A pilot 5G mobile communications project has been launched in Ukraine’s capital, with coverage planned to be expanded to Odesa in the future, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Stanislav Prybytko announced on Facebook on Wednesday.
"Starting today, 5G is available in central Kyiv. Each operator has deployed coverage across the city in its own way, so some have broader coverage while others have less, but all of them have covered Khreschatyk," the deputy minister said.
Ukraine’s second-largest mobile operator, VF Ukraine (Vodafone Ukraine, VFU), said in a press release that its 5G network in Kyiv operates on equipment supplied by the European manufacturer Nokia.
Vodafone Ukraine’s 5G coverage is available in all administrative districts of the capital: Holosiivsky, Darnytsky, Desniansky, Dniprovsky, Obolonsky, Pechersky, Podilsky, Sviatoshynsky, Solomiansky, and Shevchenkivsky.
Kyivstar, the largest telecommunications operator in Ukraine, added in a release that its 5G test zone covers Sophia Square and Sophia Cathedral, the territory of the Golden Gates and the National Opera of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko Park, Volodymyr’s Cathedral, Fomin Botanical Garden, Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv, Independence Square and Khreschatyk, European Square, Park Road, Volodymyr’s Hill, Landscape Alley, etc.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator, lifecell LLC (lifecell trademark), said in a press release that 5G coverage in Kyiv is currently available in the city’s busiest locations. These include the central area – Bessarabska Square, Khreschatyk, and Maidan Nezalezhnosti, as well as the Central and Southern railway stations, areas near the Pecherska and Arsenalna metro stations, Ocean Plaza shopping mall, the Central Bus Station, Poshtova and Kontraktova squares in Podil, the Expocenter of Ukraine (VDNG), Sevastopolska Square, RaiON shopping mall (Troieschyna), and Retroville shopping mall.
The company emphasized that the availability of a 5G signal may depend on location and building density, while access to the new-generation network may be limited indoors.
According to Prybytko, nearly 29% of smartphones in Ukraine already support 5G. Overall, the technology has been tested in Lviv, Borodianka, and Kharkiv, where nearly 1.5 million subscribers have used it, and more than 300 pilot network base stations are already operating across the country.
He also explained that during testing, connection speeds exceeded 1 Gbps, while average user speeds were around 600-700 Mbps, several times faster than 4G technology.
Following the deployment of 5G in Kharkiv, operators increased the number of base stations by 2.5 times and expanded network coverage.
Prybytko said that a full nationwide rollout of 5G will become possible only after martial law is lifted. Until then, the technology will be introduced gradually as part of the pilot project.
As reported, 5G technology in Ukraine will operate in two frequency bands – 3,500 MHz (to provide high-speed data transmission) and 700 MHz (to expand network coverage).
Testing is expected to continue until the end of 2026, according to preliminary estimates, Vodafone Ukraine said.
