Ukrtelecom is cooperating with Iskratel and Slovenian banks for the introduction of fibers
The first financial investment of € 3 million as part of a € 12 million national fiber optic deployment program to bridge the digital divide in Ukraine has been spent.
Ukrtelecomis a partnership with Iskratel and Slovenian banks, including the state-owned SID Bank, will help expand connectivity to more than 1.3 million people across Ukraine.
The investment is part of it The € 12 million optical network expansion program, which began last year provide connectivity of up to 300 places in different Ukrainian regions. The scheme highlights the potential of international partnerships to provide better financial conditions than these commercial banks can normally offer. The financial partnership with banks offers long-term capital on the international market and is part of the banks’ efforts to enable Slovenian companies to expand their operations to markets outside the European Union (EU) under competitive conditions.
The optical network expansion program addresses both rural and urban areas in the country. It uses modern certified telecommunications equipment, which is assembled in Slovenia in Iskratel’s production centers, which enables customers to access Internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps, IPTV and other IP services.
In 2021, Ukrtelecom set up more than 13,600 km of new optical networks and expanded its GPON infrastructure in 1,200 towns and villages. Modernized networks have unleashed the full potential of digital services in the public and private sectors.
President of the Management Board of Iskratel Robert Kuzmič
The program for the introduction of the optical network, together with Ukrtelecom and our Slovenian financial partners, will bring greater opportunities to hundreds of communities in various regions across Ukraine. This first investment highlights our ability to provide attractive financial conditions and manage complex end-to-end projects, and our commitment to providing gigabit connectivity to more than 1.3 million people and 530,000 homes.
Executive Director of Ukrtelecom Yuri Kurmaz
This is the first step in our introduction of optical infrastructure in Ukraine with a view to 60% growth in our subscriptions and revenues from broadband fiber connections. Our cooperation with Slovenian partners proves that Ukrtelecom can raise long-term capital on international markets at competitive prices and implement large-scale infrastructure projects.
