VEON’s Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv
Lviv, January 12, 2026 – VEON, a global digital operator (Nasdaq: VEON), today announces that Kyivstar (Nasdaq: KYIV), Ukraine's leading digital operator and a VEON Group company, has launched a 5G test zone in the historical center of the city of Lviv in Ukraine. This marks Kyivstar’s first local pilot 5G project and is being implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The goal of the 5G pilot is to evaluate network performance in real-world urban conditions. Pending successful pilot testing in Lviv, Kyivstar will gradually expand 5G availability to other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Borodianka, with Kyiv and Odesa planned for later in 2026.
The testing locations have been selected in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine, starting with the most populous Ukrainian cities that already have advanced infrastructure. A full-scale 5G rollout across the country will only be considered after end of the war. In parallel, Kyivstar will continue to focus on its “4G Everywhere” target, which meets the needs of most smartphone users in Ukraine. With Kyivstar’s ongoing network modernization, peak 4G speeds already exceed 1 Gbps in some areas during off-peak hours.
“Even in the midst of full-scale war — under constant Russian attacks on infrastructure and during blackouts — Ukraine continues to move forward and expand innovation in the telecom sector. The launch of the 5G pilot in Lviv is an important step that we have jointly prepared with mobile operators. Lviv is only the first city. We will soon begin pilots in Borodianka and Kharkiv as well. Our goal is to ensure that Ukrainians stay connected and have access to advanced technologies under any circumstances,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
“Kyivstar is driving Ukraine’s digital transformation with investments in advanced technologies, from piloting 5G in Lviv to pioneering Direct to Cell satellite connectivity through is partnership with Starlink,” said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar. “Our commitment goes beyond connectivity: we are investing USD 1 billion over 2023-2027 into rebuilding Ukraine’s connectivity and digital infrastructure, from energy resilience for our network to digital services to Ukraine’s own sovereign Ukrainian LLM, powering not just growth for our company but helping support Ukraine’s future recovery.”
Prior to the pilot launch, Kyivstar carried out comprehensive preparations across its network infrastructure, including ensuring that the 5G activation would not interfere with military communications. The company conducted its first 5G tests in February 2024 at its head office in Kyiv.
In Ukraine, 5G will operate in two frequency bands: 3500 MHz for high data transmission speeds and 700 MHz to ensure wider coverage. During pre-launch testing in Lviv, Kyivstar’s 5G network achieved peak download speeds exceeding 2.4 Gbps (actual speeds after commercial launch may vary depending on network congestion and other environmental factors).
About Kyivstar Group Ltd.
Kyivstar Group Ltd. (“Kyivstar”) is a Nasdaq-listed holding company that operates JSC Kyivstar, the country’s leading digital operator and the first Ukrainian company to have its shares traded on a U.S. stock exchange.
Kyivstar’s companies provide a broad range of connectivity and digital services, including mobile and fixed-line voice and data, ride-hailing, e-health, digital TV, and enterprise solutions such as Big Data, cloud, and cybersecurity.
Together with VEON, Kyivstar intends to invest USD 1 billion in Ukraine between 2023-2027, through social investments in infrastructure and technological development, charitable donations and strategic acquisitions.
For more information, please visit .
Nasdaq tickers: KYIV; KYIVW
About VEON
VEON is a digital operator that provides converged connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and over 140 million digital users. Operating across five countries that are home to more than 6% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. VEON is listed on NASDAQ. For more information, visit: .
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements”, within the meaning of the Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the impact and timing of further roll-out of the 5G pilot in Ukraine. There are numerous risks, uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks relating to the impact and timing of further roll-out of the 5G pilot in Ukraine, among others discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in VEON’s 2024 Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 25, 2025 and other public filings made by VEON with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release and VEON disclaims any obligation to update them, except as required by law
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