The report of the National Electronic Communications Commission (NCEC) for 2025 talks about the growth of the M2M (Machine-to-Machine, SIM cards used in different devices) and Internet of Things (IoT) services segment.
The report of the National Electronic Communications Commission (NCEC) for 2025 talks about the growth of the M2M (Machine-to-Machine, SIM cards used in different devices) and Internet of Things (IoT) services segment.
According to the report, in 2025, the number of dedicated M2M cards reached 4.11 million units, accounting for about 8.7 percent of the entire active subscriber base in the country.
This reflects an interesting trend: demand is gradually shifting towards the use of mobile communications not by people, but by various devices and automated systems. In particular, such cards are actively used in the areas of logistics, energy and security systems.
This is a much more stable demand, because machines and sensors, unlike ordinary subscribers, are almost independent of demographic changes or population migration abroad.
The report also discusses the gradual decrease in the total number of active SIM cards in Ukraine in recent years and the reasons for this trend. According to the data provided, in 2023 there were 50.3 million active cards. In 2024, this figure fell by 3 percent to 48.8 million, and in 2025 it decreased by another 2.7 percent to 47.4 million units.
The text explains that such negative dynamics are due to several key factors. First, demographic and migration processes are influencing, in particular, the departure of a significant part of the population abroad. Second, the temporary occupation of certain Ukrainian territories is making its mark, where access to national mobile networks is accordingly lost. Third, subscribers themselves are changing their habits and are increasingly using several SIM cards simultaneously, although this was previously a common practice.
Ukrainian subscribers are massively switching to high-speed 4G mobile internet. According to the report, the number of SIM cards using 4G is steadily growing: from 29.8 million in 2023 to 30.5 million in 2024, and in 2025 this figure has already reached 31.6 million.
At the same time, the total number of cards from which people simply access the Internet has almost not changed. This indicates that subscribers are actively migrating from outdated 2G and 3G technologies to the modern fourth generation of communication. As a result, as of 2025, more than 87 percent of all SIM cards with access to the network will operate on the basis of 4G.
