VEON, a global digital operator, announced that Kyivstar, Ukraine's leading digital operator and a VEON Group company, has launched a 5G test zone in the historical center of the city of Lviv in Ukraine. This marks Kyivstar’s first local pilot 5G project and is being implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The goal of the 5G pilot is to evaluate network performance in real-world urban conditions. Pending successful pilot testing in Lviv, Kyivstar will gradually expand 5G availability to other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Borodianka, with Kyiv and Odesa planned for later in 2026.
The testing locations have been selected in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine, starting with the most populous Ukrainian cities that already have advanced infrastructure. A full-scale 5G rollout across the country will only be considered after end of the war. In parallel, Kyivstar will continue to focus on its “4G Everywhere” target, which meets the needs of most smartphone users in Ukraine. With Kyivstar’s ongoing network modernization, peak 4G speeds already exceed 1 Gbps in some areas during off-peak hours.
Prior to the pilot launch, Kyivstar carried out comprehensive preparations across its network infrastructure, including ensuring that the 5G activation would not interfere with military communications. The company conducted its first 5G tests in February 2024 at its head office in Kyiv.
In Ukraine, 5G will operate in two frequency bands: 3500 MHz for high data transmission speeds and 700 MHz to ensure wider coverage. During pre-launch testing in Lviv, Kyivstar’s 5G network achieved peak download speeds exceeding 2.4 Gbps (actual speeds after commercial launch may vary depending on network congestion and other environmental factors).
Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Even in the midst of full-scale war — under constant Russian attacks on infrastructure and during blackouts — Ukraine continues to move forward and expand innovation in the telecom sector. The launch of the 5G pilot in Lviv is an important step that we have jointly prepared with mobile operators. Lviv is only the first city. We will soon begin pilots in Borodianka and Kharkiv as well. Our goal is to ensure that Ukrainians stay connected and have access to advanced technologies under any circumstances
Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar
Kyivstar is driving Ukraine’s digital transformation with investments in advanced technologies, from piloting 5G in Lviv to pioneering Direct to Cell satellite connectivity through is partnership with Starlink. Our commitment goes beyond connectivity: we are investing USD 1 billion over 2023-2027 into rebuilding Ukraine’s connectivity and digital infrastructure, from energy resilience for our network to digital services to Ukraine’s own sovereign Ukrainian LLM, powering not just growth for our company but helping support Ukraine’s future recovery
