Ukraine - 3.3 Telecommunications
Telecommunications
Before the war, uttermost Ukrainians had a mobile phone and a cellular network connection: as of the end of 2021, there were 1.36 SIM cards per person with the greatest concentration in the Odesa region and in Kyiv city (2-2.1 SIM cards per person). Over 70% Ukrainians had mobile phones, with the highest penetration thereof being amongst young adults. The trend is reflected through the phasing out of the fixed telephone lines throughout Ukraine. Internet access is available both in cities and smaller settlements; the coverage in areas between cities may be limited outside the major roads.
All types of communication networks throughout Ukraine are well developed and modernised. Though they may be vulnerable to power outages, especially during drone and missile strikes: prolonged lack of electricity disables connectivity in the affected areas until power is restored. Telecommunication providers are working to autonomise the energy supply to their networks with variable success: generators or batteries are installed to network nodes to prolong their longevity once the power is out.
All kinds of communication near the front line are very limited due to infrastructure destruction and electronic warfare.
Ukrtelecom is the national telecommunications operator. Ukrtelecom covers 78% of fixed-line local telephone.
Telephone Services |
|
---|---|
Is there an existing landline telephone network? |
Yes |
Does it allow international calls? |
Yes |
Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average) |
No |
Mobile Phone Providers |
List |
Approximate Percentage of National Coverage |
100% of controlled territory |
Telecommunications Regulations
The National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and the Provision Of Postal Services (NCEC) is an authority of state regulation in the area of telecommunications. The entity acts according to the Law 1971-IX.
Regulations on Usage and Import |
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---|---|---|
|
Regulations in Place? |
Regulating Authority |
Satellite |
Yes |
NCEC |
HF Radio |
Yes |
NCEC |
UHF/VHF/HF Radio: Handheld, Base and Mobile |
Yes |
NCEC |
UHF/VHF Repeaters |
Yes |
NCEC |
GPS |
Yes |
NCEC |
VSAT |
Yes |
NCEC |
Individual Network Operator Licences Required |
||
Yes |
||
Frequency Licences Required |
||
Yes |
Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) was activated in Ukraine on 03 March 2022, and is deploying cyber security solutions and VSATs to provide secure networks and back-up connectivity to humanitarians, while was also working to obtain approvals for the setup of VHF radio security communications.
In December 2022, Ukrainian government/NCEC approved the VHF (Radio Frequency Spectrum) to use security communication network in humanitarian crises areas.
Upon approval of frequency licenses, ETC has setup the VHF radio network for day-to-day operation. As of today, the 5 major cities and oblasts of Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa and Kharkiv are fully covered by VHF radio network.
ETC has identified and conducted surveys in over 25 sites to extend and setup VHF repeaters network to support humanitarian actors in the field and especially front-line areas.
Apart of fixed repeater network, at the frontline areas, Remote Site on Vehicle (RSOV, a mobile VHF network with StarLink internet solution) has been installed for day-to-day operation,
For more info visit Ukraine | Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) (etcluster.org)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Ukrtelecom is the largest Internet access provider (as well as a fixed telephone provider). In particular, it was serving over 1.1 million fixed-access clients and 661,000 internet clients as of December 2022. The second-largest - Kyivstar - (on par with Vodafone Ukraine) is the largest mobile phone and internet operator offering fixed broadband access. Volia as well is a major player specialising in cable access combined with the TV signal.
Since the crisis, StarLink services are available across the country.
Some Ukrainian operators still manage to provide services across the frontline into the recently occupied territories, but they are likely to be quickly substituted by Russian-affiliated ISPs (e.g. IVK-Donbass). Starlink has proven itself to be a reliable internet connection provider with secure data flows and portable receivers. Its popularity in Ukraine is steadily growing.
Internet Service Providers |
||
---|---|---|
Are there ISPs available? |
Yes |
|
If yes, are they privately or government owned? |
Private |
|
Dial-up only? |
No |
|
Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $) |
Dial-up |
Not offered |
Broadband |
Starting from UAH100 ($2.7) per month |
|
Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth |
1000 Mbps |
All internet service providers with their consumer ratings and available bandwidths for any specific region are available at 2IP’s dedicated section.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Ukraine has a triopoly in cellular network operations: Kyivstar, Vodafone (formerly MTS), and Lifecell. LycaMobile also entered the market, but its client base is tiny compared to the top 3.
Mobile connectivity nowadays consists of a 4G internet network with supplementarily of 3- and 2G in distant localities.
On the occupied territories multiple mobile operators provide connectivity services, namely MTS, MKS for the Luhansk region, Phoenix for the Donetsk region, KrymTelekom for the Crimea, MirTelekom and 7+Mobile for the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions.
Company |
Number of Agent Outlets by Area |
Network Strength by Area |
Contracted for Humanitarian or Government Cash Transfer Programmes? |
Services Offered (i.e. Merchant Payment, Bulk Disbursement, Receive & Make Payment) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kyivstar |
Not in NGCA |
Very good |
No |
All |
Vodafone Ukraine |
Not in NGCA |
Very good |
No |
All |
Lifecell |
Not in NGCA |
Very good |
No |
All |
MTS |
Only in NGCA |
Very good |
No |
All |