Kyivstar’s 5G initiative is designed to assess 5G performance in real urban conditions
In sum – what to know:
5G amid conflict – Kyivstar is advancing 5G pilots despite ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, signaling a broader push to modernize national connectivity even under wartime constraints.
Open, flexible networks – The operator is pairing early 5G trials with plans to adopt Open RAN and software-driven architectures, positioning network openness and resilience as central to Ukraine’s long-term digital rebuilding strategy.
Kyivstar has commenced a pilot 5G rollout in the historic center of Lviv, marking the company’s first local test of fifth-generation mobile technology under a framework developed with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. The initiative is designed to assess 5G performance in real urban conditions as part of broader efforts to modernize the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Initial deployment has already activated base stations in downtown Lviv, with Kyivstar preparing its network to ensure the 5G activation does not interfere with military communications. Pre-launch testing recorded peak download speeds exceeding 2.4 Gbps, though actual commercial performance will depend on network conditions.
“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,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, first deputy prime minister. “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.”
Kyivstar said it plans to extend pilot coverage to Kharkiv and Borodianka, with additional trials in Kyiv and Odesa later in 2026. A nationwide 5G rollout remains contingent on security conditions and the broader impact of Russia’s ongoing aggression. “A full-scale 5G rollout across Ukraine will only be possible after the war ends,” the press release stated.
“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 its partnership with Starlink,” said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar. “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.”
The rollout in Lviv — near Ukraine’s border with EU member Poland — comes amid a Russian campaign of air strikes targeting the energy system, which has plunged entire cities into blackouts. “While the enemy is trying to destroy our infrastructure, we continue to modernize and build Ukraine based on the most modern technologies,” Fedorov, also Ukraine’s digital transformation minister, wrote on the Telegram messaging app, Reuters reported.
As part of its modernization strategy, Kyivstar continues to expand 4G coverage, with peak speeds exceeding 1 Gbps in some areas, while preparing for broader 5G deployment. The operator has also linked its 5G roadmap to open, software-driven network architectures.
Kyivstar in 2024 announced a preliminary agreement with Rakuten Symphony, confirming its interest in procuring and deploying Rakuten Symphony’s Open RAN (O-RAN) and 5G technologies. The companies said they plan to take initial deployment steps this year while defining the scope of collaboration, which is expected to involve both 4G and 5G O-RAN. The initiative aligns with Kyivstar’s broader strategy of testing next-generation technologies through controlled pilots, even as Ukraine’s telecom infrastructure continues to recover from extensive wartime damage following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
