moscow Cellular Communications OJSC and Personal Communications OJSC, operating under the Sonnet brand, decided to create a joint project - a CDMA network, which was called Skylink .

To make this possible, a redistribution of assets took place: "" sold a 25% stake in Moscow Cellular Communications to the newly formed CJSC, AFK Sistema transferred its stakes in all three companies in exchange for 50% of the shares of the new operator, and another part of the shares of Delta Telecom was purchased from OJSC North-West Telecom.

A year later, the state regulator denied Personal Communications an extension of its license for the 800 MHz frequency band, ostensibly to release it under the new digital television standards.

As a result, the CDMA-800 network, which operated under the Sonnet brand, was closed. A year later, Sky Link CJSC controlled 92.5% of the operator's shares. The rest was owned by the American company Qualcomm Inc, on the basis of whose equipment Sonnet worked.

In the same 2004, the company acquired two more stakes in Delta Telecom and Moscow Cellular Communications, which previously belonged to the RTDC holding. And CJSC North-West Telecom "shared" its shares in three regions at once: Murmansk, Vologda and Kaliningrad.

Since 2005, an active transition from NMT networks to CDMA has finally begun: EV-DO technology is being introduced, which significantly increases the speed of Internet access, so far - in Rev A modification. At the same time, experimental zones are being opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg in band 2, 1 GHz.

In 2008, CJSC Sonet ceases to exist following the results of the board of directors, merging into CJSC Sky Link. Until 2009, active buying of shares of regional cellular operators, including those operating in the GSM standard, continues.

At this time, sorting took place, so to speak: the assets of controlled companies that had licenses to provide communications in the CDMA standard were allocated to Astarta CJSC, controlled by Sky Link by 100%, and similar GSM assets were allocated to separate legal entities, and a year later they were similarly assembled at CJSC Sky-1800.

Around the same period, the Svyazinvest holding, the largest shareholder of the operator Rostelecom, decided to take full control of Skylink. This was achieved as a result of a multi-stage redistribution of blocks of shares between Svyazinvest itself, AFK Sistema and OAO Comstar-UTS.

As a result, on October 4, 2010, control over CJSC Sky Link was completely transferred to Svyazinvest. Since that time, the redistribution began already within the parent company: At first, 50%, and then the remaining shares of Sky Link came under the control of Rostelecom, and then the holding itself was merged into OJSC Rostelecom in 2013.

In 2014, a joint venture between Rostelecom and CJSC Tele2 Russia was created, while the full stake in Sky Link was transferred to LLC T2 RTK Holding. By this time, the relevance of the CDMA standard had already practically fallen to zero, a more progressive fourth-generation LTE format was entering the scene.

It so happened that the frequency of 450 MHz, on which the operator worked, was also suitable for him. As a result, the operation of CDMA networks in the Moscow and Leningrad regions was terminated in 2015-16, and instead of them, LTE-450 networks were launched, all under the same Skylink brand.

This is where the story of the operator ended - in 2015, the CJSC was abolished due to a takeover by the parent company, and only the trademark remained from it.

One of the reasons why the CDMA standard could not compete with GSM at one time was the high cost of equipment. The Sky Link company even had to order special phone models for its subscribers that worked in this format. By 2011, their release was finally discontinued.

The reason was simple - subscribers gradually left for a cheaper and more convenient connection to GSM operators. In 2010, there was even an ugly story: the Moscow Cellular Communications company tried to recover funds from such “refuseniks” under the pretext that they had not terminated the contract, but simply stopped replenishing the balance of their RUIM cards.

The case caused a wide resonance, including due to the methods of debt collection.

At the moment, the Tele2 operator under the Skylink brand provides high-speed Internet services in the 800, 1800 and 2600 plus 450 MHz bands. In the same regions in which CDMA communication worked earlier: Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Tver and Novgorod regions.

There are three offers in the tariff line for private subscribers, including an unlimited tariff. Customers can use roaming on the basis of a home tariff when traveling in Russia both in the networks of Skylink itself and in Tele2 4G networks.

Subscribers of the SkyLynk operator operating in the CDMA-450 standard received notifications about the termination of the outdated network from October 1, 2016 in the capital. About the same time, Sonnet left, however, in his case, the frequencies were simply taken away.

Existing customers of the Skylink network are offered 2 options for switching with keeping the number:

It also requires obtaining a new SIM card (also issued by Tele2) and purchasing expensive equipment.

Alternatives, thoughts

Actually, I have not seen "live" Skylink subscribers for a long time. But the options for transitioning from a dying network, voiced by the operator, are not the only ones.

MNP does not forbid you to switch from Sky to another operator while keeping the number - MTS, MegaFon, Beeline. Yes, then you will not receive a bonus from Tele2. But such a one-time "humanitarian aid" would not impress me personally. But Tele2 does not have support for the GSM / 2G standard in Moscow, which is very critical for many subscribers.

By the way, the official website of SkyLink has already changed to a new one.

There are pluses in all this. Progress does not stand still. By switching to one of the existing operators, you will not only be able to use a modern handset, but also get full-fledged domestic and international roaming with various pricing options.

Attention! Replacing Skylink RUIM cards to Tele2 SIM-cards is made ONLY at the offices of Rostelecom (Tele2) with a passport (individuals, only the owner) or a power of attorney from the company (legal entity).

Old Skylink equipment will NOT work! If you had landlines or terminals, then

And now in more detail:

On November 1, 2016, voice data transmission (telephony) services in the CDMA-450 standard of the Skylink network were no longer provided, i.e. On November 1, 2016, all telephone numbers, including direct city numbers (for example, in Moscow - in codes 495 and 499) stopped working, and all additional features, including call forwarding, will be disabled. The shutdown date was postponed several times, and now it happened - Skylink turned off the CDMA equipment. From sources in Rostelecom, it became known that from about October 20, 2016, communication in this standard for many subscribers has a one-way connection: the subscriber can make an outgoing call, but incoming calls do not go through.

UPD. In May 2019, this problem reached Yaroslavl and Rostov regions- one of the last strongholds of the CDMA-450 standard. From 20 and 30 June, respectively, are expected complete shutdown of the CDMA standard in the Skylink network in Yaroslavl, Rostov and regions.

What should be done?

Skylink subscribers you need to drive to the office of Skylink (Rostelecom) (see on the official website cdma.skylink.ru) and write an application for number transfer to Tele2. ONLY the owner of the room can drive up - the person to whom the room is issued, with his passport. No handwritten powers of attorney are valid, only notarized ones. Numbers issued to legal entities are reissued only if there is a power of attorney from the company with a seal. You will receive a SIM card with a temporary federal number, and in 1-2 days your Skylink number will be transferred to this SIM card. The translation of direct city numbers is no different from the translation of federal numbers in the 901 code.

For Rostelecom subscribers you also need to drive to the service office to replace the SIM card. Re-registration is similar to re-registration in Skylink: individuals - only the owner of the number with a passport, legal entities - only a company representative with a power of attorney with a seal. In the same place you will be offered to rent an ordinary GSM dialer for free - the cheapest cellular push-button phone, but this solution is not very suitable for: 1) the elderly; 2) for use in offices, shops, bars and cafes, etc.; 3) for use with PBX, etc. For equipment replacement - see at the end of the page.

For Cityphone / Centel (Central Telegraph) subscribers - similarly: drive up to the sales office and change RUIM for SIM - a Beeline SIM card is also issued. For equipment replacement - see at the end of the page.

Hardware problems
equipment that worked in skylink networks, as well as in his MVNO projects (projects with other operators): Domolink Moby, Rostelecom , Cityphone Centel / Central Telegraph , MTT Home phone, etc., won't work anymore , and no other SIM cards (Megafon, MTS, Beeline, Tele2) can be used in it. Devices such as Huawei ETS1000, ETS1001, FT2050, Skylink Base fixed terminals, as well as ETS2077, ETS2055, ETS2052, Skylink Table, Ubiquam UF300 and other Huawei fixed phones become completely useless - they can simply be thrown away.

The Tele2 operator to which you will be offered to connect (transfer your number) does not sell fixed GSM phones and GSM gateways, you must use either smartphones or phones, which is problematic or impossible in conditions of poor network reception. To solve this problem, you can purchase 3G gateways or 3G / 4G routers with voice support or improve the quality of network reception (enhance voice communication) using repeaters (communication amplifiers). For subscribers using smartphones, the transition to Tele2 will not bring any inconvenience, but what should subscribers using regular dialers and landline phones do, because many Skylink numbers are used as working ones?
The most inexpensive solutions are Huawei 3G routers with telephone jacks: models Huawei B681 (Phone + 3G + WiFi) and Huawei B315 (Phone + 4G + 3G + WiFi) - these routers have RJ11 connectors for connecting conventional analog phones: as simple ones with a handset on wire and dialer, as well as DECT and GAP radiotelephones. Yes
These models are primarily routers, so if you wish, you can access the Internet from the same Tele2 SIM card by connecting to the router via WiFi or via cable (the number of LAN connectors is from 2 to 4 depending on the model). The data transfer rate in the devices is: B681 - up to 21 Mbps, B315 - up to 150 Mbps (under ideal conditions, of course).
For subscribers who need higher speed and / or simultaneous Internet access and telephony, we can offer 4G LTE + 3G WiFi routers with voice communication: these are models Huawei B315 (four LAN connectors + one USB connector) or Huawei E5172 (in regions will work only in the 3G standard, one LAN-connector) - these devices can not only "call", but also transmit data - work at speeds up to 150 Mbps!

All models of 4G LTE + 3G and 3G routers with telephony capability can

For subscribers of Rostelecom (Domolink Moby) of the Moscow Region And Citiphone / Centel / QWERTY (Central Telegraph) subscribers in terms of equipment, we were a little more lucky, because. their numbers are translated not to Tele2, but to Beeline, which has a GSM standard, they can be used as 3G routers with a GSM gateway function, such as Huawei B681, as well as stationary cell phones with SIM cards - for example, Huawei ETS3125i.

I read reviews about SkyLink, I thought, most likely, everything has changed, since most of the reviews are outdated. Since my previous provider eventually pissed me off at a speed of 1 Mbps with the declared 20 Mbps, I decided to change to SkyLink. I called a specialist to check the speed of the Internet directly at home, the young man insisted to come in the morning. I arrived, showed, everything works - somewhere the speed is 13 Mbps, and somewhere 33 Mbps. I paid for a router for more than 3000 rubles and an unlimited tariff of 1200 rubles, and in the evening I understood why the young man insisted on coming in the morning - in the evening the speed dropped below 1 Mbps ... And so every day, in the morning the speed is normal, and in the evening it drops. Bad, but better than with the previous provider, in principle, you can adjust.

In less than 1.5 weeks, the speed around the clock became 500 kbps! I suffered for three days, today I called the contact center. Employee Roman replied that the speed has dropped due to the large number of users in the area where I am, and the network is working fine. To my question, how did it happen that for 1.5 weeks the network coped with the load, and three days ago all users simultaneously decided to get on the Internet and for three days they intensively use it without lunch breaks, he politely but brazenly expressed surprise, which I resent - everything works, just a lot of users. And, of course, he couldn’t answer when it would stop... When I asked if I could return the router if I wanted to stop using the services, he clarified whether the router was working, and answered that no, I couldn’t, because it’s bad The quality of the Internet is not a reason to return the router. It turns out that the reason is not the lack of a developed network that can cope with the load, and we ourselves, SkyLink users who pay them money, are to blame for the fact that we do not have the Internet. And what did you want, to pay money and get reliable Internet? - not in SkyLink!

Seriously, read the reviews carefully, I checked it for myself - if people write, then there is a reason. Do not buy SkyLink, just waste your money, better buy sweets for children or donate them to charity if you have extra ones. Choose wisely. Whom? - Unfortunately, I don't know yet; If I find it, I'll post...