Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation are raising UAH 175 million as part of the We Live Here project to provide transport and equipment for 146 engineering and demining groups of the Armed Forces Support Forces. SOVA jewelry house joined the initiative by creating silver pendants inspired by the motifs of a historic Ukrainian hut. All the proceeds from the sale of the limited edition jewelry will be used to help sappers in demining.
“Kyivstar is grateful to all its partners and those who care, thanks to whom UAH 154 million have been accumulated for the demining project “We Live Here” to provide 128 demining teams. Together with the SOVA jewelry house, we are launching a special piece of jewelry – a silver house, with all proceeds going to the project. By buying a piece of jewelry, you bring someone’s return home closer, because many people dream of returning to a safe home where there are no more mines,” says Hanna Zakharash, Kyivstar’s Corporate Communications Director.
SOVA Jewelry House joined the “We Live Here” project by Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation back in June and donated funds to equip two demining teams to clear the de-occupied territories. The mobile operator’s contribution to the project has now reached more than UAH 55 million.
“We joined the “We Live Here” project by Come Back Alive and Kyivstar because we share a common crucial goal – demining the country. It is symbolic that we are presenting the project with the houses on the eve of the Christmas holidays, when everyone makes wishes. We hope that this decoration will become special for Ukrainians and will always remind them of home, wherever they are,” said Anna Koval, SOVA’s Marketing and Sales Director.
All the houses of the limited edition jewelry are different, but they are united by the light from the windows, which is associated with coziness, home, and warmth. To create this effect, the jewelers made the windows of fancy enamel that glows in the dark. Each piece of jewelry combines the area code of your region with a unique number.
The “House” pendant is available in stores or on the SOVA jewelry house website at a price of 1690 UAH. The shades of the jewelry’s laces may vary.
“We live here” is a joint initiative of the telecom operator and the Come Back Alive Foundation for competent assistance to the army with the partnership support of 1+1 media group. 100% of the funds raised will be used to purchase gear, equipment and vehicles for 146 engineer and sapper groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The modern equipment will help protect the lives of the defenders engaged in demining and speed up the liberation of Ukraine’s territory and its waters from the dangerous legacy of war and occupation.
The project started in May 2023 and will continue until the target amount of UAH 175 million is reached. Anyone who cares can make a contribution and send a donation on the project website.
About Kyivstar
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest electronic communications operator, serving more than 24 million mobile subscribers and more than 1 million Home Internet subscribers as of September 2023. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, etc. Kyivstar helps subscribers, society and the country to overcome the challenges of wartime. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the company has allocated more than UAH 1.4 billion in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of the Armed Forces, society and subscribers. Kyivstar’s sole shareholder is the international VEON Group. The Group’s shares are listed on NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam). Kyivstar has been operating in Ukraine for 25 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the telecom market, the best employer and a socially responsible company.
VEON, a Nasdaq and Euronext-listed international telecommunications group that is 100% owner of the largest Ukrainian telecom operator Kyivstar, has received the Crisis Response Awards 2023 international award for its crisis communication program in Ukraine, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The decision was made by the World Communication Awards Association in Amsterdam on November 22, 2023.
The winners of the World Communication Awards are determined during the Total Telecoms International Congress. The decision is made by an international jury of more than 90 telecom industry experts, CTOs of the largest international IT and telecom companies, as well as reputable representatives of the communications industry from around the world.
VEON was recognized for its “comprehensive approach to providing communications during the most challenging operational situations caused by both natural disasters and global conflicts, during which the Group ensured the resilience of telecom networks, implemented early warning programs and provided humanitarian assistance. The jury of the competition separately noted the efforts of Kyivstar and the company’s CTO Volodymyr Lutchenko in organizing work to keep Ukrainians connected at home and abroad, ensuring the functioning of the telecommunications network and communication services despite shelling and power outages, and developing the Helsi IT platform for providing online medical consultations.
Over the past two years, VEON has focused on developing technologies for the most vulnerable people and communities to help them overcome the challenges of wartime, such as in Ukraine, or during natural disasters, such as in Pakistan or Bangladesh.
“VEON’s crisis response initiatives have proven to be extremely important in protecting against large-scale disasters and ensuring connectivity during geopolitical challenges,” said VEON CEO Kaan Terzioglu. “In all the markets where the Group operates, we have provided connectivity to all subscribers and contributed to the provision of humanitarian aid to those who need it most.
About Kyivstar
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest electronic communications operator, serving more than 24 million mobile subscribers and over 1 million Home Internet subscribers as of September 2023. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, etc. Kyivstar helps subscribers, society and the country to overcome the challenges of wartime. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the company has allocated more than UAH 1.3 billion in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of the Armed Forces, society and subscribers. Kyivstar’s sole shareholder is the international VEON Group (headquartered in the Netherlands). The Group’s shares are listed on NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam). Kyivstar has been operating in Ukraine for 25 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the telecom market, the best employer and a socially responsible company.
pr@kyivstar.net, www.kyivstar.ua
About VEON
VEON is a digital communications operator that provides converged connectivity and digital services to nearly 160 million customers. With operations in six countries, home to more than 7% of the world’s population, VEON transforms lives through technology services that empower people and drive economic growth. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on the NASDAQ and Euronext stock exchanges. For more information, please visit: https://www.veon.com.
In January-September 2023, Kyivstar, the largest Ukrainian mobile operator, increased its total operating income by 12.1% compared to the same period in 2022 to UAH 25.6 billion.
According to the mobile operator’s press service, the company’s EBITDA also increased by 12.5% to UAH 15.5 billion, while the EBITDA margin increased by 0.2 percentage points to 60.6%.
In addition, the company’s capital expenditures in the first nine months of 2023 increased by 8.1% to UAH 3.791 billion.
Total revenue from mobile services amounted to UAH 24.033 billion, up 12.5% year-on-year. Revenue from data services amounted to UAH 13.963 billion (+12.3%). Operating income from fixed-line services increased by 2.6% to UAH 1.447 billion. Revenue from broadband access services increased by 17% to UAH 979 million.
Operating income in the third quarter increased by 13.8% to UAH 8.711 billion. EBITDA increased by 26.2% to UAH 5.54 billion. Capital expenditures decreased by 11% to UAH 1.61 billion.
Total revenue from telecommunications services in the third quarter increased by 14.2% to UAH 8.13 billion, including 16.4% from data services to UAH 4.81 billion. Operating income from fixed-line services increased by 5% to UAH 501 million in the third quarter. Operating income from broadband services increased by 22.6% to UAH 334 million. The number of broadband subscribers increased by 0.6% to 1.1 million in the third quarter, while the broadband APRU increased by 25% to UAH 100. Mobile subscribers’ APRU increased by 15.8% to UAH 112 and MOU by 2.2% to 547 minutes. Mobile Internet usage by subscribers in the third quarter increased by 17.7% to 10.6 Gigabytes per subscriber.
Earlier it was reported that Kyivstar increased its hryvnia revenue by 16.8% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022 to UAH 8.609 billion (in dollars it decreased by 6.5% to $235 million). During the reporting period, Kyivstar’s EBITDA in UAH increased by 11.6% to UAH 5.085 billion (down 10.7% to $139 million in USD), while its EBITDA margin decreased by 2.9 percentage points to 59%. Kyivstar’s mobile subscriber base decreased by 2.6% year-on-year to 24.1 million as it continued to be affected by the number of Ukrainians living outside Ukraine.
According to the report, in the first half of 2023, Kyivstar’s revenue in UAH increased by 11.2% to UAH 16.956 billion, EBITDA by 6.2% to UAH 10.006 billion, and capital investments by 28.6% to UAH 2.176 billion.
“Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian telecommunications operator. The company provides communication and data transmission services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies.
In July-September 2023, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar increased its 4G network coverage, built 600 new base stations and modernized 1.5 thousand base stations, its press service reports.
“In the third quarter of 2023, Kyivstar’s team built another 600 new 4G base stations and modernized almost 1.5 thousand mobile base stations. Another 54 settlements were connected to the 4G network. Currently, Kyivstar’s 4G service is available to 94.7% of the population in the government-controlled areas,” the company said in a statement.
It is also reported that Kyivstar’s capital expenditures for this period exceeded UAH 3.7 billion, which is why more than 99% of the communication network in the government-controlled territory is operating normally. The company plans to invest $600 million in the development of new communication technologies over the next three years.
According to the operator, in the third quarter of this year, subscribers increased the use of mobile Internet services by 17.7% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the number of 4G users grew by 13.1% to 13.7 million, which was made possible by the development of the 4G network and the proposed tariffs with more megabytes.
At the same time, it is noted that the total number of subscribers in the third quarter decreased by 1.1% due to the impact of war factors, including migration outside the country and the temporary occupation of a number of settlements.
According to the press service, Kyivstar continued to develop digital services for online education, health care, and Kyivstar TV digital television services. According to the company, the number of subscribers using multiservice services increased by 21.4% in the third quarter.
In addition, Kyivstar continued to implement charity projects to help subscribers and Ukrainian society. In particular, the project “We live here” is being implemented, which aims to clear the territory of Ukraine of explosive devices. Thanks to the company’s services, UAH 120 million was raised for this project. At the same time, the operator’s contribution directly exceeded UAH 20 million.
Earlier it was reported that Kyivstar would focus on the development of LTE technology (Long Term Evolution is a wireless network with increased requirements and a bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more.) By 2026, the coverage level in Ukraine will be brought up to 98%.
Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar will focus on the development of LTE technology. (Long Term Evolution – wireless network with higher requirements and bandwidth from 10 Mbps), by 2026 the coverage level in Ukraine will be brought to 98%.
“Our goal is to achieve 98% LTE coverage by population by 2026. It’s different now, depending on the region. But, for example, in the Kiev region it is 97%, and on the highway Kiev-Chop 95%”, – said the President of “Kyivstar” Alexander Komarov to journalists.
He specified that increasing the coverage even by 1% requires huge efforts and construction of hundreds of new sites (sites), including greenfield (from scratch, – IF-U).
“Kyivstar is implementing the “LTE everywhere” project in Ukraine, including the $600 million investment from its parent company VEON, Komarov specified.
“We believe that this will be the key technology for the next 5-7 years. It will transmit the largest amount of internet or data of our consumers. That is why we are implementing this project now, and its main focus is coverage”, – specified the president of Kyivstar.
According to him, Kyivstar focuses on three key areas: network development, technology development, and improvement of communication quality. Among other things, Kyivstar is developing PON technology (modern technology of high-speed data transmission via fiber-optic communication lines, which implies connection of all subscribers’ devices through one optical cable and gives an opportunity to simultaneously use several telecommunication services: Internet, TV and telephone – IF-U).
Komarov noted that since new technologies require an increase in the number of sites, through construction, the number of sites has already reached pre-war levels.
“As I said, we are actually building many times more than our competitors – bigger and faster. I will tell you this: despite the loss of 7% of the network (due to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation – IF-U) we are currently serving the same number of sites as we were before the war. The part that we lost, we have already fully resumed,” Komarov said.
“Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest electronic communications operator, serving 24 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet subscribers as of September. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, services for cyber defense, and digital TV.
Kyivstar’s shareholder is the international VEON group, whose shares are listed on the NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam) stock exchanges.
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, intends to invest up to $10 million in creating an ecosystem of services for patients in the healthcare sector based on Helsi (Healthy Ukraine LLC).
“Our focus is on the development of digital services based on the telecom service we provide to our customers. A good example is our investment in Helsi. We invested in a small company, which at the first stage was an information system for medical institutions and patients. What are we doing now? We are investing to build an ecosystem of healthcare services for patients based on this connection. The investment in Helsi is up to $10 million,” said the president of Kyivstar.
He specified that the funding will be allocated as part of a total investment of about $600 million from the parent company VEON.
According to Komarov, the company is actively developing telemedicine services, which were used by more than 1.1 million people in the first half of 2023. In the near future, it is planned to launch functionality that will allow patients to track test results in the app and sign up for seasonal vaccinations.
Earlier it was reported that Kyivstar invested $3 million in the company’s development after purchasing a controlling stake in Helsi (Healthy Ukraine LLC) in August 2022.
Helsi is a medical information system and a leading digital healthcare provider, known as a provider of SaaS medical information system solutions for 1.3 thousand public and private clinics. “Kyivstar acquired 69.99% in August last year for UAH 555.74 million.
The number of employees has almost doubled to 240 over the past year. In the second quarter of 2023, Helsi increased the number of registered users to 25.4 million patients, up from 25 million a quarter earlier.
As of mid-October 2023, the number of active unique users in the app increased to 1.1 million, and including the web version – to more than 2 million Ukrainians, which is equal to the pre-war figures.
Since the beginning of the year, Helsi has introduced new services: urgent medical consultations, online chat with a doctor and exchange of medical documents, search for doctors and medical facilities nearby, vaccination calendar, and medical certificate service.
