The Ministry of Digital Transformation has announced the timeline for the launch of 5G in Kyiv
The full-scale rollout of 5G technology in Ukraine will only be possible once the war has ended. On June 16, the Ministry of Digital Transformation noted that the launch in Kyiv depends on the security situation and infrastructure readiness.
A test launch of the 5G network in Kyiv is planned for as early as the summer of 2026. Currently, mobile operators are preparing equipment and finalizing technical configurations ahead of the pilot project’s launch. This was announced by Stanislav Prybytok, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation.
According to him, pilot projects to test 5G technology are already underway in Lviv, Borodianka, and Kharkiv, with Kyiv set to be the next city.
“We will soon announce a specific date. It will be this summer. Operators are currently preparing the technical aspects,” said Prybyitko.
The deputy minister explained that operators are currently purchasing equipment, testing it on their own networks, installing it, and obtaining the necessary regulatory permits.
“5G technology is new, and its impact on interaction with operators’ systems is still unknown. There are general requirements and expectations regarding how it will work. But the pilot project will allow for testing to ensure it is as effective as possible,” he noted.
Prybylko noted that the current plan calls for the pilot project to run until the end of 2026, but there are plans to extend it.
“Our goal is to prepare mobile operators’ networks as much as possible from a technological standpoint for the nationwide rollout of 5G. Therefore, we will continue the pilot for a fairly long period,” the deputy minister said.
The next city to test 5G after Kyiv will be Odesa. At the same time, he emphasized that the full-scale deployment of next-generation communication technology across Ukraine directly depends on the end of martial law and the war.
According to Prybytek, special research must be conducted in collaboration with the military prior to the national launch. This is because the frequencies used for 5G networks overlap with those used by the military.
“Therefore, we need to conduct theoretical and then practical research. We need to turn on military equipment and 5G equipment to determine whether 5G will interfere with this equipment. We must ensure that it will not interfere. Theoretically, it shouldn’t, but there is a requirement for practical confirmation,” he noted.
However, conducting such tests is currently impossible, as the relevant equipment is actively used by the Defense Forces to carry out combat missions.
“Such testing cannot be done while the war is ongoing. The Defense Forces use these systems for their missions, and it is not possible to divert them from protecting us. Therefore, the research cannot be conducted,” Prybyitko added in a comment to UNIAN.
As a reminder, the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear, which is linked to Russian military intelligence, hacked more than 280 email accounts of government and military institutions in NATO countries and the Balkans.
Prior to this, hackers gained access to data from the booking website Booking.com, the company reported. The attackers were able to obtain information about customer bookings, and some users received emails on Sunday notifying them of a possible data breach.
