5G in Kyiv: Ministry of Digital Transformation names next city for launch
Stanislav Prybytek, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for Digital Infrastructure Development, revealed this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
According to Prybyk, operators are currently ordering equipment and finalising locations for base stations to ensure the highest possible quality of coverage in the capital. It is Kyiv that the Ministry of Digital Transformation has named as the next city for the launch of the 5G pilot.
The 5G pilot is already operational in Lviv, Borodianka and, from 14 February, in Kharkiv. The Ministry of Digital Transformation states that over half a million Ukrainians have already tested the new technology in real-world conditions.
The ministry notes that once coverage becomes available, users immediately begin actively switching to the new network. According to Prybytek, traffic has increased significantly: subscribers are watching high-quality videos, quickly downloading large files and using cloud services on their phones. At the same time, he cited stability as the main outcome of the pilot – even after a sharp increase in load, connection quality did not deteriorate.
What next for 3G and 4G
Separately, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has announced a deadline for the complete shutdown of 3G – by 1 January 2031. The ministry explains that this is necessary to reallocate frequencies for 4G, and the arrival of 5G does not mean abandoning fourth-generation networks. On the contrary, the ministry describes 4G as the foundation for the roll-out of 5G.
Lviv became the first pilot city in early January 2026, and within the first 24 hours of the 5G launch, over 80,000 users had connected there. The project was then expanded to Borodianka, where the launch of 5G was combined with the community’s recovery from the destruction caused by Russia. On 14 February, the pilot was scaled up to Kharkiv, where newlyweds Vladislav and Kateryna were the first to test the new network.
A compatible smartphone is required to use 5G. The Ministry of Digital Transformation previously reported that over a quarter of Ukrainians’ smartphones already support the technology, whilst the operator lifecell estimated that 29% of its subscribers had 5G devices.
As a reminder, Viktoria Yakimova has been appointed Ukraine’s new Honorary Consul in the Dominican Republic. Her appointment sparked lively online debate due to her modelling past, revealing photos and old pictures of her wearing a kokoshnik, after which Yakimova herself publicly responded to the criticism.
