The Ukrainian mobile operators Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and Lifecell have realized the opportunity to use mobile Internet within national roaming.
According to the joint message of the companies, distributed on Sunday, now subscribers can use not only voice calls and SMS, but also mobile 2G/3G Internet at speeds up to 512 kbps to exchange messages in instant messengers or search for information on the Internet.
National roaming allows you to connect to the network of another if the connection of one operator is lost.
“At the moment, the availability of mobile Internet is no less important than calls, because it allows you to keep in touch with loved ones online and check the latest news. At the same time, the tariffing of services in national roaming is maintained in accordance with the tariff plan of the operator whose services the subscriber uses,” the report says.
Roaming works automatically for Lifecell subscribers. If there is no connection to the network of another operator, manual settings must be made.
Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine subscribers can use this option by making manual settings on their smartphone and disabling auto network selection.
As noted in the message, if registration failed, you need to try again or select another network.
It is also important for subscribers to try daily to return (connect) to the network of their operator manually or by turning on automatic network selection.
Subscribers of Kyivstar mobile operator will receive UAH 250 bonus in nine countries – Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, Hungary, as well as in Germany, Italy, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, to communicate with their relatives, the company’s press service reported on Friday.
“If a subscriber arrives in one of the indicated countries, then during the day he is automatically credited with bonus funds and is given the opportunity to use special tariffs throughout Europe: 1 Mb of Internet costs UAH 0.10; one minute of an incoming call or an outgoing call within the host country or to Ukraine – 1 UAH; 1 SMS – 1 UAH,” the message says.
So, at the expense of bonuses, Kyivstar subscribers receive 250 minutes for calls, 250 SMS, 2500 MB of mobile Internet, without paying for these services on their own. Bonuses will be valid for 30 days.
Kyivstar, a mobile communications operator, has received mobile equipment from foreign partners and will increase its network capacity.
“In addition to restoring the damaged infrastructure, we continue to develop it. We received more mobile equipment from our foreign partners, which will increase the overall network capacity,” the operator said on its Facebook.
Kyivstar network successfully functions and supplies subscribers with communication and Internet services.
“Yesterday, our specialists repaired significant damage along the Kryvy Rih – Kropyvnytsky main line and in Chernihiv region. Thanks to this, a significant part of the base stations were raised, communications in these regions have improved significantly. In total, since the beginning of the military invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine, our specialists have eliminated more than 2,000 breaks in fiber-optic communication lines,” Kyivstar said.
The operator also continues to provide communications in cities where there are intense hostilities, in particular in Mariupol.
“Although the city has great difficulties with the supply of electricity, local authorities and residents help our specialists find fuel for refueling diesel generators,” the operator said.
The mobile network operator Kyivstar has donated UAH 10 million to the Come Back Alive charity foundation.
As noted in the message of the operator, these funds will be used for the humanitarian needs of the military defending our country.
“We have decided to allocate funds to help the Ukrainian military. Also, the entire Kyivstar team is working and doing everything possible to keep Ukrainians in touch,” Kyivstar President Alexander Komarov said.
The mobile network operator has also created short number 88009 to support military personnel. Each Kyivstar prepaid subscriber can send an SMS to this number with any text and UAH 10 will be sent to the Come Back Alive Charitable Foundation for humanitarian needs.
Mobile operators Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the National Commission for State Regulation in the Fields of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Provision of Postal Services together with the Ukrainian Association of Telecom Operators “Telas” announce the launch of national roaming in Ukraine.
“This means that subscribers can switch to the network of other operators if it is not possible to use the signal of their mobile operator. In the context of military aggression, mobile operators and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the National Commission for State Regulation in the Fields of Electronic Communications and Telas have joined forces to ensure the continuity of communication services for their subscribers,” the joint statement said on Monday.
Starting today, national roaming between operators is launched in test mode.
“First of all, it will be connected in the zone of active hostilities (Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv regions), then in Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions and subsequently throughout the territory Ukraine. That is, if the connection of one operator disappears, the subscriber will be able to manually connect the connection of another operator,” the message says.
Currently, national roaming is available for voice calls and SMS messages within Ukraine from all mobile operators.
For the reliable functioning of the network, operators will technically implement the possibility of using national roaming gradually. Initially, national roaming will be activated for subscribers of the contract form of service, and within the next three days, subscribers of prepaid communication will be connected.
What you need to know about using national roaming for subscribers:
– the name of the network may change to the one whose coverage is in use;
– national roaming does not require additional payment from subscribers;
– Calls and SMS are billed according to the terms of your operator’s tariff plan.
How to connect to another operator’s network:
1. Disable auto network selection, find and select an available network manually (Vodafone UA, UA-KYIVSTAR or LIFECELL). If registration fails, you need to try again or select a different network.
After connecting, it is necessary to check the possibility of passing a call, SMS.
If if is impossible to connect to the network of another operator, the subscriber should try to restart the phone.
Operators emphasize that it is important to try to return (connect) to the network of their operator every day. Manually or by enabling auto network selection.
“Please note that connecting national roaming involves a significant load on the networks of operators. This may affect the quality of some services,” the message says.
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.
