The use of traffic in the Home Internet network of Kyivstar mobile communications operator during one month of lockdown grew by 20% on average.
The press service of the company said on Friday that the volume of downloaded content currently stands at about 11 GB per day per subscriber, which is 22% more than usual.
According to Kyivstar, subscribers in Poltava, Lviv and Chernivtsi regions consume the most traffic. So, in Poltava region they use a record 15 GB per day per subscriber.
Along with the growth of traffic, the operator also noted an increase in demand for connection from new subscribers. In particular, the number of applications increased by 3% compared to the same period in 2019. The most active growth in new connections is observed in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions.
During the quarantine, about 4,500 apartments were connected to the Kyivstar Home Internet network.
“To continue providing more than 1 million subscribers with high-quality communication, we had to quickly adapt to work in the new conditions. First of all, we provided our specialists with personal protective equipment, and in the conditions of limiting the work of public transport, organized logistics so that all applications for connections and repairs were carried out on time,” the press service said, citing Head of the Kyivstar fixed-line communications department Serhiy Sukhoruk.
He also said that understanding the importance of the Internet and the possible financial difficulties of subscribers, until the end of quarantine the operator will provide the service even if there are no funds on the subscriber’s account (at a speed of 3 Mbps).
The most popular service connection requests to the Kyivstar mobile communications operator from business during the month of quarantine were solutions allowing companies outside of offices to communicate with employees and clients, ensure staff with tools for joint work and establish the effective exchange of documents.
The company’s press service said on Friday that the number of connections to Microsoft Office 365 and StarTeams services over the specified period has grown more than 20-fold. In addition, the number of connections to the Star.Docs electronic document management service increased almost 2.5-fold. The vast majority of applications came from representatives of medium and small-sized businesses.
Another common request for Kyivstar was the organization of the remote work of sales departments and contact centers. So, according to the operator, the number of connections the Virtual Mobile PBX with the quick transfer of all calls from fixed telephone lines of offices to mobile numbers of employees working from home has more than quadrupled for large companies and more than doubled for medium and small-sized businesses.
The largest number of service connections for remote work was ordered by wholesale and retail companies, logistics, light and manufacturing industries, the agricultural and financial sectors, hotel and construction businesses, state-owned enterprises, healthcare institutions, natural resource providers, and companies providing services for business and the public.
The Kyivstar mobile communications operator has connected another 43 Ukrainian settlements to the 4G network, the company said on Monday.
The operator, in particular, connected the cities of Khmelnyk, Chyhyryn, Pustomyty, Komarno, Schyrets and others. Thus, the total number of settlements where high-speed mobile Internet services are available has exceeded 10,000.
According to the company, from 2018 to 2019, the volume of data traffic in the Kyivstar mobile network doubled, from 325 to 649 petabytes (PB).
As reported, Kyivstar in 2019 increased revenue by 19.6%, to UAH 22.392 billion, EBITDA by 39.4%, to UAH 14.683 billion. The number of mobile operator subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 0.6% compared to the same period in 2018, to 26.2 million, while the number of fixed-line subscribers increased by 10.8%, to 1 million.
Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian telecommunications operator. It provides communications and data transfer services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 3G. By the end of 2018, its services were used by about 26.4 million mobile subscribers and about 900,000 fixed Internet customers.
The Kyivstar mobile operator has extended the limits of deferred payments for individual and business contract clients for the duration of the quarantine, the operator has said. “This will allow customers to defer payment for services used in March 2020 and pay them in April,” Kyivstar emphasized. In addition, for subscribers who do not use credit limits, Kyivstar will cancel the commission when ordering additional funds until April 4.
“Limits in the framework of the deferred payment service are extended until March 31 inclusive. For subscribers who will continue using the services without payment, the limits will be automatically extended until April 4 inclusive. This is done so that subscribers who do not use the services until March 31 do not overpay,” the report says.
In addition, the operator notes that subscribers who switched to the contract using the delayed connection option, that is, signed the contract without the necessary documents at that time, will continue using all the services, and they will be able to provide the necessary documents after the quarantine is completed.
“These are the company’s next steps to help Ukrainians jointly overcome temporary difficulties and adapt to the changes that arise due to the quarantine regime,” the report says.
As reported, Kyivstar canceled the subscription fee for solutions for a remote office.
Kyivstar mobile communications operator has canceled the monthly fee for most popular services allowing doing business remotely, the press service of the operator reported on Monday. “Many companies now find themselves in difficult conditions when they have to completely rebuild business processes in accordance with the requirements of quarantine. At the same time, some businesses already had experience using services to work online, but most others do not even know where to start. Kyivstar Business not only provides individual expert advice to such companies, but also offers to start working with new tools in testing mode without paying a monthly fee,” the press service said, citing Corporate Business Development Director at Kyivstar Kostiantyn Vechir.
According to the report, in particular, the list of the services includes:
– Microsoft Office 365 and StarTeams (terms of the promotion: connection up to 25 Office 365 licenses for using the services, no monthly fee is charged for 30 days from the date of connection during the period of the action);
– Mobile Virtual PBX (terms of the promotion: use of the service without a monthly fee within 60 days from the connection date during the validity period of the promotion);
– Star.Docs electronic document management system (terms of the promotion: signing an unlimited number of electronic documents without charging a monthly fee or other payments during the promotional offer);
– IoT control center (terms of the promotion: connecting and using the platform without a monthly fee for two full months from the date of activation).
According to the company, the offer is valid from March 23 to April 3, 2020 for all new Kyivstar corporate clients, as well as those existing customers who have not previously ordered services from the promotional list.
Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian telecommunications operator.
The mobile communications operator Kyivstar jointly with Doctor Online company will make consultations of doctors in the eponymous application free of charge for subscribers of all telecom operators.
The Kyivstar’s press service reported on Wednesday that users, regardless of location, will be able to consult with more than 40 qualified doctors and receive treatment recommendations using a chat, video or audio call 24/7 for free.
“Today, people around the world are forced to fight against new viruses and difficulties. Since it is now not recommended to go outside, use public transport and contact with a large number of people, we decided to facilitate the process of visiting a doctor so that one does not have to visit hospitals unless one has to. Our application will be useful to elderly people and families with small children, those who live outside the city or stay abroad,” the press service said, citing Kyivstar Chief Marketing Officer Pavlo Daniman.
According to the operator, a series of updates has also appeared in the Doctor Online application. In particular, now during a video or audio consultation the patient has the opportunity of sending files to the doctor (tests for interpretation, photos, previous appointments, etc.).
In addition, if the doctor recommends taking tests, the user can immediately sign up for a test in the laboratory in the application and pay with a bank card.
A history of past consultations and the ability to leave feedback on the work of a doctor are also added.
Kyivstar said that over 3,000 users have downloaded the Doctor Online application in three months. Family doctors and pediatricians lead among calls to doctors. During this time, patients most often treated with symptoms of acute respiratory viral diseases (ARVI), problems with pressure and laryngotracheitis.
The Doctor Online application is a telemedicine application developed by the eponymous company with the support of Kyivstar. In the application, users can: turn to a specialist for advice either via chat, or via video or audio call, receive an order to undergo screening to the Synevo partner laboratory, order drug delivery from a partner in the Liki24.com application, and also schedule the drug uptake in the calendar and at the right time the application will remind of the need for taking a drug.
The application is available for use by subscribers of all mobile operators. Megabytes for use will be charged according to the tariff plan.
Kyivstar said that all user personal data is protected. The Doctor Online adheres to the best world practices of interpretation, storage and protection of information. A secure chat-audio-video communication platform is used, which provides storage and non-disclosure of users’ personal data in accordance with the User Agreement and in accordance with legislation on the protection of personal data.
