My first order of business after getting the key to my apartment was to get a cell phone, but my colleagues had already purchased me a SIM card, so I just popped that into my old Russian cell phone and was good to go.

Next I needed to establish some reliable internet connection for my stay, so I went to the store of a local company called "O" and bought an internet router. This things uses the mobile phone system to give you access to 4g internet. The router then sends out a wi-fi signal, to which you can connect up to ten devices. The router, to my surprise, is about the size of lower-end smart phone. You can easily transport it in your pocket. I paid 2990 soms ($50) for the router itself, pluse 1390 soms ($23) for each of two months of unlimited service. Pretty reasonable. The router itself has a battery in it, so you can charge it up and take it to a cafe or pack and use it there without plugging in. Spiffy!

Below I include a picture of both my cell phone and the router.