Ukrtelecom restores operation of landline phone network in over 1,200 settlements

Yuriy Kurmaz, CEO Ukrtelecom JSC, spoke of this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to Kurmaz, Ukrtelecom's critical infrastructure is now stable.

"A new network structure with largely duplicated key trunk lines and network core equipment has been built to support emergency communications services. This type of structure is not typical for a civilian operator in peacetime, but now we have to maintain it to ensure stable communication," Kurmaz said.

He added that in critical situations at the onset of Russian invasion, Ukrtelecom was forced to limit access speeds for private subscribers in order to maintain continuity of services to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other special customers.

"It was necessary while we were rebuilding our network from a peaceful topology to a wartime topology, restoring channels and communications lost due to shelling or those captured by enemy forces. Now our key trunk lines have significant reserves, the volume of external channels is triple the number we had before full-scale aggression. So, now the services are being provided in full," Kurmaz said.

Currently, due to the destruction of network elements and attempts by invaders to interfere in the operation of the company's telecom infrastructure, services are not available in only two regions: Luhansk and Kherson.

According to Ukrtelecom CEO, in Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, the network is being maintained at 55% and 20% of pre-war coverage, respectively.

Kurmaz says every week, the company connects almost 1,600 new customers to the optical network, with Chernihiv region being in the lead in this regard.

As reported, more than 3,000 mobile operators' base stations in Ukraine have been completely or partially shut down, while more than 20% of the telecom infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.