The article examines “quality of life” as an integral indicator that comprehensively characterizes economic development society, the level of material, medical and biological well-being of each person. The purpose of the study was to assess the quality of life of the population in the regions of the Central Federal District. The work proposes an approach to calculating the integral coefficient, which makes it possible to assess the quality of life of the population in each of the studied areas, based on multiplicative accounting of indicators given in dimensionless comparable units. The complexity of such an assessment is determined by taking into account all important factors formed in five categories: the state of the health care system; social guarantees and security; accessibility and development of sports infrastructure; opportunity for cultural development; quality and accessibility of education. The results of the study allow us to identify problem areas that need to be eliminated or their impact minimized to achieve more high level quality of life of the population in the studied regions.
regions of the Central Federal District
integral coefficient
health care system
social guarantees and security
sports infrastructure
cultural development
education
quality of life of the population
1. Andreeva O.N. Methods for assessing the level and quality of life of the population // Oikumena. Regional studies. – 2013. – No. 2 (25). – pp. 112–120.
2. Zyukin D.A. Efficiency of use and distribution state support grain farming // Economic analysis: theory and practice. – 2012. – No. 8. – P. 46–56.
3. Malyugina A.N. The concept of quality of life and standard of living: basic approaches to assessing indicators // Reshetnev readings. – 2013. – T. 2. No. 17. – P. 443–445.
4. Methodological approach to assessing the management of reproduction of human potential in the region / M.P. Kurkina, D.A. Zyukin // State and society: yesterday, today, tomorrow. Economics Series. – 2013. – No. 8(2). – P. 74–86.
5. Ovsyannikova T.Yu. Index approach to assessing the quality of life of the population and the level of development of urban areas / T.Yu. Ovsyannikova, M.N. Preobrazhenskaya // Tomsk Bulletin state university. Economy. – 2014. – No. 1 (25). – P. 30–46.
6. Toshchenko Zh.T. Social infrastructure: essence and development paths / Zh.T. Toshchenko. – M.: Mysl, 1980. – 206 p.
According to encyclopedic and literary sources, social infrastructure is a stable set of material and material elements that create conditions for the national organization of the main types of human activity - labor, cultural and family life. It characterizes the interaction of the material environment and the subject. In terms of its form of existence, it is a system of institutions and organizations that provide conditions for the rational organization of people’s activities.
These include objects of socio-cultural purpose, organization of systems social services, health care, education; enterprises and organizations related to recreation and leisure; sports and recreational institutions and others. In all countries with developed market economies, the growth of social infrastructure occurs simultaneously with and characterizes the improvement in the quality of life of the population. Development and efficient operation of facilities included in social infrastructure, their availability to the population - important condition improving the quality of life of the population.
The quality of life of an individual fully reflects his attitude towards certain life values, to yourself and those around you. The term “quality of life” has been updated in economic science, when the transition was made to the study of the degree to which the needs of society are met and how the conditions of human development change as a result of the activities of its members in the pursuit of satisfying these needs. The category “quality of life” is multidimensional, therefore there is a wide range of approaches to both its terminological interpretation and quantitative definition and measurement.
Initially, this category was more associated with the level of economic development and the level of income of the population and the country as a whole. Subsequently, when considering the concept of “quality,” the humanitarian approach became dominant, defining this category from the perspective of the individual. For example, the Institute of Demography, Migration and regional development(Russia) defines quality of life as a category that characterizes the essential circumstances of the life of the population, which determine the degree of dignity and personal freedom of each person. From a narrow perspective, assessments of the quality and standard of living indicate how successfully the state allocates limited resources. In a broader framework of understanding, these assessments should reflect a measure of the effectiveness of state policies for the management and development of society as a whole.
Quality of life should be distinguished from the terminologically and substantively similar concept of standard of living. The standard of living is an indicator reflecting the well-being of the population, focused on calculating the amount of income of citizens and the degree of satisfaction of basic needs, in fact, it is derived from indicators of economic development. In comparison, the quality of life, according to A.N. Malyugin, is a much broader indicator, including an assessment of well-being among other criteria of quality of life, and also taking into account whole line indicators of meeting various types of needs. The authors of the article also share this opinion - the concept of “quality of life” is broader and includes criteria not only for the material level of well-being, but also for the spiritual.
Solving the problem of improving the quality of life of the population, as it seems to us, forms the basis for ensuring the social stability of society in the country and in the regions, because the quality of life is an integral indicator that comprehensively characterizes the economic development of society, the level of material, medical and biological well-being of each person.
Purpose of the study
To formulate a methodology for assessing the quality of life and present its results for a comparative assessment of the level of quality of life of the population in the regions of the Central Federal District.
Materials and research methods
Ensuring a high quality of life, in our opinion, is the primary task of the state at the federal and regional levels. At the same time, in Russia, despite the abundance of proposed approaches to assessing the quality of life of the population, a unified and universal method has not been developed.
When assessing quality of life, we used objective approach, based on the collection and analysis of statistical data on the set of regions being studied, expressed in taking into account a set of private indicators and indicators in a multiplicative coefficient, on the principle of equivalent accounting and distribution of weights between them. The advantage of this approach is the availability and accuracy of analysis materials generated by state statistics bodies. One of the disadvantages of an objective quantitative approach to assessing quality of life is the diversity of indicators. In this regard, we have formed five different categories that best reveal the concept of the quality of life of the population in the region, in which we have selected a number of factors adequate to the stated purpose of the study, and their differences in size are eliminated using the standardization method.
The application of the standardization method is based on the principle of taking as the conditional maximum (unit) the value of the indicator, reflecting the maximum positive effect of the phenomenon. In the future, the resulting normalized indicators will be used on the basis of multiplicative accounting to determine the integral indicators for the studied categories of quality of life, according to the geometric mean formula:
where Ki is an integral indicator that defines the i-th category;
1, 2, .., n - serial number and total number of indicators characterizing the i-th category.
Next, the values are ranked depending on the value of the integral indicator for each category: the region with the highest value receives one as a rank, then the remaining regions, respectively, in the ranking order. At the last stage, the overall multiplicative coefficient for assessing the quality of life is calculated, which is found as the geometric mean of the integral indicators of all categories.
The use of such a generalized coefficient, based on a complex stratified system of private indicators characterizing the quality of life of the population of the regions, allows us to analyze and compare them with each other. As a basis for analysis, we used a set of regions of the Central Federal District with the exception of Moscow and the Moscow region, in which the majority of decision-making and profit-generating centers are concentrated, which determines their significant economic superiority over other regions. The period covered by our study is the entire post-Yeltsin era, in which today’s economic and political elite are at the helm of the country.
Research results and discussion
The quality of life of an individual depends on many factors: from economic well-being to security of existence, from conditions for the mental and cultural development of the individual to the creation of conditions for personal self-improvement. Therefore, in a comprehensive integrated assessment of the quality of life of the region’s population, we take into account a number of important aspects: state of the health care system; social guarantees and security; accessibility and development of sports infrastructure; opportunity for cultural development; quality and accessibility of education.
Possibility of obtaining medical care- one of the most important indicators of quality of life, determined by the availability and quality of its provision. This depends on the provision of the region’s population with hospital beds, medical personnel, the number of health care facilities in the region and specialized medical centers. Based on the totality of these indicators, the Yaroslavl and Smolensk regions are distinguished. Overall, the level is relatively equal (the gap between the first and last rank is less than 0.2 points, which is the smallest among the categories studied).
In the context of the high popularization of sports in the country, associated with the holding of major international competitions (Universiade 2013, Winter Olympics 2014, the expected World Cup in 2018), the opportunity to realize oneself in sports and lead a sports lifestyle by gaining access to sports facilities , is becoming an increasingly important category of quality of life. We assess the level of provision of stadiums, football fields, swimming pools, indoor gyms as an indicator of the realization of quality of life through sports. Best level provision of sports infrastructure per 10,000 people in the Belgorod, Smolensk and Tambov regions. In this category, there is almost a twofold deviation between the lowest and highest ranks, which indicates a high differentiation in the ability to engage in quality sports in different regions Central Federal District of the country.
The category of education is revealed by the level of provision of general education institutions, teaching staff in universities and schools, enrollment of children preschool institutions. In accordance with the integral coefficient for this category, the most favorable situation is observed in the Oryol, Kostroma and Smolensk regions. The quality of life from the perspective of the category “culture” is described by indicators of the provision of residents with library collections, publication activity of the press, the number of performances, concerts and performances in theaters, philharmonic societies and other objects of this type. Smolensk, Oryol and Belgorod regions stand out in this category, while most other regions lag behind, but have indicators comparable to each other.
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Healthcare |
Sports infrastructure |
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Culture |
Social Security |
Integral value |
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coefficient |
coefficient |
coefficient |
coefficient |
coefficient |
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Smolenskaya |
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Orlovskaya |
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Tverskaya |
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Belgorodskaya |
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Bryansk |
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Ivanovskaya |
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Voronezh |
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Vladimirskaya |
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Lipetskaya |
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Kaluzhskaya |
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Tambovskaya |
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Yaroslavskaya |
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Ryazan |
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Tula |
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The category “social security” reflects the quality of life of people with limited physical abilities and social capabilities. We investigated for integral quantification indicators: availability of places for disabled people in hospitals, proportion of coverage of people in need of outside assistance and social support, the burden on social workers.
Analyzing the totality of ranks in all categories, it is necessary to highlight the high differentiation of regions by rank in the categories under study, indicating the lack of comprehensiveness in the development and implementation of programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the population. As an example, in the Belgorod region the population is provided with the best sports infrastructure and cultural program, while health and social care were ranked relatively low. And vice versa, Yaroslavl region, which has the highest rank for ensuring quality of life in the healthcare category, in the categories of ensuring the possibility of implementing the sports and cultural part of quality of life, it ranks last in the Central Federal District. Only Smolensk and Oryol region, having consistently high positions in all categories, while in other regions there are very strong fluctuations (table).
The integral (multiplicative) coefficient of quality of life characterizes not only the static state of the population of a certain territory at a certain point in time, but also reflects the dynamics of development between measurements. If in a region there is a reduction in the integral coefficient of quality of life in the period under study, this indicates that these regions are lagging behind the leading regions in the categories and indicators studied. The results of the study show that on average there is a tendency towards an increase in the integral indicator, which means that in general in the Central Federal District the quality of life of the population is improving. The quality of life indicator in Oryol and Voronezh regions(0.169 and 0.121 points), while there were no sharp reductions - the indicator fell the most in the Kostroma region (by 0.04 points).
The procedure for calculating the integral indicator of quality of life, which involves covering various categories, allows for a comprehensive study of a significant set of factors, clearly identifying problem areas that need to be eliminated or their impact minimized in order to achieve a high level of quality of life for the population in the region. This will make it possible to formulate consistent and systematic measures for the implementation of the state program to improve the well-being and quality of life of the population, leveling the consequences of the crisis in the country, ensuring the implementation social guarantees state before society. The methodological approach allows, on the one hand, to study the socio-economic situation in the region in order to make adequate management decisions at the regional and federal levels, on the other hand, to compare the socio-economic development of the region with the situation in other regions. The results obtained can be applied when overall assessment quality of life and its individual categories, form a comparative base, establish precise relationships and trends, determine priorities in creating a solid foundation for the implementation of strategic decisions aimed at increasing the quality of life of citizens.
Bibliographic link
Kurkina M.P., Zyukin D.A. DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE REGIONS OF THE Central Federal District // Basic Research. – 2017. – No. 1. – P. 173-176;URL: http://fundamental-research.ru/ru/article/view?id=41335 (access date: 03/30/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"
Rostelecom regularly updates its line of tariff plans, trying to provide users with Better conditions Internet access. But many subscribers prefer to remain faithful to the tariff they chose when connecting. Moreover, a number of offers that have long been written off in the archives still arouse interest among new clients of the provider. One of the most striking examples of such services from Rostelecom is the Social tariff.
History of the tariff
In 2010, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications launched an initiative to reduce the cost of broadband access to the global network. This initiative was aimed at creating an information society in Russia and increasing the accessibility of the Internet for all segments of the population. Today it sounds strange - almost every home has access to the network. But 5-6 years ago things were completely different.
Rostelecom's social package was developed and put into effect precisely as part of the implementation of the initiative of the Ministry of Communications. From June 1, 2010, it became available for connection to residents of Central Russia. As part of the TP, subscribers were offered Internet access via fiber optic technologies FTTx and ADSL2 at a speed of 128 Kbps for 250 rubles per month. Incoming traffic was not limited, which was new to most subscribers.
By the way, one more innovation can be noted here - until 2010, internet service provider prices varied depending on the city and region. And for the “Social” tariff from Rostelecom, the price was the same for the entire Central region.
Despite the attractive price, existing subscribers of the Rostelecom provider were not very interested in the Social tariff plan. Even by 2010 standards, the speed of 128 Kbps was very low. It could be enough for communicating in ICQ and working with mail, but it was no longer enough for full-fledged surfing. In addition, many competitors of RTK offered megabit tariffs for only 100-150 rubles more. Taking into account the gain in quality of services, the difference in price seemed insignificant.
For some new Rostelecom subscribers, the social Internet tariff looked attractive. And even though he was not affected by the promotion of free modems, many people wanted to connect to it. The initial costs for equipment were quickly recouped due to the low cost of Internet services. That is why the company decided to develop this plan.
"Social Central Federal District" from Rostelecom - the speed is growing!
In December 2011, taking into account the increased demands of users for the service, Rostelecom modernized the “Social” tariff - the speed was doubled and amounted to 256 Kbit/s. The connection conditions have also changed. Now users can switch to the social package fiber optic internet using the following technologies:
- ADSL;
- VDSL;
- FTTx.
For residents of the Central part of Russia, the “Social Central Federal District” tariff from Rostelecom has become available within the Domolink UNO and Domolink NEO lines. You could join it using: Personal account on the provider’s website, or simply by writing a statement in one of the offices. Moreover, given the popularity of the offer, the company began to provide this budget package in a number of other federal districts countries.
Cheap Internet throughout Russia
In less than two years, Rostelecom has extended the “Social” tariff plan to several more regions of Russia. True, the conditions for its provision differed from those that were offered to residents of the Central Federal District. So, in Privolzhsky federal district in June 2012, the offer was still rated at 128 Kbps and subject to a cap of 1,536 MB after a certain amount of incoming traffic had been exceeded. But subscribers were provided with additional options to improve the quality of the service:
- “Accelerate” - the ability to increase speed up to 1024 Kbps;
- “Cancel threshold”—removing restrictions.
Each of these options cost 150 rubles per month, which in total made the Internet under the Social tariff plan from Rostelecom not such a cheap pleasure. But the basic cost remained unchanged - 250 rubles per month. The only exception was the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where the price of the social package was 449 rubles. At the same time, the restrictions and speed remained the same as in the Volga region.
Even at that time, subscriber reviews of the “Social” tariff from Rostelecom were very mixed. Requirements for quality and speed of access grew very quickly. Even subscribers in rural areas could no longer be fully satisfied with this tariff. Moreover, in 2012, RTK launched a new package of offers called “Home Internet”. In it, the speed was already measured in megabits, and the user could independently create the package of services he needed. And the difference in cost with the social package was 100 rubles. It is not surprising that the popularity of the latter has sharply declined.
Rostelecom has removed the Social tariff to the archives
By the end of 2012, for comfortable work on the Internet, at least 8 Mbit/s was required. Communication using ICQ and similar clients has gone out of fashion. Began to actively develop social media, correspondence in which took up much more traffic than modest messengers. Rostelecom has again modernized the Social tariff - the speed has been increased to 320 Kbit/s. But this was clearly not enough to cover the needs of the modern user. At the same time, the tariff disappeared from the Personal Account on the website; now it was possible to switch to it only after a personal visit to the provider’s office.
As a result, from March 1, 2013, in the Central Federal District, the social package was sent to the archives. Subscribers connected to it continued to use the Internet under the same conditions, but it became unavailable to new clients. The transition to the “Social” Internet from other TPs was also blocked by the provider.
Following Central Russia, the conservation of this tariff in the regions began. Yamal was one of the last to part with the social package. In it, the tariff was valid until July 2014, and subscribers could connect additional options to it until October 2015. But at the moment, the service has been archived there too.
Social Internet today
As of the end of 2015, the “Social Central Federal District” tariff plan from Rostelecom is not available for connection. Subscribers who previously purchased Internet access at this tariff continue to use the service at a speed of 320 Kbps, paying 280 rubles monthly for this. Restrictions on incoming traffic have been removed, and the speed reduction threshold no longer exists.
For users in other regions, connecting to social package also not available. However, the cost and speed for them may differ from those declared in the Central region. Any subscriber can check the data for their city on the provider’s official website. To do this, you need to select your locality, go to the “Internet” section, then select the “Tariffs” tab and on the page that opens, follow the “View all tariffs” link. 
Just below in the new window there will be a line “Archive of tariffs”, by clicking on which you will be taken to the list of tariff plans that are closed for connection - select the “Social” tariff in it and find out the conditions of its operation today. In case of difficulties, you can be advised by the Rostelecom help desk at the toll-free number 8-800-1000-800.
Rostelecom sells a fairly extensive line of tariff plans in any niche that is currently occupied by this telecommunications provider. And if we talk about tariff plans for telephone communications in a landline mode, then here too the company offers a fairly extensive list of offers.
However, today we want to consider not all of them, but specifically the Social Central Federal District Tariff from Rostelecom, which is one of the most popular offers from the company, used by subscribers in all regions Russian Federation.
Purpose of the “Social” tariff
Overall, the main purpose of this offer is quite obvious: it is created for those people who want access to phone calls, but do not want to pay a lot of money for it. This is where the name “Social” comes from. But the package is also suitable for those people for whom the monthly subscription fee is not a priority, they simply want to rationally use the services provided, and the number of minutes provided for by the quota in this tariff plan is quite enough for them to use comfortably throughout the month.
In order to understand what we are talking about, we suggest that you consider the terms of the package in several regions, because it is no secret that depending on the city, the price and terms of the package may vary.
Tariff "Social" from Rostelecom in Moscow
Naturally, first we will consider the conditions provided to the provider’s subscribers in the capital. They look like this:
- Monthly subscription fee of 234 rubles;
- Part of the fee for basic connections is 30 rubles;
- Providing a quota of 100 minutes for calls within a month;
- The cost of calls in case of using the provided quota is 56 kopecks.
Quite a cheap tariff plan, if you take into account that we're talking about about the capital, where Rostelecom's competitors offer much less profitable terms.
"Social" in St. Petersburg
However, for almost the same money, for 251 rubles per month you can connect almost similar offer. It is called here “Combined 100”, and its conditions look like this:
- 251 rubles monthly subscription fee;
- 46 rubles go to pay for basic connections;
- For a month, as is clear from the name of the plan, 100 minutes are provided;
- Calls over quota - 66 kopecks.
Of course, it is clear to the naked eye that the tariff is not as profitable as the original social offer, but in the absence of one, you can use this option.
Tariff "Social" from Rostelecom in Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg was also noted for the fact that its line of tariff plans does not include “Social”. At the same time, it is interesting to know that it has no analogues. The closest “twin brother” of the offer is “Combined”, which does not have such favorable conditions. However, it depends on how you look at it. Here they are:
- Monthly subscription fee of 310 rubles;
- The amount deducted from the fee for providing a subscriber line is 180 rubles;
- The provider charges 130 rubles for basic connections;
- Number of available minutes – 280;
- Calls in excess of the provided quota - 40 kopecks.
As you probably noticed, although the proposal is more expensive, it has two obvious advantages:
- Extended quota of available minutes.
- Calls over quota for only 40 kopecks.
Therefore, it is not always possible to choose exclusively in favor of the social offer if you want to save money.
Do you occasionally use your home phone? Do you want to connect to the Internet and spend as little as possible? We recommend you the “Social” tariff from Rostelecom.
About the tariff
The “Social” tariff is available to Rostelecom subscribers who use home telephones and the Internet for communication. The subscription fee is 449 rubles per month. Please note that if you wish, you can switch to another tariff plan completely free of charge.
Connection
To connect, contact service center Rostelecom or leave a request on the official website of the communication provider. The service is provided free of charge. ADSL/ADSL2, FTTb and GPON technology is used for stable communication.
Call costs
At the beginning of each month, 100 free minutes for calls within the city are credited to the subscriber account. If the specified conversation is exceeded, a minute of conversation will cost 54 kopecks per minute of conversation. The cost is 250 rubles per month.
Internet
The package price also includes home unlimited Internet. The traffic speed is 128 Kbps. Using additional services You can remove the speed limit.
Additional features
Subscribers are provided with a number of additional services, the activation of which is free.
Remove restrictions
Allows you to remove the speed limit for only 60 rubles per month.
Social tariff x2
The traffic limit is 256 Kbps. Monthly fee – 60 rubles.
Social tariff x4
Speed limit is up to 512 Kbps, monthly fee is 80 rubles.
Safe Internet
Do you want to make communication on the Internet safe? Activate this service. Cost 100 rubles per month
Child in the house
Do you have a child and are you worried that he might visit adult sites? Use the “Child in the House” opportunity. Monthly payment 150 rubles.
Tariff plans with a social focus are extremely rare among Russian operators and providers. They are aimed at consumers who want to save money in their wallet and do not need large volumes of services. Let's look at what the “Social” tariff from Rostelecom is, what services it refers to, and what versions of this tariff plan are found in the operator’s history.
Internet tariff “Social”
Once upon a time, Rostelecom actually had a socially oriented Internet tariff. It was called “Social”. Its audience is undemanding subscribers who don’t care how fast pages open. In the Central Federal District, the tariff offered speeds of up to 128 kbit/sec; in other regions there were marks of 64 kbit and 256 kbit. The proposal began around 2010, but it has not gained much traction.
In those years, such a low speed for the Internet was enough. Well, that’s enough – the pages opened slowly, it was impossible to watch the video (except in the very minimum resolution and a long loading time). Even Skype worked at this speed, since IP telephony at the same 128 kbit/sec is enough. Today, website pages have become heavy, they have an abundance of graphics - they open slowly.
If the “Social” tariff plan existed now, it would be almost useless. Modern realities are such that even at 1 Mbit/s surfing becomes uncomfortable. And the abundance of video content on the Internet simply forces you to use more expensive tariff plans. Oddly enough, many older subscribers, who should like “Social” and their pockets, prefer to watch videos rather than read.
Tariff alternatives
Home Internet from Rostelecom will allow you to get an inexpensive communication channel with outside world. In the Moscow region, its services are presented under the OnLime brand; in other regions they are offered under the basic brand, but prices may differ slightly in one direction or another. We suggest taking a look at the following alternatives to the Social tariff:
- “OnLime 30” – speed up to 30 Mbit/sec for 400 rubles per month.
- “Express 100” is the newest Internet tariff for 449 rubles/month with a speed of up to 100 Mbit/sec.
- “Express 200” – up to 200 Mbit/sec for 499 rubles/month.
If these tariffs seem too expensive to you, pay attention to the services of MGTS (for Moscow and Moscow Region) - here you can connect 3 Mbit/sec for 150 rubles/month via a landline phone. It’s cheaper than the former “Social”, and the speed is many times higher, even enough to watch videos in good quality.
Recommend tariffs as an alternative to the “Social” tariff plan mobile communications we won’t - there are many limits here, you can accidentally subscribe to something or “blow away” all the traffic.
Telephone tariff
For home phone Rostelecom has created its own tariff plans. And here there is the “Social” tariff, created for subscribers with low activity. The monthly fee for it is 240 rubles/month. For this amount, Rostelecom subscribers receive 100 minutes for calls within Moscow. Intrazone, intercity and international calls are paid separately.
100 minutes is enough for a limited number of calls, which is a little more than 1.5 hours of calls. If the package is exhausted, the cost of local calls will be 64 kopecks/min. There is no opportunity to purchase additional packages, as is done in cellular communications.
If the package of 100 minutes on the “Social” tariff is not enough for you, go to “Combined 350” - here you can get 350 minutes for 354 rubles/month.