The producer of tobacco products PJSC “Philip Morris Ukraine” in cooperation with DTF agency organized five social spaces “Spheres of the Sweet” with working areas in Kyiv, Odessa and Lviv, equipped with generators and Starlink satellite communication systems.
According to Philip Morris’ press service on Tuesday, the social spaces can keep you warm, recharge your devices, work and drink hot tea. They will be open until Dec. 30 and can accommodate about 100 people each at a time.
“We work for a large international company with offices and stores in many Ukrainian cities. Like all Ukrainians, we look for communication during blackouts, sit in shelters during alarms and worry if we can’t contact our families. We believe that resilient companies can help to survive a blackout together, so we organized autonomous stations with electricity, internet and heat”, – the company quotes the general director of “Philip Morris Sales and Distribution” Dmitry Zinchenko.
According to him, from the first days of the launch, social spaces have been very popular among city residents and help out in very unexpected situations.
“Employees of different companies during blackouts often make a field office with us. In Odessa, for example, during a blackout, girls from a nail salon nearby moved into the sphere. And in Kiev, our space even became a place for a wedding ceremony”, – added Zinchenko.
Social spaces are located in Kiev on Lesya Ukrainka Square, 1 (Central Election Commission) and Kontraktova square (near the Ferris wheel), in Odessa in the Park of enthusiasts (Akademika Zabolotnogo 66/2v) and in the Square “Ray” (Levitan 95a), and in Lviv on Vinnichenko Street 24 (Powder Tower).
Philip Morris International, which includes “Philip Morris Ukraine” is one of the world’s largest tobacco manufacturers. It operates in Ukraine for more than 20 years, owns a factory in the Kharkov region. Before the Russian armed invasion the company employed about 1.3 thousand people. Before the war, the factory was an export hub for more than 20 countries, in particular such major markets as Japan and Egypt.
The 1,570 Starlink system terminals handed over by Poland have already arrived in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mikhail Fedorov said.
“This is especially important now, because there are problems with electricity due to Russian shelling. When the light disappears, mobile operators and Internet providers do not work in some regions. So let’s equip the country with public WI-FI hotspots where people can be connected,” Fedorov wrote in a telegram on Thursday.
He noted that some of the terminals will be given to civilian administrations in the de-occupied territories. “In addition, we will provide Starlinks “Ukrzaliznytsia”, so that passengers and employees have a stable mobile communication and Internet,” the minister stressed.
Fedorov specified that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion with the assistance of the Ministry of Digital from donors and partners Ukraine has received more than 20 thousand Starlink terminals.
“Of these, 5 thousand with the support of the Polish government. Now another 1,570 terminals from our strategic partners will help Ukraine stay connected. I thank the Polish government for its constant support and ZAMMLER group of logistics companies for the free delivery of the new batch of terminals to Ukraine,” summed up the head of the Mincifra.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has already tested a pilot project for installing Starlink satellite Internet on trains, Yuriy Shchigol, head of the State Special Communications Service, said in an interview with Liga.tech.
“When we contacted Starlink technical specialists after testing and showed how it works, even they were surprised that we were able to use Starlink in this way. According to its technical characteristics, it should not work at such speeds. But it works and provides services,” he said.
According to him, Internet from Starlink will be launched on Ukrzaliznytsia trains by the end of this year.
Shchigol noted that 12 thousand Starlink terminals are currently operating in Ukraine, which is about 20% of their total number in Europe.
Starlink Ukraine (Starlink Ukraine) received an operator license.
“The company has just been entered in the Register of providers of electronic communication networks and services at number 1. The representative office of SpaceX will soon begin active work in Ukraine,” Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov wrote in the Telegram channel.
According to the State Register of Individuals and Legal Entities-Entrepreneurs, Starlink Ukraine LLC was registered on April 27, 2022 in Kyiv. Its leader is Elena Kandia.
The founder of the Ukrainian company is Starlink Holdings Netherlands B.V. (USA), the ultimate beneficial owner is Elon Musk.
The authorized capital of Starlink Ukraine LLC is UAH 50.
Starlink’s satellite Internet in Ukraine has about 150,000 active users every day, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said, citing data from Apptopia.
“Now Starlink terminals work for social infrastructure facilities – these are schools, hospitals, village councils, fire stations. After the liberation of the cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, operators began to restore communication using Starlink,” he wrote.
According to Fedorov, there are villages in these regions where 10 km of cable were killed by shelling.
“Thanks to one Starlink station, the provider was able to quickly restore access to the Internet. This is a unique experience of using Starlink, which has never happened before in the world,” the minister stated.
As reported, in addition to Starlink satellite Internet stations, the head of Tesla Inc. Elon Musk also donated Tesla Powerwall solar panels to Ukraine.
Earlier, a representative office of Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, Starlink Ukraine, was registered in Ukraine.
Starlink became active in the country on February 27, 2022.
The National Commission, which carries out state regulation in the areas of electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum and postal services, at the initiative of the State Special Communications Service, on April 20, allowed everyone to use Starlink satellite terminals for the period of martial law.
Starlink is a global satellite system for accessing the Internet in remote corners of the Earth.
A representative office of Elon Musk’s SpaceX company – Starlink Ukraine – has been registered in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov said.
“Starlink Ukraine (“Starlink Ukraine”), as a representative office of SpaceX, has just been registered in Ukraine,” he wrote on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
