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Kyivstar completes migration of 3G users to 4G, refarms spectrum

Kyivstar completes migration of 3G users to 4G, refarms spectrum

Veon-owned Ukrainian telco Kyivstar announced on Monday it has completed its migration of over 1 million 3G subscribers to 4G (with a few exceptions), which has freed up more spectrum capacity for its 4G network.

Kyivstar began a phased winddown of its 3G network in 2023, focusing on different regions of Ukraine. The winddown faced several delays in areas being targeted by Russian forces in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine that started in 2022.

Kyivstar said it endeavoured to make the transition as painless for subscribers as possible. Users were able to swap their 3G SIM card for a 4G USIM at no extra charge. Kyivstar also offered promotions for users to upgrade their smartphones if needed.

While Kyivstar said that its mass 3G shutdown is now complete, 3G connectivity will continue to be available in specific locations to serve a small number of B2B clients still using 3G equipment. Kyivstar said those clients will swap out their legacy equipment for 4G in the near future.

Kyivstar said the migration has enabled it to boost 4G spectrum resources by 25% – to include all 20 MHz of its 2100-MHz band spectrum. That means higher mobile internet speeds, lower signal delay, and a more stable connection for subscribers, especially in places with high network loads.

The telco added that the refarmed 3G spectrum has boosted 4G data transmission speeds by 20% to 40%, depending on the location, with average data download speeds approaching 100 Mbps as of August 2026.



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