Part of a multi-million-euro investment fund has been spent to bridge the digital divide for 1.3 million Urktelecom customers in Ukraine, as the operator hailed its strategy in sourcing international investment.
Urktelecom, Iskratel, Slovenian state-owned bank SID Banka and other banks partnered up last year to pump €12 million into Ukraine’s infrastructure to transform millions of lives.
Around €3 million has been used so far marking the “first step” of the deployment of fibre infrastructure in the country,” said Ukrtelecom CEO Yuriy Kurmaz. The chief executive said he’s aiming for a 60% boost in fibre broadband revenue and subscriptions,
“Our cooperation with our Slovenian partners demonstrates that Ukrtelecom can source long-term capital on international markets on competitive rates and implement large-scale infrastructure projects,” added Kurmaz said
“Owing to this effective financial partnership, we continue to accelerate the development of a modern digital telecom infrastructure in Ukraine, bridging the digital divide in the country and enabling the use of digital services in people’s daily routines.”
The fibre rollout is being carried out in 300 rural and urban areas in the country. Telecoms equipment for the rollout is constructed in Slovenia at Iskratel’s production centres, giving customers access to Internet speeds of up to 1Gbps, IPTV, and other IP-based services.
Iskratel CEO Robert Kuzmič added: “This first investment underscores our proficiency in providing attractive financial conditions and managing complex projects end-to-end and our intention to bring gigabit-capable connectivity to more than 1.3 million people and 530,000 homes.”
