President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with the profile ministers the digitalization of the economy, the strategy for the development of culture and sports for the coming years, the press service of the head of state has said.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told Zelensky about the goals that his ministry intends to achieve. In particular, there are plans to transfer 100% of government services online. The minister noted that about 95% of Ukrainians should have access to high-speed Internet, and the share of the IT industry in the economy should be at least 10% of GDP.
According to Fedorov, about 500,000 Ukrainians have completed digital education courses, and 2.5 million people have a high-speed Internet connection. This year, about 6,500 social facilities, including hospitals and schools, will be provided with high-quality Internet. High-speed Internet will also be provided along the main highways.
“Our goal is for Ukraine to enter the top 20 digital countries of the world. To do this, we must provide every Ukrainian with high-speed Internet anywhere in our country. Our citizens and business positively perceive digitalization and are open to innovations, and our IT specialists are valued around the world. Therefore, there is everything we need to become the world’s largest hub for high-tech manufacturing and startups,” Zelensky said.
In January 2021, Ukrainian mobile operators connected 2,383 settlements to high-speed mobile Internet, of which 4G appeared for the first time in 543 cities and villages, where about 117,400 citizens live, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said.
“More than 7 million Ukrainians from 11,800 settlements received access to 4G due to the implementation of the LTE 900 project, which started in July 2020. At the same time, more than 2 million Ukrainians in 5,600 cities and villages received access to 4G for the first time,” he wrote on Facebook.
According to Fedorov, the Digital Transformation Ministry is to provide 95% of Ukrainians with Internet access.
Currently, high-speed mobile Internet is available in 22,000 settlements of Ukraine.
The World Bank has provided recommendations to the National Strategy for the Development of Broadband Access to the Internet in Ukraine for 2020-2025.
According to a posting on the website of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the World Bank’s vision is that high-speed broadband access should be countrywide, reliable and financially affordable to every citizen of Ukraine.
The consultants recommend providing in Ukraine until 2025: 4G coverage for 95% of the population; full 5G coverage along major road and rail routes; connection to broadband access at a speed of 1 Gbps for all social infrastructure facilities providing services to the population; and availability of high-speed broadband access (at least 100 Mbit per second) for all households.
According to the calculations of the World Bank, $350-450 million is needed to cover all settlements with high-speed networks, which includes both funds from private companies and government aid, which should be about half of the mentioned amount.
When developing the National Strategy for the Development of Broadband Access, the specialists of the Ministry of Digital Development regularly consulted with the World Bank. After all, this authoritative organization, which is a project of the European Union, already has experience of such work, for example, in Georgia.
The World Bank recommended that smart technology can reduce road deaths by 8-10%, reduce travel time by 15-20%, and speed up the response time of ambulances by 25-30%.
In addition, according to the World Bank recommendations, raising Internet penetration in all developing countries allowed more efficiently settle 75% of the economic losses that occurred due to COVID-19.
The World Bank also said that in implementing the 5G communications standard, the government’s role in defining requirements and maintaining network security at the national level will be paramount. It is recommended that a 5G certification framework be defined and established, which should include the minimum security requirements implemented in operators’ networks, as well as measures to implement certification procedures for the various defined network elements. It is also recommended that the National Cybersecurity Center be involved in developing the certification.
Implementing and using certified equipment and procedures for 5G is important from a cybersecurity perspective and therefore should be continuously encouraged, the World Bank said.
The World Bank recommended covering 90% of territories with 4G networks by 2023, and increasing coverage to 99% by 2025. Also, by 2023, it is recommended to ensure uninterrupted coverage of 50% of main roads and railways with 5G communication, and by 2025, increase the coverage to 90%.
The penetration of broadband Internet coverage for households at a speed of at least 100 Mb per second by 2023 should be at least 80%, and by 2025 it should reach 100%.
The implementation of this strategy, taking into account the recommendations of the World Bank, will be a positive step in the partnership between Ukraine and the EU, the bank said.
The ministry said that the calculations of the World Bank coincide with the ministry’s own calculations, carried out in the preparation of the National Strategy for the Development of Broadband Access in Ukraine for 2020-2025.
