Kyivstar Group, the parent company of JSC Kyivstar, Ukraine’s leading digital operator and part of VEON Group, announced that JSC Kyivstar and JSC Ukrtelecom have signed an agreement to cooperate under an Open Access model, based on the shared use of telecommunications infrastructure.
Under the project, both operators will reciprocally use parts of each other's networks, helping bring fiber coverage to homes across the country quickly and efficiently.
As part of the project, Kyivstar will provide Home Internet services and access to its digital ecosystem by using Ukrtelecom’s GPON network, while Ukrtelecom will provide Optical Internet services by using Kyivstar’s extensive fiber network on an open market basis.
The Open Access model provides network access on transparent and non-discriminatory terms. According to the FTTH Council Europe, this approach promotes fair and transparent competition among service providers.
The implementation of the project will contribute to the further development of Ukraine’s telecommunications market while also enabling faster expansion of access to fiber broadband and modern digital services for a greater number of Ukrainians.
The first phase of the project, during which the companies will validate the cooperation model and the operation of the information systems integrated as part of the project, will begin in the Odesa, Vinnytsia and Kirovohrad regions and will cover more than one million residents of Ukraine. The geographical scope of the partnership is expected to expand to other regions of Ukraine in subsequent phases, with further announcements to follow.
Yurii Kurmaz, CEO of Ukrtelecom
For decades, the Ukrainian market has been evolving under a model whereby operators and service providers deployed and operated their own parallel networks. Open Access gives us a practical way to make better use of the infrastructure we’ve already built, while accelerating the rollout of modern digital services. We believe this model will become one of the key drivers behind the next stage of growth in Ukraine’s telecoms sector. With more than 95,000 kilometers of existing fiber networks, Ukrtelecom is ready to scale this approach and open up new opportunities for development of modern telecommunications services in Ukraine. Each operator retains its direct relationship with its subscribers by independently defining its tariff policy and commercial terms, while also providing customer support and billing. The owner of the network remains responsible for its operation and technical maintenance. Information exchanged between the companies is limited to the technical data required to provide network access as part of the project.
Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar
This Open Access partnership is an important milestone in expanding Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. It lets us reach far more customers with high-quality fiber broadband, while making efficient use of the networks we already have in place. For our customers, this means greater opportunities to benefit from Kyivstar Home Internet services and Kyivstar’s digital ecosystem, including converged offerings that combine mobile communications, home internet and television services within a single package. Through this partnership, these opportunities will become available to an even greater number of Ukrainians.
