Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

U.S. COMPANY CONFIRMS KYIVSTAR’S LEADERSHIP IN TERMS OF MOBILE INTERNET SPEED

Ookla (the United States), the developer of the Speedtest service for determining the speed of mobile Internet connection, recognized Kyivstar as a mobile operator with the highest average mobile Internet speed and the largest network coverage in Ukraine in the second half of 2021, according to an Ookla Speedtest report published on the Speedtest website.
According to it, in Ukraine, in July-December 2021, the company conducted more than 1.113 million tests, in which subscribers of all mobile operators participated. In particular, the total number of tests on the Kyivstar network amounted to 532,488 with an average download speed (download) of 31.33 Mbps and data transmission (upload) of 14.59 Mbps.
Some 283,798 tests were carried out on the Vodafone Ukraine network with an average download speed of 29.18 Mbps, transmission – 11.69 Mbps; on the lifecell network – 276,225 tests with an average download speed of 12.36 Mbps and an upload speed of 6.26 Mbps.
According to Ookla, Kyivstar’s Speed Score was 41.25 (34.65 in the first half of 2021), Vodafone Ukraine – 38.60 (32.05), and lifecell – 16.05 (15.24). This indicator includes data on the speed of Download and Upload data, regardless of the standard.
In general, in Ukraine, the application was launched on 293,180 unique devices, of which the top five in terms of popularity includes iPhone 11 (9,325 tests), iPhone 7 (7,922 tests), Redmi Note 8 Pro (7,537 tests), iPhone Xr (6,999 tests) and iPhone Pro Max 5G (6,741 tests).
In addition, as noted in the Ookla report, Kyivstar received the highest number of points when testing coverage in Speedtest – 623 (versus 595 in the first half of 2021). This assessment is formed on an analysis of the number of locations where operators provide their services and the quality of mobile communications in each of them. Vodafone Ukraine got 488 (versus 493 points), and lifecell – 338 (versus 321).
At the same time, compared to the results of the first half of 2021, the results of testing the networks of Ukrainian mobile operators deteriorated slightly. So, in January-June 2021, on the Kyivstar network, an average download speed was 33.2 Mbps, and an upload speed – 15.7 Mbps. On the Vodafone Ukraine network – 30.37 Mbps and 13.73 Mbps; on the lifecell network – 15.72 Mbps and 8.15 Mbps respectively.
At the same time, over the past year, Ukraine has significantly improved its position in the Speedtest Global Index, Ookla’s global rating of mobile Internet speed, climbing 15 positions at once, from 77th place in January 2021 to 62nd position in January 2022.
The increase in the average speed of mobile Internet in Ukraine is associated with an increase in the number of 4G users, according to Kyivstar.
Ookla is a leader in testing and analyzing fixed and mobile internet speeds. Every day, thanks to the application, users around the world perform more than 10 million tests. At the end of 2018 and 2019, Kyivstar has already been marked by the company as an operator with the highest average mobile Internet speed in Ukraine.

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SILPO LAUNCHES BEERMASTER BREWERY

Silpo, one of the largest Ukrainian supermarket chains, has opened a Beermaster Brewery craft brewery with a capacity of up to 130,000 liters per year in the Respublika Park shopping center in Kyiv.
As stated in a press release from the company on Friday, Beermaster Brewery Pub has opened as part of the brewery, which will regularly host presentations of freshly brewed beer and new varieties, and tours of the brewery itself.
According to the announcement, the new brewery will brew a wide range of beers, from classic wheat ales, milk stouts and pilsners to experimental beers infused with chocolate, spices, fruits and vegetables.
The team of brewers is led by Chef Viktor Vashchuk, who has over 20 years of experience in the industry. A number of collaborations with renowned brewers from the United States, Belgium and the Netherlands are planned for 2022, the company said.
The produced craft beer will also be sold in the Silpo supermarket chain.
The company said that the start of its own production of beer is a logical and consistent step for the chain, as it has been actively expanding the range of beer from around the world for more than ten years, in particular, Ukrainian and foreign craft.
The release does not specify the amount of investment in the project.
The Silpo network includes 325 supermarkets in 60 cities of Ukraine and 4 Le Silpo markets in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odesa.
Silpo is part of the Fozzy Group, which also develops the restaurant business. It currently includes six establishments.

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NUMBER OF CYBER ATTACKS IN 2022 GROWS

The number of cyber incidents at the beginning of 2022 grew seven times compared to the same period last year, the CERT-UA government cybersecurity team said in a statement.
According to the data published on the CERT-UA website, since the beginning of 2022, 5,970 cyber incidents have been recorded and processed, of which 5,534 have been processed automatically.
Automatic processing includes informing providers about infected hosts of their clients and blocking phishing pages hosted in Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the year, 613 cyber incidents were classified as malware, and another 4,921 cases were phishing.
By sectors worked out by the CERT-UA team since the beginning of the year, 252 out of 436 incidents were registered in the UAGOV zone, 78 in the UACOM zone, and 62 in the FCOM zone.
According to the targets of the attack, 94 cyber incidents related to the sector of government bodies and local authorities, 68 to the security and defense sector, 25 to the financial sector. Telecom providers, commercial organizations, energy and transport sectors were also attacked.
At the same time, 170 cyber incidents were classified as low, 81 as medium, 72 as high, and 113 as critical.

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UKRAINE EXPORTS 42.5 MLN TONNES OF GRAINS SINCE 2021

Since the beginning of 2021/22 (July-June) and as of February 21, Ukraine has exported 42.54 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops, which is 37.3% higher than the figures for the same date of the previous year.
According to the Information and Analytical Portal of the Agribusiness Complex of Ukraine, 17.85 million tonnes of wheat have been exported to date (34.0% more compared to the same date in 2020/21). Taking into account the restriction on its export at the level of 25.3 million tonnes, introduced on October 19, 2021 by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Ukrainian exporters can supply another 7.45 million tonnes of wheat to foreign markets (29.5% of the limit).
Ukraine for the specified period exported 5.57 million tonnes of barley (40.8% more), 18.68 million tonnes of corn (41.9% more) and 66,300 tonnes of flour (27.2% less).
As of this date, 158,700 tonnes of rye were also exported, which is 94 times higher than the figure for the previous year.

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UKRAINIAN BANKS’ CASH EXCHANGE RATES ON 21/02/22

Ukrainian banks’ cash exchange rates on 21/02/22

Source: Interfax-Ukraine

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STATE SPECIAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE, KYIVSTAR WORK IN CYBER SECURITY

The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Kyivstar mobile network operator.
According to a Monday report of the operator, cooperation is aimed at increasing the level of cyber security, protection of critical infrastructure facilities and the introduction of new educational programs in this area.
“Combining the efforts of business and the state is a key component in the formation of a reliable cyber security system in Ukraine. Together we must work out transparent and understandable rules, taking into account the best European and world practices, according to which both representatives of state bodies and private companies will work,” Chairman of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection Yuriy Schyhol said.
In turn, Kyivstar considers it its goal to raise the level of awareness of users in cyberspace, cooperating with law enforcement agencies and joining the initiatives of the state.
“We support the development of partnership between the state and business, therefore, effective cooperation with the State Service for Special Communications in the field of cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure facilities is extremely important for Kyivstar. I am convinced that only through building such interaction it is possible to effectively counter modern challenges and threats in cyberspace,” President of Kyivstar Alexander Komarov said.
Cooperation between the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection and Kyivstar, in particular, provides for:
– conducting scientific research on the issues of ensuring cyber security, development and operation of information and communication systems, protection of information and critical infrastructure facilities;
– assistance in creating a system of independent information security auditors;
– provision of advisory and methodological assistance regarding the assessment of the state of security, the audit of information resources, the assessment of compromise and vulnerability analysis of the IT infrastructure;
– participation in the creation of a system for the timely detection, prevention and neutralization of cyber threats;
Cooperation is also aimed at creating conditions for the development of modern cyber security technologies and their implementation in Ukraine, and at promoting the implementation of international cyber security programs in Ukraine.
Separately, the State Service for Special Communications and Kyivstar will make efforts to improve the level of digital awareness and the culture of safe behavior of Ukrainian citizens in the cyberspace.

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