Олександр КузьменкоGadgets
24 July 2026, 15:36
2026-07-24
Technical details of 5G operation in Kyiv and features of the equipment of three operators have become known
The Mobile Communications of Ukraine (MZU) community has published a technical analysis of the configurations and infrastructure of 5G NSA networks that have been put into operation in the capital. According to experts, operators have chosen different approaches to selecting vendors and configuring base stations, which directly affected the quality of communication and stability of coverage.
The Mobile Communications of Ukraine (MZU) community has published a technical analysis of the configurations and infrastructure of 5G NSA networks that have been put into operation in the capital. According to experts, operators have chosen different approaches to selecting vendors and configuring base stations, which directly affected the quality of communication and stability of coverage.
This is stated in the MZU report, which analyzed the operation of operators' equipment in the 3500 MHz band (n78).
The largest network was built by Vodafone, deploying about 150 sites exclusively on Nokia equipment — the base vendor for the Kyiv region. The company used AAU AVHQB (AVHQA) devices. A technical feature of the network was the simultaneous activation of LTE B38 in MIMO 32×32 mode on the same antenna with the prospect of conversion to NR n38, which ensured high stability of operation.
Kyivstar built fewer stations and used a mix of Ericsson and Huawei equipment, although Huawei is the basic supplier for Kyiv and the region. The likely reason for involving two vendors was European sanctions against Chinese manufacturers. However, this combination temporarily led to network instability due to the difficulties of integrating disparate equipment.
lifecell built its network on Ericsson stations, avoiding compatibility issues. However, the company currently has the fewest points on the market, and existing bottlenecks in the core transport network do not yet allow for record speeds.
«Today, these are full-fledged networks that operate stably and provide good quality communication. We did not expect such a scale and were pleasantly surprised,» MZU notes.
All three operators operate on dedicated 100 MHz bands in the 3500 MHz range. Despite equipment diversification and initial integration problems, peak speeds in field tests of Kyivstar and Vodafone networks are already reaching 2 Gbps.
Recall, on July 22, 2026, the pilot operation of 5G was launched in Kyiv. Kyiv became the fourth city to be tested after Lviv, Borodyanka and Kharkiv. During the first day of open testing, 135,000 Kyiv residents connected to 5G from Vodafone, who downloaded more than 25 TB of traffic, and the average speed in the network was about 600 Mbps. The next city where 5G is planned to be launched will be Odessa.
