Ukrainian telco Kyivstar has launched a 5G pilot in Odessa, the company announced this week.. Odessa becomes the fifth Ukrainian city to trial 5G, following similar pilots in Lviv, Kharkiv, Borodyanka, and the country’s capital, Kyiv.. – Getty Images. Since the beginning of Ukraine’s 5G pilot, more than 1.6 million Kyivstar subscribers have already used the service, while the carrier claims that more than 200,000 subscribers use 5G every day right now..
The launch of 5G services in Ukraine was delayed by the Russian invasion in 2022 and the ongoing war between the two countries. However, 5G testing in the country has ramped up this year through these pilots.. According to Kyivstar, its 5G pilot is leveraging 5G NSA (non-standalone) architecture in the 3500 MHz band.
This technology utilizes a 4G Core.. Subscribers with a compatible 5G handset are able to trial the pilot network in parts of Odessa, added the telco.. The carrier noted that tests revealed the maximum data transfer speed in Kyivstar’s 5G network exceeded 2.4 Gbps.. “Currently, after opening access to all users and with the increase in the number of connections, the average speed in the test 5G network is 600–800 Mbps, and the maximum reaches 2 Gbps,” said Kyivstar..
Moving away from 3G. Although Kyivstar is looking ahead to its 5G network, the carrier is also in the process of bolstering its 4G network as it moves away from its legacy 3G network, as set out by Kyivstar last year.. In a separate announcement, the company said it has upgraded more than one million Kyivstar subscribers to 4G while completing the transition from its 3G network, freeing up spectrum..
“Becoming the first digital operator in Ukraine to phase out widespread use of 3G is not just a technical milestone, but a reflection of where Kyivstar is heading,” said Oleksandr Komarov, President of Kyivstar Group.. “By reallocating a portion of the spectrum entirely to 4G, we have increased network capacity by 25 percent, delivering faster speeds and more reliable connectivity to every customer on our network.
Since 2022, we have more than doubled average mobile Internet speeds across Ukraine.”. The carrier’s 4G network is available to 96 percent of Ukraine’s population at present.. More in Carrier Networks.
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