Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot Program in Lviv
KYIV, Ukraine, Jan. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kyivstar (Nasdaq: KYIV; KYIVW), Ukraine's leading digital operator, has launched a 5G test zone in the historical center of Lviv, Ukraine. This marks the company’s first local pilot 5G project, implemented within a framework established by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The goal of the pilot project is to evaluate the performance of the new technology under real urban conditions. Following a successful evaluation, Kyivstar will gradually expand 5G coverage to other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Borodianka, with Kyiv and Odesa planned for 2026. The Ukraine government determined the testing locations, selecting the most populous cities with advanced infrastructure. A full-scale 5G rollout across Ukraine will only be possible after the war ends.
“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, First Deputy Prime Minister - 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.”
The base stations of this new-to-Ukraine standard have already been put into operation in Lviv’s historical downtown. 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, confirming its technical readiness for broader deployment. 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).
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.
About Kyivstar Group Ltd.
Kyivstar Group Ltd. (“Kyivstar”, the “Group”) 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.
The Group’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.
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Nasdaq tickers: KYIV; KYIVW
About JSC Kyivstar
JSC Kyivstar is Ukraine’s leading digital operator, serving more than 22.5 million mobile customers and over 1.2 million home internet fixed line customers as of September 30, 2025. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, and more. JSC Kyivstar is advancing new telecommunication technologies in Ukraine and together with VEON plans to invest USD 1 billion in this direction between 2023–2027.
The company contributes to overcoming the challenges of wartime and, over the past three years, has allocated more than UAH 3.4 billion to support the Defense Forces, its subscribers, and the implementation of social projects. Kyivstar has operated in Ukraine for 27 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the digital communications market, a top employer, and a socially responsible company.
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Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as the phrase is defined in 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, statements relating to, among other things, Kyivstar’s 5G Pilot Program and development plans as well as Kyivstar Group’s ability to achieve anticipated results and business objectives. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks relating to Kyivstar’s 5G Pilot Program and development plans as well as Kyivstar Group’s ability to achieve anticipated results and business objectives, among others discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in the final prospectus filed by Kyivstar Group with the U.S. Securities and exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 18, 2025, as amended and supplemented from time to time, and in any other subsequent filings with the SEC by Kyivstar Group.
