Business news from Ukraine

LIFECELL, HUAWEI, ERICSSON DECIDE TO TEST 5G IN UKRAINE

7 December , 2016  

KYIV. Dec 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Mobile communications operators lifecell has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Ericsson and Huawei to develop 4G mobile communications in Ukraine.

Ericsson Ukraine CEO Wojciech Bajda said that the first phase of cooperation will be proposing ideas and models to introduce 5G services in Ukraine. The next phase the sides would focus on work with the technical part of the implementation of the 5G pilot launch project in Ukraine.

“I think that testing 5G is the simplest aspect of our work. It is required more time to prepare the business models and understand what services and software are suitable for Ukraine,” he said.

Chairman of the National Commission for Communications and Informatization Regulation (NCCR) Oleksandr Zhyvotovsky said that the state would help to conduct tests.

“I think that 4G will be introduced in Ukraine in 2017, and 5G – in 2019-2020,” he said.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine for administrative, social and economic reforms Dmytro Shymkiv said that it is useful for Ukraine to be put on the list of countries that would first test 5G in the world.

“I am thankful to Ericsson, Huawei and lifecell for including Ukraine in the list of those 10-15 countries where experiments with 5G technologies will be done. Knowledge and skills received during the tests would help Ukraine to be more competitive on the telecom market… This gives us a competitive advantage in the long-term outlook,” he said.