Is it possible to use a pager now? Pagers are a freedom that doesn't exist now. We are nostalgic for small squeaking boxes. Are pagers dead? No

After several years of calm, the paging operator started working again in St. Petersburg. The Excom-Neda Paging company is confident that the fate of other participants in this once developed market will not affect them. The operator intends to survive through new services and the resuscitation of old, proven services. Cellular communications have replaced pagers in almost all Russian regions: paging operators no longer operate anywhere except Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, analysts believe that paging services still have their own narrow niche, although they will not be able to go beyond it.

In 2007, a merger between PT-Page and Ekskom-Neda Paging took place in St. Petersburg, resulting in the only paging company operating in the city. In 2008, the operator completed the modernization of its equipment and, as the company says, is ready to begin providing the most modern paging services. This in itself sounds strange. However, some organizations still choose pager communication. According to the director of Excom-Neda Paging, Grigory Dubrovin, it is stupid to completely abandon the pager - it is actively used in Europe and the USA emergency services. "Our main clients in St. Petersburg are control rooms, emergency and courier services, as well as security companies," he says. Thus, from the category of mass services, which paging was in the late 90s, the service has become specialized offer For corporate clients.

Dubrovin noted that over time, the list of services provided by the paging network has been updated. So, now more and more subscribers order to receive messages not on a pager, but on a cell phone (in the form of SMS) or on their email. However, the operator also retains a unique “paging” service, when each subscriber is assigned a separate city number and messages can be transmitted to a pager without the participation of a dispatcher. “In my opinion, there are several reasons why the remaining paging operators closed in St. Petersburg - this is the inability to carry out competent diversification of the enterprise and business processes, as well as the inability or unwillingness to come to an agreement with other companies operating in this segment", he said.

iKS-Consulting analyst Maxim Savvatin clarified to the St. Petersburg.ru correspondent that today not only the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the police and ambulance, but also the media, public organizations and authorities - “hot lines” are organized for them using a pager. The advantage of a pager in this case is the low cost of communication and extremely high throughput networks exceeding those in cellular networks. However, iKS-Consulting emphasizes that paging services have already occupied their niche and do not pretend to be more. Often these companies earn the bulk of their income from other telecommunications services, in particular by renting out the capacity of their call centers.

Representatives of cellular operators refuse to take seriously even the possibility of competition from paging networks. “Once upon a time, operators had a service for sending messages to a pager, but it has been closed for several years now,” said Maria Georgievskaya, press secretary of St. Petersburg MegaFon. According to her, paging has a right to exist as a niche offer, but in the mass market the development of SMS services at one time did not leave pagers a chance. “The telecommunications market does not know any other service that would bring such profit with minimal investment,” Georgievskaya noted.

Operators " Big three" in St. Petersburg provides tariffs with cheap SMS (Red_text from MTS, "Monster of Communication" from Beeline) or ordering packages with SMS, payment for which is made bonus points, like MegaFon. Let us recall that in 2007 the share of SMS and MMS in the total volume additional services Russian mobile operators accounted for 54%.

The pager, on the contrary, is configured not to exchange, but to receive messages. This is a paging receiver that receives messages over the paging network. To send a message, you need to contact the dispatcher, indicate the number or name of the subscriber and dictate the text in English or Russian. The paging network is built on the same principles as the cellular network. Reception stability is ensured base stations.

It is noteworthy that paging communication helps to save frequency resources. Thus, in cellular networks one frequency (with a channel width of 25 kHz) has the resource to serve 25-50 subscribers, and in paging networks - 10-15 thousand subscribers (POCSAG standard) and 40-80 thousand (FLEX standard). The cost of subscription service, which includes a prepaid package of messages (at least 500), largely depends on the pager model. So, for a 1-line pager a subscriber will pay about 200 rubles, for a 4-line pager - 400 rubles. per month. The networks also provide for message transmission without using a pager (from 250 rubles).

Natalia RYZHKOVA

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“Pepsi, pager, MTV” - this phrase from Decl, the youth idol of the 2000s, best characterizes the period of the late 90s - early 2000s. At that time, cell phones were just beginning to capture the Russian market, and mobile connection was quite expensive. Pagers served as an alternative to mobile phones. These are miniature radios that could receive text messages thanks to the company's operators paging.

We explain the principle of their operation: you need to call the operator’s office, give the subscriber’s number (each device in the system is assigned an individual code), and then dictate the desired message. It will be delivered in a few seconds.

Ask: “How can I respond to a message?” No way. Of course, you can remember the so-called tweagers, pagers with two-way communication that allow you to send messages in response, but now we are not talking about them.

In the USSR, personal calling devices appeared in the late 60s. They were used in ambulances, as well as in some government agencies, such as the KGB. However, pagers became widespread on the eve of the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Then the English company Multitone deployed the Radiopoisk network in Moscow, which helped office workers quickly coordinate actions.

The “golden” era of pagers in Russia began in the 90s. In 1994, the first Russified pager MIT-472 went on sale (by the way, from the aforementioned Multitone). The device cost about $380 and could receive messages of up to 7,500 characters in the Russian and Latin alphabets.

Average subscription fee was $40–60, connection was $10–20, although some companies did it for free. Subscribers were also offered to connect to services such as exchange rates, weather in the city, traffic conditions and even an evening club program.

With the advent of cell phones, the popularity of pagers began to decline. Prices for mobile phones have become more affordable, and the need for one-way sending of messages has disappeared over time - it has been replaced by SMS messages. Nevertheless, pagers continue to be used to this day. For example, in the USA, hospital workers (hello, “Clinic” and “Doctor House”), police and emergency services have them. Let's say more, the site's producer, Kristina Zadorozhnaya, discovered that even Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has his own pager to which anyone can send a message.

Photo chronicle TASS/Rogulin Dmitry

Two paging companies still operate in the capital - Telecomt and Inform-Ekskom. The first has been on the market since 1991, and the second has been operating since 1992. Unfortunately, companies no longer sell miniature radios. Inform-Excom simply continues to serve old subscribers (although they call them 1-2 times a month with a question about a purchase). But Telecomt is the only company on the Russian market that provides services for the creation of paging systems.

In the interview site CEO Telekomt Leonty Ogarok noted that the devices are now used mainly by doctors (for example, in the Kremlin hospital to instantly call an employee) and operatives. They also found a place in the corporate sphere and nuclear energy, where fire brigades, technicians and other personnel receive alerts via pager.

Ogarok named the main advantages of paging communication as simplicity, reliability and speed. Messages arrive almost instantly, which is why they continue to be used where this parameter is critically important. What about law enforcement agencies (the American FBI), there are pros and cons. It is not difficult for attackers to intercept messages from pagers (although they are usually encrypted in the classical way), but they do not emit radio waves, which means it is almost impossible to detect a person. In addition, until the pager sends a message, it is not registered on the network. This allows you to act covertly and quickly.

For a personal call. It is designed in such a way that it allows you to receive small text messages using a paging network. The first pager model was released in 1956 by Motorolla. It immediately gained popularity among couriers, taxi drivers, nurses, in other words, among those people who, due to their duty, must always be in touch.

What is a pager and what is its history?

Pagers were the most popular in our country in the nineties. But due to the universal availability and spread of mobile phones, these devices have lost demand and practically disappeared from the lives of citizens.

However, the meaning of the word “pager” has not been forgotten today, and you can easily use it in Moscow - just use the services provided by paging companies that are up to today is on the market. An example is the company Vessolink, which provides services in Moscow and the region.

How does a classic pager work?

To send a message, you need to call the operator, give the subscriber's number and dictate a text message. It is possible to notify several subscribers at once during group transfer. From a modern pager you can send messages to a mobile phone or email. If desired, you can arrange hotline or receiving alerts from different points. In general, even today there are extensive opportunities for using a pager.

Where are these devices used today?

It is possible to use this device in different situations. In addition, a pager is a gadget whose price is much lower than the cost of a mobile phone. Externally, it looks like a rectangular parallelepiped with a pair of buttons. It will be easy for anyone to learn how to operate it. Due to the fact that pagers have long gone out of fashion, they can be purchased through private advertisements or paging network operators.

What other areas of use are known?

In addition, today the meaning of the word “pager” is somewhat expanded and involves various functions.

Thus, certain device models are used in alarm systems. For example, a GSM pager functions in such a way that when the alarm is turned on, a small text message is sent to it. This is convenient because it gives you time to take measures to prevent theft or allows you to store the contents in a safe.

The pager's small size and convenience make it a practical electronic device. It is resistant to shock and mechanical stress. Using the pager in accordance with the instructions guarantees its long service life.

Car alarm pager

With all the complexity of modern car alarms, only the siren is the most effective factor against the thief. Many manufacturers can offer devices that significantly increase this spectrum. To do this, you need to understand what a car alarm pager is.

Central locking allows you to simultaneously lock (unlock) all doors in the car. In some, it is carried out from any front door. It is also possible to control using an alarm and external signals"close" and "open". The kit for installing a central lock consists of 2 or 4 electronic ones with mounting parts and a control unit. They are installed inside, in the cavity of the doors.

These mechanisms provide a reciprocating movement of rods that transmit movement to parts of the door lock. Electrical signals are generated and drive the actuators. The block has inputs to which the corresponding alarm circuits are connected.

The optional hood latch is a useful accessory. After opening the hood, the car thief has access to most of the important components of the car and the alarm system. By turning off the siren, he can quickly remove the alarm and blocking units. If an additional lock is installed for the hood, which is opened with a key, and not just a lever from the passenger compartment, then the actions for opening it by a thief will become very difficult. Among other things, this lock has an electrical circuit that breaks the ignition.

Electric windows are electric drives that are used to lower and raise the windows in car doors. They are controlled from a convenient location in the cabin. You can lower and raise the windows both jointly and separately.

Pager as part of a car alarm

There is a possibility remote control alarm when a signal is sent to a separate input. There are two types of window regulators. For external installation, on the surface of the protective card on the door, and for installation inside, in the door cavity. Preference should be given to one or another of them, taking into account the tastes of the owner and the design of the doors. Most often, the least labor-intensive option is to install window regulators from the outside.

In a car alarm system, a pager is a small receiver, the size of half a cigarette pack, which the car owner always carries with him. When using the device, a transmitter is connected to the alarm and is activated when the alarm is triggered.

Radio signals from the transmitter are picked up by the receiver, and if its code and the transmitter match, it is issued by a pager.

Signaling pagers - which one is better?

The working distance in urban conditions is from 300 meters to 1 kilometer. Certain manufacturers indicate a distance of up to 5 kilometers, but this range refers to the desert. The pagers tested by specialists operated in two ranges - 27 megahertz and 300 megahertz. The transmitter power was 1.5 W and 0.5 W.

The Enforcer Cop group provided a longer operating distance, but also had antenna installation requirements. Another Road Star group had more reliable, but also more modest characteristics.

Pagers from model range Secopage-35 not only records the alarm, but also determines its cause (opening the hood, doors, shock sensor) based on the color of the indication.

When using the pager, it is important to turn the receiver off and on regularly due to fast discharge batteries. When the pager is turned on, as a source of radio waves, it can interfere with some types of alarms. It is difficult to turn off the alarm using the key fob when it is triggered and the pager is turned on. Thus, the best alarm systems with pager come in a variety of models.

For fishing

Fans of bottom fishing use various tricks to see the bite in a timely manner. After the appearance of the feeder, this became easier - now, whenever a fish touches the bait, the bite can be seen on the top of the rod. The difficulty is that the fisherman does not spend all his time near the fishing rod. An assistant in this case will be an electric bite alarm. Light or it will inform the fisherman that the bait has already been swallowed by fish. Nowadays it is possible to purchase a set of alarms with a pager various types. What a fishing pager is should be considered separately.

Choosing the best pager for fishing

All alarms operate on the principle of sensing the twitching of a fishing line. When purchasing a signaling device, a pager may be available as an additional convenience. It serves for sound signaling and for remote control for the cool thing. Thus, a fishing pager is a gadget that allows you to determine the presence of a bite from a distance.

There are many benefits to adding a pager to your alarm system. For example, when you have several tackles and you need to quickly determine which of several fishing rods is biting. Using a pager, the required fishing rod and the nature of the pull are accurately determined. By setting the signal for the line to move from one shore to the other, you can determine what is happening underwater.

Pagers can be purchased in two types:

Wired.
Wireless.

Sometimes electric alarms are connected by wires to a pager. Paging will be the best solution. Its range, depending on the company, can be up to 200 meters. Thanks to this opportunity, the fisherman, without missing a bite, can move away, cook food, light a fire, etc. The pager (photos are presented in this article) is configured simultaneously with the signaling device. If desired, you can lower the volume on the alarm and set the volume on the pager as required.

The best choice would be models with a charging indicator for timely detection of energy shortages. It is very convenient to purchase sets of signaling devices, a couple of pieces, complete with a pager. You can purchase such a device both in specialized retail outlets and in various online stores.

Now we have begun to forget what a pager is. And just 15 years ago he was a symbol of success. Those who did not have enough money for a cell phone, which in those days cost more than $1,000 plus considerable expenses for calls, acquired pagers. However, rare owners of mobile phones did not neglect them either.

What is a pager

Pager - a small one-way communication device that displayed short messages(no longer than an SMS) on the display. The peculiarity of this type of communication is that only specialized paging networks could transmit signals. Messages were sent to the device from the paging center, where operators dialed them into regular keyboard and sent to the addressee.
To send a message to a pager, you had to call an operator on a specific phone number, give the subscriber’s number or his nickname and dictate the message. You could also specify the time when this message should have been sent. The operator sent the typed message over the air, preceded by a special code signal, unique to each pager, which picked up the message intended for it, like a radio receiver.
If the owner of the pager is this moment found himself “out of reach” (for example, in the subway) or simply turned off the device, then he could miss the message. To prevent this from happening, you could order the message to be sent multiple times. In the absence of cell phones, such communication was very convenient. You could send an order to the pager, ask to call, warn about something, give a signal, etc.

Pagers gave rise to a wave of jokes:
“Suck in your stomach, I’m suffocating! Your pager" (in Russia, the pager was often worn on the belt)
“Uncle Gogi, Uncle Vakhtang asked you to call him back!” - Thank you Pager-jan.
Yesterday I re-read the pager. I thought a lot.

Invention of the pager

The first paging devices appeared in the United States in the late 20s. They were invented by radio engineer Charles Niergaard. Legend has it that when he was in the hospital, he was terribly bored with the intercom calls that were used to find doctors. It was these loud calls that prompted him to come up with such a “quiet” connection. In the 1930s, pagers were actively used by the police.

But the adoption of these devices has been slow. More modern version pager was created in England in 1956 by Motorola. In those years, the number of network subscribers could not be more than 57, and the range did not exceed 200 m. However, it was very useful inside hospitals, large offices, etc. At the same time, the name appeared - pager - from the word “page” (servant, page).

The first devices could only produce a beeping signal, which is why another name appeared - beeper. Hearing the signal, the doctor knew that he had to run to the operating room, the military man hurried to the headquarters, and the firefighters were preparing to go to the fire.

Then pagers became more sophisticated: they were able to transmit audio messages. Having heard the beeper signal, the subscriber brought it to his ear and listened to the message transmitted by the dispatcher. Thanks to the system of circuits inside the pager, it could only receive the signal that was intended for it. Other signals are not available to him.
Quite quickly, beepers were equipped with small screens on which first only digital and then alphabetic information was displayed. This information was not only displayed, but also remembered. Thus, the subscriber could re-read the message at any convenient time. Some departments in England and the USA still use pagers: they are very convenient and economical when two-way communication is not needed.

Paging modernization

The heyday of paging communications in the USA and Europe occurred in the 80s, when it became possible to transmit text information. The transmitted message, which was transmitted by the user, was entered by the operator into the computer where it was stored. Transfer via the Motorola FLEX protocol was carried out either immediately after the order, or at a time specified by the user. Repetitions were possible at a certain interval so that the subscriber was guaranteed to receive the signal and not forget about it.

Motorola Advisor pagers are equipped with an 80-character, 4-line backlit display, battery indicator, built-in clock, and alarm clock. The memory capacity in Advisor is 52 messages per 6400 characters and in Maxima 231 messages per 18480 characters. In the 90s, Motorola created a two-way pager based on the ReFLEX protocol, the so-called twager (“two-way paging”). But at the same time, cell phones began to spread rapidly, and the star of paging began to decline.

Pagers in the USSR and Russia

Watch pager.

Having appeared in the USSR in the late 70s, pagers did not become the property of the general public. They were used mainly by ambulance doctors. There was a surge in paging activity during the 1980 Olympics, when many services used it. But basically pagers have spread in Russia since 1993.
Then, in the 90s, pagers were on par with rare cell phones, were a sign of the owner’s wealth. There are even cheap ones chinese watch in the form of this means of communication. Many fans of splurge bought these watches to demonstrate their imaginary “coolness”.

Paging network operators did not accept messages with obscenities, much to the chagrin of profanity. Even then, euphemisms like “6 la” were invented. And the operators obediently typed “lalalalala.”

A little later, some operators organized the transmission of messages via email or a website on which the user himself typed the message. True, a variety of spam immediately fell into the mail.

The decline of pagers

Perhaps two-way paging - twiding - would have allowed pagers to live and develop further, but 1998 struck. Then, on the verge of ruin, mobile operators reoriented from the middle class, which we have in Russia even today, to the main masses of the population. Mobile phones and tariffs began to quickly become cheaper. The final blow was dealt by the development of the SMS service.

Today, pagers are used only in some places, in local departmental networks, since pager communications and the devices themselves are much cheaper than mobile phones. In addition, messages sent to the pager remain on computers, and this is already a document, but a conversation on a cell phone “can’t be tied to business.” But all this is just remnants of its former glory.

The era of pagers is long gone, only memories remain. At least in Belarus. In many countries with a developed telecommunications market, these means of communication are still used. Why? They are more resistant to failures and significant loads, for this reason pagers are used by rescue services, doctors, service departments, and so on.

We can only remember these squeaking boxes, appearance which will most likely cause the younger generation to ask the question “what is this?” Or, as in the case of a cassette player, “why is it needed when you have a mobile phone?” Yes, Cell phones, and then smartphones replaced “warm tube” pagers from our lives, but there’s no escaping nostalgia.

“Necks”, “Motorolas”, cool 4-line pagers, 7-line ones that didn’t catch on, memes (in the past they were called “pearls”), born while dictating messages to operators, and then broadcast on the radio... A whole layer of culture that has become history .

"You forgot your pager at home"- a loving mother or a vigilant spouse could send something else.

Onliner.by decided to remember how it was: the hardest thing was to find the person who was at the origins of the “Belarusian pagers” and to gain consent to remember the past. Some former employees of paging companies hold high positions in companies providing cellular communication services and have difficulty finding time to communicate, while others do not want to bring up the past.

However, we still managed to contact Igor Krivonos, who worked as the general director of one of the most advanced paging companies of that time - RadioPage. Much water has passed under the bridge since then: after all, the era of paging in Belarus ended more than 10 years ago, but there is something to remember.

“Officially” pagers appeared in Belarus in the mid-90s of the last century - later than in the rest of the world, but they managed to find their audience. “Like everything advanced, the pagers reached us late,”- our interlocutor recalls.

At a certain point, there were seven companies operating in the country, which is a lot for the local communications market. Before velcom entered the market in 1999, everything was going as well as possible, and with the start of this operator the situation did not change much: mobile phones were expensive, as was communication. Well, “BelSel” was “the first” and at the same time “an operator for the elite”.

Pagers became a symbol of a business person and technological progress - the devices were a more mass-produced product than telephones, they gave a new sense of mobility, and ensured constant communication with the world. Now it sounds funny and even ridiculous, but in those distant times everything looked different.

“Yes, in 2000 there was already some decline, but it was not particularly noticeable: the price for paging remained more attractive than for cellular communication. But starting in 2003, that is, after the arrival of MTS in 2002 with its 30 rubles per minute - and this is without VAT, there was a sharp decline.”

Paging rates were low and much more affordable; you had to pay $15-40 for the device itself. Some companies took marketing steps or other tricks: some sold “used” devices from a neighboring country, others rented out devices. Be that as it may, the “personal call receivers” seemed more practical than mobile phones: they were more compact and could go without recharging for a long time - especially in comparison with the “brick” phones of BelSel.

“Maybe this sounds strange, but then there was a large category of people who fundamentally wanted to have a pager,- says Igor. - One-way communication had its own charm. Imagine: a specialist who should only receive information, nothing more. Nowadays people just talk on the phone. And in the pager there is an element of freedom: the message could be “not noticed” (“didn’t reach”, “did not reach completely” - underline what is necessary), which cannot be done with a mobile call.”

Despite the recession, the system remained profitable and profitable. According to the expert, in Canada, the USA, Australia and China there was a boom in paging, while in Belarus it was losing relevance. The explanation for this is simple: using this technology you can cover large areas. The tower installed in Minsk on Partizansky Avenue, for example, reached Baranovichi - a radius of about 120 km.

The coverage was of high quality (with certain reservations, of course), but it was necessary to use additional devices to amplify the signal. And if there were special antennas, the highly educated Kulibins came up with their own version, or, as they say now, a life hack: wrap the pager with wire and pull the end up - inductive coupling does its job. Students had their own “life hacks”: they used pagers to take exams - the days of high-tech cheat sheets began.

Today it takes a lot of effort to unsubscribe from a bunch of information services and mailing lists, but even in the days of pagers, there were also various providers of content that could be received both for free and for money. Weather forecast, sending jokes...

Paging subscribers were happy to subscribe to them and rejoiced at the squeak that was heard when a message arrived. The main thing is that this happens in front of everyone, and then it is possible to make a smart appearance of a business person (of course, business people really treated the device differently). “We even had an agreement with the “sorceress” - that’s what we called her. She drew up horoscopes for us."- Igor grins. Operators offered their own “goodies” for corporate clients. For example, a big boss could announce a general meeting, organizing a “spam” mailing for all subordinates with one call.

How many subscribers did the paging companies have? Nowadays it’s difficult to find such statistics, but the same “RadioPage” gave out numbers starting with 120 thousand. Add the subscriber bases of other operators to this and you’ll get a considerable audience. It's hard to imagine what they were doing...

“The most fun time began in the evening. The husband should return home, but he is still not there. The wives began to look for their men - and whatever they dictated... We saved the most interesting messages[laughs - approx. Onliner.by] ».

It’s hard to imagine, but at the peak of its activity, the company’s call center employed up to 120 operators who heard a lot of funny things. At the same time, they tried to avoid sharp corners with all accessible ways: there were individuals fueled by alcohol (or emotions) who were not at all shy in their expressions, but the addressee might not appreciate all the subtleties of such a speech.

“‘Let’s replace the word “cattle” with “you are a bad or dirty animal,”’ we had to get out of difficult situations something like this,- Igor explained. - Simply put, it was necessary to seek a compromise between legal requirements and the interests of the client. Of course, sometimes it was difficult to prove to the caller that writing “bastard” is not very polite. “What a ‘bad person’ he is - he’s a real bastard!”

By the way, only girls worked on the telephone: this work was not particularly suitable for guys for a number of reasons, and clients were more comfortable talking with girls.

Why did pagers become extinct in Belarus?

It’s interesting, but the operators themselves understood that uncontrolled competition could ruin the entire business: excessive dumping, for example, would have a bad impact on the business as a whole. Those who ignored the unspoken rules were gently pointed out the mistake. “It was necessary to avoid extremes - monopoly and thoughtless competition when there are too many market participants.”

“Around 2004, I can’t say more precisely, a provision was adopted according to which strict rules were introduced for payment for the used frequency resource,”- says our interlocutor. At that time, two cellular operators were working at full speed, which probably pushed the regulator to take certain steps. However, what was not taken into account was that paging operators had disproportionately lower profits and did not operate a wide frequency range.

“The calculation formula was such that almost all the money was spent on paying for the frequency resource and the companies began to close. MDF was the first to close, small operators left who didn’t even have time to break through, we were one of the last.” It was also not possible to push through the idea of two-way paging - it was nipped in the bud, and mobile operators were probably actively promoting their own interests.

There were attempts to reorient the business, but no one achieved much success. Some services - for example, GPS tracking of cargo and cars - did not take root (although there were positive results in “catching” stolen cars). Probably, the market at that time was not ripe for such technological solutions, and the price for the equipment seemed high. Some went to work as Internet providers, while others began supplying entertainment content for cellular subscribers. But what happened, happened.

Today in Belarus there are companies that operate internal paging; probably someone provides services to a limited circle of clients: a license for this type activities can be obtained, technical support is also not a problem.

The question remains: how soon will mobile phones die out and what will replace them?

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