The National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services (NCCEC) has extended the permit for Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar to test Starlink Direct to Cell (D2C, direct satellite communication with a smartphone) technology until 20 April 2026, according to the approved decision.
The document states that testing may continue throughout Ukraine, with the exception of border areas, areas of military operations, and temporarily occupied territories.
The conditions stipulate that the operator must use the 1725-1730 MHz/1820-1825 MHz (2×5 MHz) bands, ensure territorial retreat from the borders with other states in the west of the country, and comply with measures to avoid radio interference with existing users of the radio frequency spectrum, according to the decision.
As reported, testing of Starlink Direct to Cell satellite communication technology, which allows users to exchange SMS messages in the absence of mobile communication but with direct visibility of the sky, became available in November to all Kyivstar subscribers in Ukraine who had compatible smartphones with 4G (LTE) support. The system operates via a network of more than 650 Starlink Direct to Cell satellites.
It was noted that voice calls and mobile internet are planned to be introduced in Starlink Direct to Cell in 2026.
In the third quarter of 2025, Kyivstar served 22.5 million mobile subscribers, which is 3.6% less than a year ago, while the number of 4G customers grew by 2.4% to 15 million.
In the third quarter, the company’s EBITDA profit amounted to UAH 7.1 billion, which is 21.5% more than in the third quarter of 2024, and in dollars, the growth was 20.4% to $171 million.
The main shareholder of Kyivstar Group, with an 89.6% stake, is the telecommunications holding company VEON, which owned 100% of Kyivstar before it was listed on the stock exchange.
The Verkhovna Rada has enshrined the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Voice faction, said in a telegram.
According to him, 236 MPs voted in favor of Bill No. 9432 on the use of English in Ukraine at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday.
As reported, according to the draft law, the state ensures compulsory study of English and promotes the study of other languages of international communication in educational institutions regardless of ownership.
In addition, the bill stipulates that preschool education institutions provide compulsory English language learning for children of older preschool age. At the same time, preschool education institutions shall ensure the mandatory use of English in the educational process for children of early, junior preschool and middle preschool age.
According to the draft law, a higher education institution has the right to decide to teach one, several or most disciplines, perform individual tasks and conduct control measures in English, which is clearly stated in the description of the educational program upon admission to the university.
The draft law also stipulates that English may also be used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard as a language of international communication.
The draft law provides for the development and approval of a state targeted program to promote the study and use of English in Ukraine, which, in particular, should take into account the peculiarities of ensuring that cinemas (relevant cinematography entities) show foreign films in English in compliance with the requirements established by the Law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”.
The draft law also stipulates that foreign films in English shall be screened on a reimbursable basis by cinematography entities on a voluntary basis, but in compliance with the minimum requirements.
In particular, each cinema hall in which a cinematography entity shows films must hold at least 8 demonstrations (public screenings) of films in English during a calendar month, with at least 2 demonstrations to be held during the week at any time on a weekend or on a working day with the start of the screening after 18:00.
Kyivstar specialists and our partners have done everything possible to restore the network from the consequences of an unprecedented cyberattack for the global telecom.
As of 18.00 on 13.12.2023, our specialists have started to restore voice communication throughout Ukraine. The restoration of services will be gradual, so short-term difficulties are still possible until the end of the day. In this case, we recommend that subscribers restart their phones and disable the VoLTE service in the phone settings.
Currently, the company’s specialists are working to restore data and SMS services and we hope that they will also be restored within a day.
After the network is fully restored and stabilized, Kyivstar will start preparing and providing compensation to all subscribers and corporate clients who could not use the company’s services due to the hacker attack.
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Communications and power supply are still missing in the Ivankivska, Dymerska and Polesie united territorial communities of the Vyshgorodsky district of the Kiev region, previously liberated from occupation, measures are being taken to normalize the situation and restore infrastructure in them, said the head of the Kiev regional military administration Oleksandr Pavlyuk.
“The Vyshgorod, Petrovskaya and Pirnovskaya communities are unchanged, the population is provided with the necessary assistance … Slavutych still needs food and medicine,” Pavlyuk wrote in Telegram on Tuesday.
In the Buchansky and Brovarsky districts, where the fighting took place, demining and clearing work continues. Emergency teams are working to restore water, electricity and gas supply. Law enforcement officers fix the crimes caused by the invaders against the civilian population.
In Obukhovsky, Borispolsky, Belotserkovsky and Fastovsky districts of the Kiev region, according to the head of the regional administration, the situation is calm and controlled. “The sowing campaign continues. Critical infrastructure facilities are operating as usual,” Pavlyuk wrote.
The auction for the sale of frequencies for 5G communication will be held in Ukraine in 2022, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov has said.
“We have already launched research work. Next year we plan to put up frequencies [for 5G communication] at tenders for the operators,” he said during the Kyiv International Economic Forum on Thursday.
According to Fedorov, the active introduction of this communication technology in large cities of the country will begin in two years.
“I believe that at first it will be most relevant for industry, and then large cities, industrial centers will pick up, and gradually 5G will spread throughout the country,” he said.
USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (USAID Agro) and the National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine will create the online resource center “Best agricultural practices for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME)” to provide its participants with knowledge about modern agricultural technologies in a number of agricultural sectors.
USAID Agro wrote about the agreement signed on September 1 to create this online project on Facebook.
“The resource center will provide agricultural MSMEs with practical knowledge and an indicative base about modern agricultural technologies in Ukraine and the world that can be introduced in the horticultural sector, livestock, aquaculture, poultry (except for chickens), in the production of confectionery and craft products,” the report says.
The project will become a communication platform where successful farmers will share their achievements with their potential followers. For this, Internet technologies, social networks will be used, educational webinars, meetings, fairs and conferences will be held, the “Best agro-practices” bulletin will be published.
It is specified that state and local authorities, public organizations, associations, scientific organizations and agricultural journalists are invited to participate in the project.
The beneficiaries of the project will be farmers from all over Ukraine, in particular, the target areas of the USAID Agro project are Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Cherkasy regions.
“The resource center will give a new impetus to the development of agricultural consulting, in particular, for the cooperation of advisers with farmers, institutions of agricultural science and education, research and design institutes, associations,” the organization summed up.
The National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine is an association of agricultural advisers and advisory services promoting modern management and production technologies at the MSME level, as well as implementing a number of projects related to the application of modern approaches to agricultural production.
