In what has been an unprecedented year for global elections, the world may look drastically different by next year. For Ukrainians, however, life changed profoundly two years ago. On 24 February 2022, many packed the bare essentials and fled to safe havens as Russian forces began their invasion.
Across the Atlantic, the United States re-elected Donald Trump to serve a second term as president. This outcome is significant given Trump’s bold campaign claims, including a promise to end the war in Ukraine with a single phone call.
However, such promises remain unfulfilled, and hopes for a swift resolution persist. The war has devastated Ukraine, upended lives, and sent shockwaves through the global economy. As the conflict nears its third year, Ukraine’s telecoms sector remains resilient, with operators and government officials working to deliver a robust digital future despite the ongoing turmoil.
Resilience amid destruction
The Ukrainian government has set a target to increase 4G coverage from 65% to 91% over the next three years, as part of its goal to align with European Union standards. This ambitious plan has continued despite repeated attacks on critical infrastructure.
Speaking at the 5G Techritory conference in Riga, Stanislav Prybytko (pictured, right), Director-General of the Directorate for Mobile Broadband at Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, praised the efforts of operators.
“The government does not need to inspire operators to rebuild their networks because every company understands how vital connectivity is. Operators send teams as soon as it is possible to repair destroyed equipment,” he said.
In liberated cities, entire networks have been obliterated, requiring operators to rebuild from scratch. Despite the immense costs, Prybytko commended operators for their unwavering commitment.
Olga Deynega (pictured), Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at Vodafone Ukraine, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the “unbelievable human efforts” engineers have made. Some base stations have been repaired up to eight times following repeated attacks.
Deynega recounted the heroic story of Artem Onishchenko, a Vodafone Ukraine engineer who continued supplying diesel to base stations in Mariupol for ten days under heavy fire. He even shared fuel with rival operators to maintain their networks. This spirit of cooperation led to a national roaming agreement within the first month of the war, ensuring connectivity in critical areas.
Challenges for operators
The telecommunications network has become a frequent target for Russian forces, as its destruction can lead to civil unrest and prevent communication with loved ones or emergency services. Since the invasion began, 900 base stations and 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables have been destroyed and subsequently repaired by Vodafone Ukraine, while 5% of Lifecell-Datagroup-Voila’s 10,000 base stations and 47,000 kilometres of fibre had been impacted.
Both operators worked ardently to provide backups for expected blackouts, however, the challenges are immense, especially in eastern Ukraine, where much of the fighting occurs. Recording financial losses has become nearly impossible, Deynega noted, as the situation changes daily.
Mykhaylo Shelemba (pictured), CEO of Lifecell-Datagroup-Voila, highlighted how operators have adapted to the circumstances. Since the beginning of the war, the company installed over 2,000 generators and 120,000 lithium batteries to bolster energy capacity and will expand the latter by another 32,000. It also used innovative solutions, such as deploying electric cars to serve as mobile power banks for base stations.
“An average electric car has a capacity of 85 kilowatts, and base stations consume two to three kilowatts per hour. We used half the car’s capacity to travel to depleted sites and the rest to power the base station,” Shelemba explained.
Government support
While operators have shown resilience, the Ukrainian government has worked to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that have historically delayed infrastructure deployment. Before the war, gaining permission to build a base station could take up to two years. Reforms have since reduced this timeline to six months, with plans to shorten it further to one to three months.
Prybytko acknowledged the importance of these reforms, particularly for rural areas. With 38 million people spread across 28,000 villages and towns - some with populations as small as 50 - it is essential to reduce the digital divide.
Ukraine has also aligned its telecommunications sector with EU standards to support its bid for EU membership, targeted for 2030.
In a significant development, Ukraine recently auctioned new frequencies in the 2100MHz, 2300MHz, and 2600MHz bands, generating UAH2.9 billion (US$70 million). This exceeded initial estimates of UAH2 billion and is expected to bolster the country’s war effort.
“These frequencies are especially for urban areas, where they will improve capacity and internet speeds. After the full-scale war began, internal migration led to capacity issues in western Ukraine, where networks were not initially built to handle such a large number of subscribers,” Prybytko explained.
Although the government is working to keep Ukraine’s digital future on track, Deynega highlighted that the telecoms sector has faced intense scrutiny since the onset of the war, and shares the view that the government is “over-regulating” the industry.
“It would be helpful if regulators eased their over-regulation of the telecoms sector. During the war, we have been, I would say, one of the most heavily regulated economic industries in Ukraine,” she explained.
She criticised some of the regulatory requirements as impractical. “For instance, there’s a mandate to keep networks operational for 72 hours without electricity. From a basic physics standpoint, it’s impossible, but we are still expected to try and meet it,” she argued.
Deynega also pointed out the significant logistical challenges operators face. The war has disrupted supply chains, making it extremely difficult to import essential items like lithium batteries and diesel generators for base stations, as well as to manage their ongoing refuelling needs.
The road to 5G
Ukraine’s plans to launch 5G in 2022 were derailed by the invasion. Moreover, 5G frequencies could interfere with military equipment, much of which is of Soviet origin. As a result, full deployment can only proceed after peace is restored.
Nevertheless, the government is preparing for a pilot 5G deployment in Kyiv and Odessa by the second quarter of 2025. The focus will be on non-standalone 5G networks due to financial constraints and the priority to enhance existing network resilience.
Vodafone Ukraine conducted its first 5G test in May 2023 with equipment partner Nokia. However, Deynega admitted that a full commercial rollout remains challenging due to the high capital expenditure required during the ongoing conflict.
Despite these challenges, Lifecell-Datagroup-Voila’s CEO Shelemba remains optimistic: “The later you implement any technology, the more efficient it is. 5G equipment has become more affordable, so we are not at a disadvantage for a quick rollout.”
Digital future
Despite the immense challenges, Ukraine’s telecoms sector continues to push forward. The Ministry of Digital Transformation is committed to aligning the industry with the European Union’s Electronic Communications Code, a crucial step towards EU membership.
The combined efforts of Ukraine’s operators and government to sustain and rebuild the nation’s telecom infrastructure exemplify an unwavering commitment to its digital future. From the heroic engineers working under fire to the government’s streamlined regulations enabling faster network deployment, every stakeholder has shown extraordinary resilience.
Operators have not only worked innovatively but thrown rivalries aside to collaborate through initiatives like national roaming to ensure connectivity during the most critical of times.
Despite facing relentless attacks on infrastructure, logistical challenges, and over-regulation, their determination remains steadfast. These efforts underscore a shared vision: to build a stronger, more connected Ukraine that stands ready to advance and embrace next-generation technologies like 5G when peace prevails.
