Mobile network operator Kyivstar has increased its 4G (LTE) network coverage in 19 regions and connected 1,195 more settlements to new mobile technologies.
According to a Wednesday report of the press service of the company, for this the operator has launched the technology of high-speed data transmission at 202 base stations.
The press service said that 493,000 residents of small settlements received the opportunity of having access to high-speed mobile Internet.
The 4G communication is supported by 23,600 Kyivstar base stations, which makes it possible for more than 87% of the Ukrainian population to access new mobile technologies.
According to the operator’s plans, by 2022, access to 4G should be provided for 90% of the population.
The mobile operator Kyivstar (Kyiv) in 2020 received UAH 10.370 billion of net profit, which is 15.72% more than in 2019, according to the announcement of the operator on holding an annual meeting of shareholders on April 29.
According to it, the company’s retained earnings for the year amounted to UAH 10.384 billion compared to UAH 12.752 billion a year earlier.
“Determine that the accumulated retained earnings of the company as of the end of 2020 are retained earnings subject to further distribution in the form of dividends (annual or interim) or any other use by decision of the general meeting of shareholders of the company,” the draft resolution of the meeting says.
According to the announcement, the long-term liabilities of Kyivstar for the year increased 2.8 times, to UAH 7.012 billion, while the current liabilities by 4.2%, to UAH 8.512 billion, and total debtor indebtedness decreased by 2.6%, to UAH 826 million.
In 2020, the company increased its fixed assets by 14.8%, to UAH 13.824 billion, its total assets increased by 10.74%, to UAH 27.013 billion.
The number of mobile subscribers of the operator in the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased by 1.3% compared to the same period in 2019, to 25.9 million, while the number of fixed-line subscribers increased by 10.9%, to 1.1 million.
In February, the mobile operator lifecell expanded the coverage of high-speed mobile Internet in another 1,078 settlements in all regions of Ukraine.
Last month the lifecell network was expanded in all regions of the country, in particular in 1,060 settlements with a population of up to 5,000 people, in 15 settlements with a population of up to 25,000 people and in three settlements, where up to 50,000 people live, the company said on Thursday.
Expansion of coverage will reduce the gap in access to digital services between small settlements and cities, lifecell notes.
According to the operator, customers using 4G from lifecell consumed 79% more mobile Internet traffic last month compared to the same period in 2020. At the same time, the total volume of used data traffic in the operator’s network in February increased by 43% on an annual basis.
In the category of cities with a population of more than 1 million people, the capital traditionally takes the first place, followed by Odesa and Kharkiv.
The mobile operator Kyivstar is starting to implement VoLTE (voice-over-LTE) technology in its 4G network, which will allow subscribers to make ordinary phone calls through a high-speed mobile Internet.
As noted in the operator’s statement on Tuesday, this technology will work throughout the country by the end of 2020, where the operator’s 4G network is provided.
At first, VoLTE will be available for contract subscribers who actively use most of Kyivstar’s services. And during 2021, the technology will become available to prepaid subscribers.
“In less than three years, 85% of Ukrainians gained access to 4G. In terms of construction rates, Kyivstar is ahead of even the countries of the European Union, which took an average of five years to get the same result. This is a great achievement of the company, which gives us the opportunity introduce new technologies, such as VoLTE. Due to this technology, not only residents of large cities, but also villages, will receive the best quality of voice communication. After all, it will work in a modern 4G network,” President of Kyivstar Oleksandr Komarov said.
The operator said that due to voice transmission via 4G, subscribers will receive better sound quality during calls, and the connection between them will be faster, since the smartphone will not switch between different standards.
The launch of the new technology throughout the country, where 4G from Kyivstar works, will be completed in December 2020.
“The next stage is that the ability to use this technology on subscribers’ smartphones, depends on the device manufacturers. After all, the peculiarity of VoLTE is that smartphone manufacturers separately activate this technology in the network of each mobile operator. For this, Kyivstar is actively negotiating with the most popular brands in Ukraine,” the company said.
According to the operator, such models of Apple smartphones have already been activated: iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, iPhone XR and XS MAX, iPhone SE, and during 2021 smartphone manufacturers will activate VoLTE on other popular models that support this technology.
The mobile operator Kyivstar has launched a service for subscribers to receive legal advice by phone or on the website – Lawyer Online.
According to the press service of the company, users of the service are offered legal advice on issues in family, inheritance, tax law, not related to doing business, in matters related to the ownership and use of a car, real estate, utilities. Documents that a lawyer helps to prepare are statements, contracts, claims, letters of attorney and others.
It is noted that the service has two subscription options – Lawyer Online Classic and Lawyer Online Unlimited.
Lawyer Online Classic provides for consultation on three issues and preparation of three transactions. The subscription price is UAH 30 per month. Lawyer Online Unlimited is an unlimited number of consultations and preparation of up to ten legal documents, the cost is UAH 50 per month.
The subscription cost is debited from the subscriber’s mobile account.
“Kyivstar is the first among mobile operators in Ukraine to offer its subscribers legal services remotely in situations that each of us may face in everyday life. Today, when communication, work, study go online, it is important for Kyivstar to provide its clients with a convenient way to receive the services necessary for a comfortable life. So, we have already launched applications for medical consultations – Doctor Online – and an application with workouts for home and gym – Fitstar,” Marketing Director of Kyivstar Pavlo Daniman said.
The service partner is Legal and Tax Advisers LLC, which provides advice in the field of law, taxation, audit and others.
The mobile network operator Vodafone Ukraine estimates investments in the 4G project in the 900 MHz (LTE 900) band at UAH 4 billion.
“If we talk about investments in general, according to our estimates, only the LTE 900 technology project will take about UAH 4 billion. This is a lot of money. At the same time, we are increasing the network capacity in large cities. We are investing in transport. And this is only the LTE 900 figures,” CEO of Vodafone Ukraine Olha Ustinova said at a briefing on Tuesday.
4G MOBILE, MOBILE, MOBILE NETWORK, MOBILE OPERATOR, VODAFONE
