Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, lifecell mobile operators launch pilot 5G service in Lviv, next Borodianka, Kharkiv
5G connectivity from all three Ukrainian mobile operators began operating in test mode in central Lviv on Monday; it will be introduced in Borodianka in January and in Kharkiv in February, First Deputy Prime Minister, and still Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov said.
"Today, a 5G pilot was launched in central Lviv. The city has one of the highest penetration rates of 5G-ready smartphones in Ukraine. More than 20 5G base stations have already been built in Lviv," Fedorov wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday.
According to him, the main advantage of this technology is higher data transmission speeds – around 500 Mbps.
Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, said in a press release that the rollout of 5G will later extend to Kyiv and Odesa. The company said the government determined the testing geography, selecting the most populous cities with developed infrastructure.
"Full-scale deployment of 5G in Ukraine will be possible only after the end of the war," Kyivstar said.
The company уточнила that in Ukraine 5G technology will operate in two frequency bands – 3,500 MHz (to ensure high data transmission speeds) and 700 MHz (to expand coverage).
Kyivstar added that based on the results of tests conducted prior to the official launch in Lviv, the maximum download speed in Kyivstar’s 5G network under minimal load exceeded 2.4 Gbps, while in the 4G network this figure reached 1 Gbps.
The third-largest mobile operator, Lifecell LLC (TM lifecell), part of the DVL group (Datagroup Volia–lifecell), explained in its release that for now 5G coverage is concentrated in central Lviv, including Rynok Square and adjacent streets, within a radius of about 700 meters from City Hall, as well as in the area of the main railway station.
"The availability of a 5G signal may also depend on location and building density; access to the new-generation network may also be limited indoors," the operator specified.
Ukraine’s second-largest mobile operator, VF Ukraine (Vodafone Ukraine, VFU), emphasized that testing is preliminarily expected to continue until the end of 2026.
"We planned to fully launch the technology in 2022, but the full-scale war forced us to postpone these plans for security reasons," Fedorov added in the statement.
In November, Lilia Malion, head of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services (NCEC), noted that the launch of 5G mobile communications in Ukraine depends on the security situation, but the commission is nevertheless preparing for the relevant auction, as it requires a significant amount of time.