The second largest Ukrainian mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine (VFU), invested UAH 754 million in strengthening the energy resilience of its network in 2024, equipping 65% of its base stations (BS) with backup power systems capable of providing autonomous operation for 4 to 72 hours.
“As of the end of 2024, all of the company’s base stations are equipped with backup power systems, 65% of which are capable of providing backup power for 4 to 72 hours in the event of a planned or emergency power outage,” the company said in a management report on its official website.
Over the past two years, the company has been investing in new types of batteries for its communications facilities, installing lithium-ferrous (LiFePO4) batteries at its base stations. They are much better suited to harsh operating conditions with frequent and prolonged power outages and are capable of providing 13 times more charge cycles, according to the statement.
In 2024, Vodafone Ukraine installed and planned to install 83,400 lithium-iron batteries (20,850 48V batteries with a capacity of 100 Ah), which is 1.5 times more than the capacity of the network at the beginning of 2024. The equipment can operate autonomously for 4 to 20 hours.
The mobile network is also supported by 1,932 generator sets, including its own stationary and mobile generators, as well as generator sets from partners and customers.
During the full-scale war alone, Vodafone Ukraine purchased about 500 mobile generators and the necessary auxiliary equipment for their operation. In 2024-2025, the company plans to further increase their number to comply with the relevant orders of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NCTU). It plans to purchase 250 stationary diesel generator sets (DGS) and 250 mobile generators, according to the company’s statement.
The statement also said that in 2024, Vodafone Ukraine built three solar power plants in the Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Earlier, the company’s CEO Olga Ustinova said that Vodafone Ukraine had invested UAH 2 billion in rechargeable batteries over the past two years to power base stations during power outages.
