In South Ossetia, not all residents are happy with new mobile telephone codes

Users in South Ossetia were switched to new codes of mobile telephony. The "old" network "Megaphone Kavkaz" (code 928) is in roaming - after June 1 in the territory of South Ossetia, while all the incoming and outgoing calls will cost 9 roubles per minute of conversation. Now the communication services are provided by the local operator - the Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) "Ostelecom".

As explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Larissa Sanakoeva, an advertising expert at the "Ostelecom", the new code 929 also belongs to the "Megaphone", but communication services are rendered by the "Ostelecom".

Meanwhile, despite assurances of advertising experts of the "Ostelecom", the clients in Tskhinvali are more and more dissatisfied: at some moment all the subscribers in the territory of South Ossetia found themselves out of access.

"On June 1, I made a call on my business by code 928, and in a couple of minutes I lost 46 roubles from my account. It soon became clear that I was not alone. The whole city is in shock from such changes. I don't think that in our situation it was reasonable to change mobile codes. It'd be better to restore the damaged lines of city telephones. Already for two years after August 2008 hundreds of Tskhinvali Ossetians have their telephones silent," Aslan Kochiev, a local taxi driver, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Nobody asked us whether we need the new network. Who has invented it? It's expensive. How can we call it convenient, when prices are several times higher than in other systems? Why should I have no choice? I feel myself violently squeezed into imposed conditions of using my telephone," said Marina, a stylist at a beauty salon in Tskhinvali.

Russian servicemen are indignant with the transfer to the new territorial codes: they need to make calls home to Russia, contact their relatives and colleagues.

"Many people had good money left in their SIM cards with 928 codes. These numbers stopped operating at all. Thus, the money is lost?" asks Andrei Kondratyev, an employee of the Frontier Department of the Russian Federation in South Ossetia.

Indignant residents even decided to hold a protest rally in the Theatrical Square. The rumours circulate in the city from the first day of introduction of new codes, but so far no mass protests actions were observed.

According to Georgi Kabisov, Chairman of the Committee for Information, Posts and Mass Communications of South Ossetia, "the news about switchover to a new code is not a surprise. For several days it was announced on air of local TV. As to the communication as such, 75 percent of shares of the "Ostelecom" belong to the "Megaphone", and the pricing policy is defined at the level of marketing experts in the head office in Moscow."

"Since March 1 we warned our citizens about switchover to new codes," Larissa Sanakoeva confirms Mr Kabisov's words. "It was up to them to switch over to the 929 code or not 929." "If someone has money left in 928 codes, the questions are not to us. Let them contact 'Megaphone' operators and ask them. It's impossible to transfer the remaining funds from the old code to the new one," she has added.

Despite the general discontent, long lines of people can be seen in front of kiosks, where new numbers are sold. According to Ms Sanakoeva, over 15,000 clients in South Ossetia have already switched over to 929 codes; and more and more do it every day.

Let us note here that the "Ostelecom" is the only mobile operator in South Ossetia.