Mobile communications operators Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, lifecell and municipal enterprise Kyiv Metropoliten are negotiating technical documents and the working project to launch 4G Internet in Kyiv’s subway, Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs at Kyivstar Oleksandr Kogut has said.
“Since September [2019], intensive and productive cooperation with the subway regarding the implementation of the planned steps continues. In particular, the legal mechanism for providing access for work in the subway has been approved. All the required agreements on technical supervision of the existing telecom network in the subway have been signed. Now technical documentation and a working project are being coordinated, the signing of an access agreement is being prepared,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
At the same time, Kogut said that operators and the subway will be able to sign the agreement on telecom access to the municipal property of the city only after approval by the Kyiv Council of the decision to establish access fees.
“The adoption of the long-awaited decision by the Kyiv City Council will open up the possibility for operators to install their 4G equipment in the subway legally. We will be ready to start installation work right after that,” the Kyivstar director said.
He recalled that according to the plan, the launch of 4G communications at the first stations and in adjacent tunnels should take place at the end of the first quarter of 2020 with the subsequent distribution the network to all stations and tunnels by the end of 2020.
The start of the 4G network in Kyiv subway is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, advisor to Kyiv Mayor Maksym Bakhmatov said. According to him, in particular, it is planned to first connect the following subway stations in the 4G network: Akademmistechko, Zhytomyrska, Sviatoshyn, Nyvky, Heroiv Dnipra, Minska, Obolon, Syrets, and Dorohozhychi and Lukianivska, and at the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021 to connect all stations and tunnels.
According to Bakhmatov, to date, negotiations have already been held and a common implementation scheme has been approved with the key mobile operators Vodafone Ukraine, Kyivstar and lifecell.
At the same time, he said that for the implementation of the project it is still necessary that the municipal enterprise Kyiv Metropoliten signs technical conditions, and the Kyiv City Council approves tariffs for telecom access to municipal transport facilities of the city. In addition, Huawei Ukraine needs to review the subway sites, develop and coordinate a working project for 4G implementation, conduct expert reviews by the relevant government services, and Kyiv Metropoliten and operators to prepare, coordinate and sign an access agreement, then sign a common document with Huawei Ukraine about the start of work.
The Kyivstar mobile communications operator has started providing 4G services in Kharkiv subway, the operator has reported. One can use high-speed mobile Internet both at the stations and while moving between them.
“The speed of the mobile Internet will be comfortable enough for both Internet surfing and fast data transfer,” the company said.
The operator reported that in its network over 40% of all mobile Internet traffic is used in the 4G network.
“In Kharkiv in May 2018, subscribers used only 95 terabytes of mobile traffic in the 4G network, and in May of 2019 – 10 times more, about 1,000 terabytes,” the company said.
Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian mobile operator. It provides communication and data services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G. As of the end of 2018, 26.4 million mobile subscribers and about 0.9 million fixed Internet clients used its services.
The Kyivstar mobile communications operator plans soon to start providing 4G mobile communications services in Kharkiv subway, the press service of the operator has told Interfax-Ukraine.
Kyivstar, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, registers all trademarks that can be used for promotional purposes. In particular, the company plans to soon provide 4G services in Kharkiv subway,” Kyivstar said.
Earlier, the operator submitted an application for the brand “Yakіsniy 4G Uzhe v Metro.” The corresponding notification was placed in the register of trademarks of the Ukrainian Intellectual Property Institute (Ukrpatent) accepted for registration.
Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian mobile operator. It provides communication and data services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G. As of the end of 2018, about 26.4 million mobile subscribers and about 0.9 million fixed Internet clients used its services.
First Deputy Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Head of Representative Office of Hyundai Corporation in Ukraine Jeong Ilryoung have discussed a possibility of the company’s participation in some infrastructure projects being implemented in the city, in particular, in a tender to build subway and procurement of rolling stock for subway. “Our company has extensive experience in such projects in different countries, including those that used the same subway characteristics as in Kharkiv. We do turnkey work. We install our system and rolling stock. We work with the government of South Korea, therefore, would like to continue our cooperation at the government level in financing other urban projects,” the press service of the Kharkiv City Council reported, citing Jeong Ilryoung.
Terekhov said that Kharkiv provides absolutely equal conditions for all bidders and is interested in cooperation if Hyundai Corporation wins the tender.
He also said that, according to the technical conditions of the tender for procurement of rolling stock, it should be a new generation of energy-saving trains equipped with asynchronous engines.
In addition, the first deputy mayor of Kharkiv and the head of the Hyundai Corporation in Ukraine discussed possible cooperation in the development of ground-based urban electric transport.
“We discussed the possibility of attracting grant money from the Korean government to maintain rolling stock with the subsequent development of a project to upgrade the tram fleet. However, I will emphasize that this should be a comprehensive solution – we need not only to buy new trains, but we also need to update the tram tracks. For example, first, you need to repair certain routes, and after that put new trams on them,” Terekhov said.
Alstom (France), a manufacturer of rolling stock and infrastructure, is interested in subway modernization projects in Ukraine, Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge has told reporters in Kyiv.
“We know that the subway in Ukraine should be modernized. So far we have not conducted any negotiations on this, but in principle this could be a project for cooperation,” he noted.
According to the Alstom CEO, first of all, the company is interested in cooperation with large cities.
“First of all, we are interested in Kyiv, because the larger the metro network in the city, the more interesting cooperation with it is. But so far we have not met with the local authorities, only at the government level,” the expert said.
Alstom is one of the world’s leaders (along with Siemens and Bombardier) in the production of power equipment and railway transport. The company’s revenue in the 2017-2018 fiscal year grew by 8.8%, to EUR7.95 billion.
