The number of Starlink users in Ukraine could double, according to Veon's forecast
This was reported by Reuters, citing a statement by Veon CEO Kaan Terzioglu. Kaan
Terzioglu, CEO of telecommunications holding Veon, the parent company of mobile operator Kyivstar, said that the number of Starlink satellite internet users in Ukraine could increase sharply.
According to him, the service's audience could more than double, from approximately 5 million to 12 million people.
Terzioglu noted that the main reason for such demand is the need for backup communication channels amid power outages.
"Probably every Ukrainian will need this service from time to time due to power outages," he said during the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona.
The expected number of users, 12 million, will represent approximately half of Kyivstar's entire subscriber base.
Veon also announced plans to expand the use of satellite internet in other markets.
In particular, the company plans to integrate Starlink services into the Beeline operator's network in Kazakhstan. The service is expected to be fully operational there by the end of March.
In addition, similar services may be launched in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Uzbekistan within a year.
In the long term — within the next three to five years — Veon is considering entering the markets of South Asia, Latin America and Africa, if tax and pricing conditions are favourable.
At the same time, Veon's partnership with SpaceX is not exclusive. The company is also in talks with other satellite operators, including Amazon (Project Kuiper), AST SpaceMobile, and Eutelsat OneWeb.
Kyivstar President Alexander Komarov clarified that the operator does not plan to connect other satellite providers in Ukraine until at least the end of next year, as their technical readiness is currently inferior to Elon Musk's company's solution.
In addition to the development of satellite internet, Kyivstar also announced the launch of a large language model based on the Google Gemma framework. The project is expected to start in the next quarter and will be focused on Ukraine's state needs, particularly in the field of defence.
