After another conversation with MTS representatives, once again convinced of their unprofessionalism, I decided to go the guaranteed way leading to Utel. I read that Utel operates in Ukraine.
And they checked it. I found their nearest office on the map using the same iPad and went there. I go. It turns out that to connect to the Utel network, in addition to my passport, I also need an identification code. Why, for me, remains a mystery. To my questions about connecting the iPad to Utel, they answered that the smart "guy" who knows everything is not there now. Come tomorrow, he will be there. Probably that day he was working at MTS. There, the "smart" guy was also there every other day.
The next day, I found another Utel service center near the house on Andreevsky descent. There is no indication on the Utel website that you can connect there, but I went. There, it turned out that it was possible and within half an hour another smart "guy" issued me a card. I chose the package. 120 UAH per month (+ 7.5 PF) and I have unlimited in my pocket. But, as always, there are a couple of pitfalls. This package includes automatic roaming with Kyivstar. Which is not possible to disable on the iPad.
The network switches from Utel to Kyivstar automatically. Although, you can see it in the network status bar. They change from UTEL3G to Kyivstar. So, having used up Kyivstar's 5 gigs in the current month, you get a per-megabyte count of your further traffic.
At a price of about 450 UAH per 1 gigabyte. But I was strongly advised not to connect to it. At least for now. It turns out that when this tariff plan was introduced, there were so many smart guys besides me that Utel stations couldn't handle it and some of them are down, while the rest are working with a creak and a very low speed (200 kb/s). That's why they recommended another package to me. 60 UAH and the speed is exactly what they can provide for now. And then, when they solve all their technical problems, I will be able to connect to their top package.
At their cash desk, I still paid 120 UAH for what I wanted and went home to cut the treasured card. If you damage the SIM card while cutting it, Utel will restore it for you for 20 UAH. Using the same stationery knife and a nail file as a ruler (so that it doesn't slip), I successfully cut and inserted the newborn, now microSIM into the iPad. The iPad thought for a while and then found the Utel network. I did it. The installed Speed test showed a speed of 0.07 Mbps both for input and output.
And this is very different from the speed declared by Utel. Even for a small package. The best speed that Utel could provide was: 0.12 Mbps for input and 0.06 Mbps for output. And here they deceived. It switches to Kyivstar even in the city, not to mention outside it. And the speed is the same. It is problematic to check mail. The question of normal operation in the network is not even raised.
Home dedicated line showed on the same Speed test: 28.15 Mbps and 19.30 Mbps respectively.
The difference is obvious, or rather on the screen. Utel and MTS advertise well but work poorly. I hope Utel will increase the speed to the promised cosmic speeds. Let's see. That's all for now. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments. I'll answer.