A unified telecom identification infrastructure has been implemented in Ukraine, covering the entire mobile subscriber base of the country based on myGaru technology. All three mobile operators in Ukraine—Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, and lifecell—as well as the fixed-line operator Ukrtelecom, have joined the project.
“Identification is the foundation of data processing—without it, neither accurate data collection, nor data sharing, nor the subsequent activation of advertising communications is possible. Cross-Telecom ID establishes a unified identification standard for the data market, creating conditions for the development of a sovereign data economy in Ukraine,” myGaru CEO Vitaliy Morozhenko is quoted as saying in the press release.
myGaru explained that the technology combines telecom identification with the digital advertising ecosystem. This enables more precise ad delivery in mobile apps, on websites, in addressable TV, and on digital platforms, including Google, Meta, TikTok, and Telegram.
“The implementation of myGaru technology is a step toward an innovative advertising space that combines business efficiency, user privacy protection, and a responsible approach to data security,” commented Andriy Zheleznyak, Director of Big Data at Kyivstar.
Following the launch of telecom identification, companies will also be able to more accurately link ad impressions to user actions, limit the frequency of impressions to a single user within a single campaign, and measure ad performance in real time.
In addition, it is stated that the technology will allow businesses to analyze their audience and provide a secure mechanism for joint data analysis between companies through a special secure mechanism—the myGaru data clinic—using aggregated, anonymized data.
As for personal data, it will not be transferred between parties but will be processed in a secure environment.
“The myGaru-based solution works exclusively with anonymized and aggregated data within the operator’s secure infrastructure. This provides the market with a modern tool for developing digital services without compromising user privacy,” added Kateryna Shulga, Head of Big Data Projects and Programs at lifecell.
It is noted that currently in Ukraine, the advertising service based on cross-telecom ID is provided by the GlobalDigital agency, analytical functionality is provided by the Nexinsight platform, and Adtech is the official operator of the myGaru platform on the Ukrainian market.
myGaru is a company founded in 2019 that works with telecom operators, retailers, publishers, and advertisers to ensure secure, anonymized, cohort-based data processing. It is built as a deep-tech infrastructure for sovereign data ecosystems.
Possible merger of tower companies Ukraine Tower Company (UTC) and Ukrainian Network Solutions (UNS), which are associated with the largest mobile operators Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine, will lead to monopolization and structural imbalance in the telecom market, according to their smaller competitor Lifecell LLC (TM lifecell).
“Given the significant impact on the market and millions of consumers, the agreement should be reviewed openly and transparently, with the involvement of all market participants and the expert community,” the operator said in a press release on Monday, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
According to lifecell, such a merger could affect the pace of innovation and weaken the focus on subscriber needs.
The operator also stressed that the potential deal could threaten the security of national communications as a whole and limit investment in Ukraine.
“Excessive concentration of critical infrastructure in one hand may be perceived as a signal of increased risk, deterring investment in the telecommunications sector,” lifecell explained its position.
The company stressed that decisions regarding the possible merger of tower stations must be made with consideration for the long-term consequences for competition, the development of the telecom market, and the country’s security.
At the end of January, it was reported that UTC, the tower business of the telecommunications holding company VEON, which owns Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar, is trying to get the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) to approve a merger with UNS , the tower asset of the country’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine.
At that time, Forbes Ukraine explained that the merger of the tower companies VEON and Vodafone Ukraine could be linked to a desire to sell them to a third party on more favorable terms, with a price tag of $300 million.
According to Forbes Ukraine’s calculations, UNS’s revenue for the first nine months of 2025 reached UAH 528.8 million, with annual EBITDA of about $15 million and UTC of UAH 2.1 billion and $50-60 million, respectively.
At the same time, lifecell also has a tower asset: according to YouControl, its revenue for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to UAH 461.0 million, with a net profit of UAH 202.2 million.
According to data from the regulator NCEK, the top three leaders in terms of revenue from telecommunications services for the first nine months of 2025 in Ukraine were mobile operators Kyivstar with UAH 32.35 billion, Vodafone Ukraine (UAH 18.88 billion), and lifecell from the DVL group (UAH 11.58 billion).
Vodafone Group and Ukraine’s second-largest mobile operator, VF Ukraine (Vodafone Ukraine, VFU), will begin construction of a new high-speed submarine cable system in the Black Sea, creating a digital corridor between Europe and Asia, according to a company release on Monday.
It is noted that the Kardesa submarine fiber-optic communication network will connect Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Turkey. The first cable landing is planned in Bulgaria in 2027, followed by Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine.
In a Telegram channel, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov specified that the project budget is over EUR100 million.
The mobile operator added that the general contractor for the project will be Xtera, a company that implements high-performance turnkey underwater telecom solutions and builds and commissions advanced underwater cable systems in more than 60 countries around the world.
“One of the key points of our Strategy for the Development of Electronic Communications until 2030 is to build more international Internet highways to create a sustainable Internet in Ukraine,” Fedorov emphasized.
According to him, thanks to this communication line, the Black Sea region will receive an additional 500 terabits/s of Internet bandwidth.
“Submarine cables provide 97-98% of international Internet traffic, so this project is important for the development of the digital ecosystem of the entire region,” Fedorov wrote.
The first deputy prime minister specified that the project will ensure digital sovereignty and the stability of telecommunications infrastructure, investments in the telecom sector, high-speed and secure internet for Ukrainians, and will also serve as a link in internet traffic between Europe and Asia, bypassing Russia.
As reported, Vodafone Ukraine reduced its net profit by 13% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, to UAH 1.705 billion, while its revenue grew by 15%, to UAH 13.518 billion.
In the first half of the year, the company increased its investments by 66% compared to the same period in 2024, investing more than UAH 3.5 billion in critical infrastructure, and in total, over 3.5 years of full-scale war, investments in Ukraine reached almost UAH 19 billion. In the structure of investments in the first half of this year, 51% is accounted for by the construction and restoration of the network, as well as its preparation for operation during blackouts, 31% – network maintenance, 11% – fixed communications development, and 4% – the billing exchange program.
Vodafone Ukraine has been part of NEQSOL Holding since December 2019.
In January-September 2024, Ukraine’s second largest mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine (VFU), increased its revenue by 13% to UAH 18.05 billion, while reducing its net profit by 23% to UAH 2.92 billion.
According to the company’s official website, OIBDA increased by 6% to UAH 9.55 billion in the first nine months of operation. The OIBDA margin decreased by 4 percentage points to 52.9%.
The company’s investments also decreased by 10% to UAH 3.41 billion compared to the same period last year.
APRU (average monthly revenue from fixed-line voice services per subscriber) increased by 8.9% to UAH 122.4. The operator’s subscriber base increased by 4.7% to 15.9 million customers.
In the first nine months of 2024, Vodafone Ukraine demonstrated business stability and positive growth in key operating and financial indicators, the company said on its official website.
VF Ukraine attributed the 23% decline in net profit to currency fluctuations.
At the same time, the increase in APRU by 8.9% is due to an increase in the use of mobile services, as well as an increase in the number of fixed-line Internet customers to 270 thousand, which is 16% more than in the third quarter of 2023, the company explained.
“Vodafone Ukraine continues to reinvest its profits in telecommunications infrastructure. The company maintains a high investment rate: UAH 3.4 billion was invested in infrastructure in the first nine months of 2024. Since the start of the full-scale war, Vodafone Ukraine has invested a total of UAH 12.66 billion in Ukraine. The priority areas remain the restoration and maintenance, energy resilience of mobile communications facilities and expansion of network capacity,” the company said.
“Vodafone Ukraine is investing in the development of fixed-line Internet access networks based on modern GPON technology. More than 8,000 apartment buildings in 16 cities of Ukraine are already connected to the energy-efficient network. Over the past three years, Vodafone Ukraine has invested UAH 670 million to expand its fixed network by increasing GPON coverage tenfold. The operator is actively building new service areas in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Ivano-Frankivsk. In August this year, the company started building energy-efficient networks in Poltava, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Lutsk, Rivne and Ternopil.
Vodafone Ukraine reminded that for the second consecutive year, Vodafone mobile Internet has been recognized as the fastest in Ukraine according to the results of Speedtest user tests, and the operator received the prestigious Ookla Speedtest Awards.
The company also continues to develop services based on its IoT network. In August, VF Ukraine and Kyivteplocomunenergo signed an agreement to install NB-IoT-enabled meters in Kyiv. NB-IoT technology ensures reliable connectivity even in difficult places such as basements or underground parking lots. Designed specifically for the Internet of Things, this network supports a large number of simultaneous device connections, making it ideal for large-scale urban or large industrial deployments.
In August 2024, Vodafone Ukraine launched new tariff plans as part of the Roaming at Home concept. Ukrainians can use their home tariff in 28 European countries at no additional cost and without activating services.
“This option is especially valuable for volunteers and military personnel traveling abroad for training and remains popular for both tourist and business trips to Europe,” Vodafone Ukraine said.
It is reported that the company managed to increase its subscriber base by 4.7% compared to the third quarter of last year, to 15.9 million customers, as of September 30, 2024, in both the private and corporate segments.
In September, Vodafone Ukraine started offering numbers with a new code – 075. The additional range of numbers has expanded the choice of desired combinations for new and existing customers.
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies providing a wide range of services, including mobile voice, data, messaging, fixed broadband and cable TV. The company operates in 15 countries and cooperates with mobile networks in 45 countries. As of June 20, 2024, Vodafone provides services to more than 330 million mobile subscribers, 21 million fixed-line subscribers, 17 million TV subscribers, 17 million broadband subscribers, 17 million TV subscribers and connects more than 187 million IoT devices.
“Vodafone Ukraine is a leading Ukrainian telecommunications company providing 3G and 4G broadband, fixed-line and Internet services. The company serves 15.9 million subscribers. Since December 2019, Vodafone Ukraine has been a part of NEQSOL Holding, a diversified group of companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, high-tech and construction sectors.
British mobile operator Vodafone Group Plc increased its revenue by 2.8% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 and confirmed its financial performance forecast for the entire fiscal year.
According to a Vodafone press release, revenue for the quarter ended June 30 reached €9.04 billion, up from €8.79 billion a year earlier.
Service revenue, the company’s key indicator, increased by 3.2% to €7.47 billion. In organic terms, the figure increased by 5.4%.
Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization and leasing (EBITDAaL) increased by 2.1% to EUR 2.68 billion. At the same time, the organic growth of this indicator amounted to 5.1%, the report says.
Operating profit jumped 42.9% to €1.55 billion.
In fiscal year 2025, Vodafone still plans to generate adjusted EBITDAaL of about 11 billion euros. Adjusted free cash flow is expected to be at least €2.4 billion.
Vodafone shares are losing 1.8% in London on Thursday. Since the beginning of the year, the company’s capitalization has increased by 1%, while the FTSE 100 index has added 4.6% over the same period.
Following the attacks on the energy infrastructure in March and April, Vodafone has decided to double its planned investments in energy independence this year. Following this decision, the company plans to purchase additional generating capacity and autonomous power supply systems worth UAH 438 million. Total investments in the network’s energy resilience in 2022-2024 will exceed UAH 674 million.
Vodafone is investing in new types of batteries for its communication facilities. To improve reliability and extend the autonomous power supply time of its base stations, the company has already purchased 13.5 thousand batteries of a new lithium-ferrous type (LiFePO4). Such batteries are much better adapted to harsh operating conditions with frequent and prolonged power outages. Vodafone plans to purchase an additional 4,612 such batteries in 2024.
In addition, Vodafone will increase its generating capacity. More than 1.5 thousand base stations are already powered by generator sets, including the company’s own stationary and mobile generators, as well as generator sets of partners and customers. During the war alone, the company purchased about 500 mobile generators and the auxiliary equipment necessary for their operation. In 2024, the number of generating equipment of various types will increase by another 280 units.
Today, more than 700 partner generators ensure the network’s operation during outages, and this number is constantly growing. Vodafone is open for further cooperation – companies that have a diesel generator set and are ready to share its capacity to provide communication for their company and other subscribers within the base station coverage area can send a letter to no_blackout@vodafone.ua. Vodafone experts will be happy to discuss the details of possible cooperation.
During previous emergency outages, the company has already used more than 1,094 tons of diesel and gasoline. Vodafone’s power engineers have also ensured sufficient diesel and gasoline reserves to generate electricity to keep the grid running during the blackouts. To minimize the risks of a shortage of certain types of fuel and diversify fuel supplies, including on a regional basis, the company has increased the number of wholesale fuel suppliers with whom it has signed contracts and made significant fuel reserves.
