MAP > Internet Providers in Ukraine

Ukraine’s telecom infrastructure has been modernized through the considerable investment in both mobiles as well as the fixed broadband sectors. The competition has been provided from the number of the alternative operators, and although the incumbent Ukrtelecom has remained the dominant player in fixed-line market, regulatory environment has been enhanced following sale of company to local conglomerate SCM group, though legality of the sale has been disputed as well as the legal action has been ongoing. Telecom sector has been able to attract the investors from Russia and Turkey while the Vodafone Group has been able to partner with the MTS Ukraine to aid in developing the mobile services under Vodafone brand.

Political tension that erupted in the year 2013, and which has later escalated in a more violent form in the eastern areas of this country, has been able to bring the focus to vulnerability of telecom network. There are some telco’s that operates in Crimea, well annexed by Russia in the year 20914, left peninsular after the license was made over to the Russian Firms. Lately, the telco’s have been able to retreat from the Donetsk region after it was quite impossible for them to progress the services. Telecom regulator now assesses the market statistics, and this includes revenue, then excluding the data from Crimea and a separate administered city of the Sevastopol, and the number of the contested regions in the east.

Competitive mobile market has been dominated by 3 major network operators including Vodafone Ukraine, Lifecell and Kylvstar. Combined, all these players have held back the development of the MVNO sector by being able to promote their lost cost subsidiaries. Nonetheless, the gap in low-cost sector can provide an opportunity for the MVNOs to be able to thrive in the coming years. The competition that resulted from the mobile portability that is stymied and this is either by regulator having delayed the introduction or by the insufficient number of the companies bidding for this tender.

Mobile broadband services usually present a huge growth opportunity. The significant investment has also been made in the extending 3G infrastructure while the operators have more lately concentrated on the LTE. The additional spectrum in 2600 MHz band that was auctioned in the year 2018 in January, issue under the 15 years licenses and all the three MNOs have been expected to launch the LTE services promptly.