Ukraine’s big three mobile network operators this week won licences to offer 3G services.
An auction of sp ectrum in the 1900-2100 MHz band on Monday raised a total of 8.77 billion hryvnia (€274 million), based on separate announcements from the operators.
Turkcell-owned Life was the biggest spender in the contest, securing lot one for UAH3.36 billion (€105 million). MTS won lot two for UAH2.72 billion and Kyivstar said it paid UAH2.7 billion for lot three.
Under the terms of their 15-year licences, the telcos are required to launch services within six months and cover the Ukraine’s regional centres within 18 months.
Ukraine is behind much of the rest of the world when it comes to launching 3G services, but the country’s mobile operators are confident they will be quick off the mark now licences have been awarded.
"Over the last three years MTS has invested over US$500 million towards the modernisation of our networks throughout Ukraine, which will enable us to quickly launch 3G networks," said Andrei Dubovskov, MTS group CEO, in a statement.
"The licence will allow us to quickly offer customers access to high-speed mobile Internet and value-added services," he added. "In the coming years, mobile data will become the key driver of revenue growth for our business in the region."
Similarly, Kyivstar said it hopes the spectrum allocation will help bring Ukraine into line with the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, company president Petro Chernyshov said he was pleased to have won a 3G licence at the base rate set by the regulator. As a result, "we can concentrate our efforts on building the network," he said. "The more we invest in the network, the better the communication quality and coverage will be."
For its part, Turkcell said that securing lot one in the auction is evidence of its commitment to the market.
"As a global leader in technology, Turkcell is looking forward to bringing its know-how and leadership to Ukraine on its journey to 3G," said the Turkish operator’ s acting CEO Ilker Kuruoz.
Kuruoz, who also serves as chief technology officer of Turkcell, took on the top job after the resignation of longtime CEO Sureyya Ciliv late last month. The operator is in the process of recruiting a new chief executive.
Ukraine 3G spectrum allocations:
Life
1920-1935 MHz/2110-2125 MHz
MTS
1950-1965 MHz/2140-2155 MHz
Kyivstar
1965-1980 MHz/2155-2170 MHz
