Kyivstar expands 5G pilot network to Kyiv

TL;DR: Kyivstar has expanded its 5G pilot network to Kyiv, making the Ukrainian capital the fourth location in its 5G testing programme after Lviv, Borodyanka and Kharkiv.

Kyivstar has expanded its 5G pilot network to Kyiv, making the Ukrainian capital the fourth location where the operator is testing 5G after Lviv, Borodyanka and Kharkiv.

The Kyiv deployment is the largest of Kyivstar's four test zones. Coverage includes Independence Square, Khreshchatyk, Sophia Square, the National Opera of Ukraine and Taras Shevchenko Park.

Kyivstar said preparations for the Kyiv pilot took more than six months and included new base stations and network upgrades. The operator said almost 40% of devices on its network support 5G, and it selected Kyiv because of high mobile data use, subscriber concentration and smartphone compatibility.

More than 724,000 Kyivstar subscribers have used the operator's 5G network during pilot testing and transferred more than 755 terabytes of data. Kyivstar said average speeds range from 600 to 700 Mbps, with peak speeds of 1.5 to 1.7 Gbps. Subscribers need a 5G-compatible smartphone, up-to-date software, a USIM SIM card and coverage to access the service, and existing tariffs continue to apply.