Ukraine, the largest country in Europe excluding Russia, is characterised by its diverse geography from flat planes in the east to mountainous regions in the west. Its population of 43 million is unevenly distributed with denser populations in the east and west, and less in the central regions. The capital city, Kyiv, is a significant technological hub with a highly developed telecommunications sector. Despite this, rural areas are still grappling with challenges of technology access and infrastructure. Crimea, currently under Russian control, presents distinct complications due to geopolitical tensions. Infrastructure solutions in Ukraine are marked by both conventional methods and innovative approaches, such as the Dnipro River, which is used for hydroelectricity production. The technology sector in Ukraine is maturing, with a burgeoning IT industry and a growing focus on renewable energy, though it still faces significant development hurdles due to instability and ongoing geopolitical conflict.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 8 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Intertelecom is the largest CDMA mobile operator in Ukraine. The company was established to provide voice and data services based on CDMA2000 technologies, operating within the 800 MHz frequency band. As of 2012, the Intertelecom subscriber base had reached 1 million active users. The company utilises local network codes for dialing prefixes in addition to the national code +38094. The company's ownership remains undisclosed.
Krymtelecom is a telecommunications company operating in Ukraine. The company was established in 1995, making it one of the pioneers in the Ukrainian telecommunications industry. Ownership of Krymtelecom is held by a private entity, indicating a corporate structure that is not state-controlled or publicly traded.
Kyivstar is a leading Ukrainian telecommunications company, offering a wide variety of services including mobile communication, data transmission, fixed and mobile technologies. The company's mobile network spans across all cities of Ukraine, numerous rural settlements, major national and regional routes, and most sea and river coasts. Kyivstar was founded and registered in Ukraine in 1994 and began providing mobile services in 1997. Its head office is located in Kyiv. As part of the international telecom group VEON, Kyivstar operates under a European Union Netherlands-headquartered, NASDAQ...
Lifecell, previously known as life:), is the third largest mobile telephone network operator in Ukraine, providing coverage for nearly the entirety of the country's inhabited territory. The company was first established in January 2005 when Astelit launched the GSM-1800 service under the life:) brand. By December 2007, the company had gained 7.6 million contract and prepaid subscribers. In terms of ownership, Lifecell is wholly owned by Turkcell, a prominent Turkish telecommunications company. This came about after Turkcell finalised the acquisition of a 44.96% stake in the company from Rinat...
MKC is a prominent telecommunications company based in Ukraine. The company was established to provide comprehensive telecommunications services across the country. The ownership of MKC is held by a group of private investors, who are committed to advancing Ukraine's telecommunications infrastructure.
Tele2 Crimea is a telecommunications network operating in Ukraine. The company was established in 2013 as a subsidiary of the Swedish multinational Tele2 AB. The ownership of Tele2 Crimea has undergone changes over the years due to the geopolitical situation in the region. As of the most recent information available, the company is owned and operated by Tele2 Russia, a division of the United Group, a Dutch-based telecommunications and media company.
TriMob LLC, trading as 3Mob and formerly known as Utel, is a Ukrainian telecommunications company. It was established on November 1, 2007, as a subsidiary of Ukrtelecom, which was a government-owned fixed phone operator at the time. 3Mob pioneered the commercial 3G cellular network in Ukraine, based on the UMTS/HSDPA standard. Until 2015, it was the only network in the country that provided UMTS 2100 service. The company's 3G coverage is currently limited to Kyiv, with free 2G/3G roaming available in the Vodafone-Ukraine network.
Vodafone Ukraine, previously known as MTS Ukraine and Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), is the second largest mobile network operating in Ukraine. The company, which was Ukraine's major cellular operator in 1993, was purchased by Mobile TeleSystems in 2003. In 2015, an expanded strategic partnership between Mobile TeleSystems and Vodafone led to the rebranding of MTS Ukraine to Vodafone Ukraine. The company is fully owned by NEQSOL Holding, an Azerbaijani holding company established in the 1990s. It acquired 100% of Vodafone Ukraine shares in December 2019.