Mobile communications operators could ensure coverage of 98% of the Ukrainian population with services without attracting subsidies from the state if the technology neutrality principle (the possibility of launching any mobile communications technology in any frequencies) for the 900 MHz band is introduced, Kyivstar President Peter Chernyshov has said.

He tilted at the initiative of public joint-stock company Ukrtelecom to start the program of cutting the digital gap in the regions on his Facebook page.

"Ukrtelecom today published its plan for Internetization of villages. What does it need to implement it? UAH 3 billion of government money. With the government money and own money, it promises to give the Internet to the villages where 6 million people live - but more then 2.28 million Ukrainians will remain without access to the Internet, which is very much. And more - fiber will be drawn to schools, village councils and hospitals, but not to people's homes," the head of the country's largest mobile operator said.

He also said that mobile operators can provide communication services to 98% of the country's population, for which they need the introduction of the technology neutrality principle in particular, in the 900 MHz band.

"Mobile operators do not ask for money from the country, but, on the contrary, they will pay for the frequencies themselves at an auction! They will build the network and provide almost all residents of Ukraine with high-speed mobile good-quality Internet quickly and inexpensively - as in a fairy tale. Oh, right! Not only schools and rural councils (after all, pulling fiber to each house in the village is expensive) would have the Internet, every smartphone owner would have it," Chernyshov said.

According to him, mobile operators are ready for the auction for the 900MHz band, after receiving a license for which mobile communication standard 3G and 4G will appear in villages.

In turn, Director for corporate communications of PJSC Ukrtelecom Myhailo Shuranov in comments to the post of Chernyshov said that mobile Internet would not be able to replace a fixed-line one.

"The customer experience of using 3G and 4G networks shows that the speed of access is catastrophically falling, when the network is loaded, and the volumes of fixed-line and mobile traffic are not comparable. By the way, for the 3G-4G (mobile communication) tower it is still necessary to lay optic fiber. It is a good promise, but it is hard to believe," he said.

Director for Mass Market Segment at Ukrtelecom Denys Zakharenko also commented on Kyivstar's statement, noting that Ukrtelecom's proposal takes into account the laying of the network, including the homes of rural residents.

"Peter, optical fiber will be laid to people's homes, too, "not only to schools/village councils." Without a mass connection of the population, it is impossible to cut the digital gap in society. It is taken into account in the estimate of the project - otherwise it would be 50% less. A person who told you that this is not part of the project, he misinformed you," Zakharenko said.