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Telecommunications is one of the most modern, diverse and fast-growing sectors in theeconomy ofUkraine. Unlike the country's dominatingexport industries, telecommunications, as well as the relatedInternet sector, remain largely unaffected by theglobal economic crisis, ranking high inEuropean and global rankings.
The industry also leads indemonopolization of Ukraine's economy asUkrtelekom (once the country's sole telephone provider) was successfullyprivatized, and is now losing itsretailmarket share to independent, foreign-invested private providers.
The entire population of Ukraine now hastelephone and/ormobile phone connection;[a]Internet access is universally available in cities and main transport corridors, expanding into smaller settlements.
Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes further improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system.
During theRussian invasion of Ukraine, telecommunicationswere provided by the Starlink satellite service.[1][2]
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Two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fibre-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fibre-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fibre-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in theIntelsat,Inmarsat, andIntersputnik satellite systems.
Telephones - land lines in use: 12.681 million (2011)
Upon gaining independence from the USSR in 1991, Ukraine inherited an analogue PSTN telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in many places in disrepair; meanwhile demand overwhelmed the supply with more than 3.5 million households applications for telephone lines pending. Telephone density has since risen and the domestic trunk system is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital, and the majority of regional centres now have digital switching stations. Improvements in local networks and local exchanges continue to lag.
Several independent fixed network providers established themselves in the country's retail market, although Ukrtelecom still dominates it.
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The mobile cellular telephone system's expansion has slowed, largely due to the saturation of the market, which has reached 125 mobile phones per 100 people.
Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.578 million (2011)
| Rank | Operator | Technology | Subscribers (in millions) | Ownership | MCC / MNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyivstar (Including previousBeeline Ukraine network) | 900/1800 MHzGSM (GPRS,EDGE) 2100 MHzUMTS,HSDPA,HSUPA,HSPA,HSPA+,DC-HSPA+ 900/1800/2100/2300/2600 MHzLTE,LTE-A VoLTE | 25.9 (2Q 2021) | Veon | 25503 and 25502 |
| 2 | Vodafone (FormerlyMTS Ukraine) | 900/1800 MHzGSM (GPRS,EDGE) 2100 MHzUMTS,HSDPA,HSUPA,HSPA,HSPA+,DC-HSPA+ 900/1800/2100/2600 MHzLTE,LTE-A | 18.9 (2Q 2021) | Bakcell | 25501 |
| 3 | Lifecell (FormerlyLife) | 900/1800 MHzGSM (GPRS,EDGE) 2100 MHzUMTS,HSDPA,HSUPA,HSPA,HSPA+,DC-HSPA+, 3C-HSDPA 900/1800/2100/2600 MHzLTE,LTE-A,LTE-A Pro | 9.9 (Q3 2021) | Turkcell | 25506 |
| 4 | Intertelecom | 800 MHzCDMA2000,CDMA2000 EV-DO rel.0, rev. A, rev. B (The gradual shutdown of the network began in many regions since 2020) | 1.4 (3Q 2017) | Odinaco Ltd (49%),Viktor Gushan (35.7%) | 25504 |
| 5 | TriMob | 2100 MHzUMTS,HSDPA,HSUPA,HSPA (Own 3G network inKyiv city centre only. Free 2G/3G roaming onVodafone network available) | 0.300 (2Q 2018) excludingLycamobile | Ukrtelecom | 25507 |
| 6 | PEOPLEnet | 800 MHzCDMA2000,CDMA2000 EV-DO (Network inDnipropetrovsk region only) | 0.853 (4Q 2012) | Telesystemy Ukrainy | 25521 |
The following companies in Ukraine are manufacturing mobile phones:
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300 (2007)
Ukrainian Amateur Radio League
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Ukraine's military and government rapidly became dependent onSpaceX'sStarlink satellite services duringRussian's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as Russia attacked key infrastructures including telecommunication ones, and Ukraine was experiencing significant problems with Internet access.[4][5][6]
Satellite internet from SpaceX had key telecommunications role such as in theSiege of Azovstal (April 15–May 20), which helped Ukrainian defenders to resist Russian troops in Mariupol.[7]
While military and government use of Starlink has been the most important aspect of opening Ukraine to low-altitude satellite internet services in early 2022, civilians are also heavily using the technology "to keep in touch with the outside world and tell loved ones that they are alive." During the war, Ukrainians can use Starlink terminals without paying the usual monthly subscription fee.[8]
To pay for the cost of Starlink in Ukraine, SpaceX donated for an estimate of over $100 million,[9] while an unknown amount was secured by several European countries and the US government.[10][1] In June 2023,The Pentagon communicated that theDepartment of Defense signed a contract with SpaceX's Starlink to buy those satellite services for Ukraine.[1]
The use of Starlink inRussian-occupied territories in Ukraine was however restricted by SpaceX, according to Ukrainian officials.[6]
