Ukrainian operators face multiple hardships in their mission to keep customers connected despite the ongoing war with Russia, the reverberations of which are felt throughout the region.
The war in Ukraine still rages on, well over a thousand days after Russia launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion. For Ukraine's telecom operators, this means keeping customers connected despite frequent power cuts, lack of available staff and damage to networks.
Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest operator, started the year having to deal with the $95 million financial impact of last December's cyberattack, which cut customers off from mobile Internet, calls and messaging. Rather than hardware, the sum was mostly the result of customer retention measures. Later in the year, Kyivstar announced it would invest $1 billion in the country between 2023 and 2027 in networks, digital infrastructure and the development of new assets.
Despite the war, Ukraine's telecom industry has attracted one of the continent's more significant players. Xavier Niel, founder of Europe's disruptive Iliad group, acquired Lifecell, Ukraine's third-largest operator, in a deal worth $524.3 million this year. The move was part of a broader strategy, in which Niel also acquired fixed and pay-TV operator Datagroup-Volia to create a converged operator.
Increasing cyberattacks
Meanwhile, the war and broader geopolitical tensions between the West and Russia have continued to impact Europe – especially its eastern part. Light Reading spoke to Telia Lietuva's CEO Giedrė Kaminskaitė-Salters, who said the Lithuanian operator has been in discussions with Ukrainian operators to learn how they keep networks running in wartime. Telia Lietuva has also had to deal with intensified cyberattacks from neighboring Russia and Belarus.
Meanwhile, the threat of fiber cuts has been increasing worldwide, and there are growing fears Russia could engage in such activity in Europe.
Here are some 2024 articles focusing on the impact of the war in Ukraine:
1/18/2024 Kyivstar to lose out on $95M because of December cyberattack
2/29/2024 Kyivstar to start small with Rakuten open RAN deployment
3/13/2024 Huawei removal at Kyivstar not discussed with Pompeo
4/11/2024 Iliad founder threatens telecom shake-up in Ukraine
5/16/2024 VEON revenues up in Q1 amid growing 4G and digital services user base
6/13/2024 Kyivstar to invest $1B while keeping Ukraine connected
6/17/2024 Telia Lietuva adapts to life during wartime
7/10/2024 Kyivstar expects to phase out Chinese kit in future
12/4/2024 Subsea cable risks are only increasing
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