Source: 24tv.ua
The National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization has sold frequencies for the development of 4G technology in Ukraine. Now mobile operators, which bought them, have every opportunity to implement this mobile internet standard.
Moreover, the state budget of Ukraine will receive about 2.5 billion hryvnas as a result of selling the 4G license.
Who shared the trophy?
The following three leading Ukrainian mobile operators bought frequencies for 4G: Lifecell bought two lots of 30 MHz in total for 909.25 million hryvnas, Kyivstar bought three lots of 30 MHz in total for 916.3 million hryvnas and Vodafone-Ukraine – two lots of 20 MHz in total for 631 million hryvnas.
Differences of 3G and 4G
Let’s remind you what the difference is: this is the connection speed. In theory, 4G mobile Internet is10 times faster than 3G. However, experts say that in practice, the difference will be 4-5 times, which is also not bad.
If more clearly, 4G will allow, in particular, playing online games online games of any complexity and using full-HD multimedia Internet content without any hassles.
Another fact to compare their speeds: 3G network bandwidth is 3 Mbps per second for fixed users and 384 Kbps – for mobile users (in transport), while 4G should provide 100 Mbps for mobile users and1 Gbit for fixed users.
Who and when will launch 4G
As Oleksandr Kubrakov, the IT and Telecom Sector Head at the Better Regulation Delivery Office explained in the interview with the “24” website, when operators launched the 3G standard, they installed many fiber optic lines, so now the core network is prepared to a greater or lesser extent. When installing 3G equipment, a significant number of base stations with 4G-ready equipment were installed as well. So, when licenses are already received, 4G can be introduced in many regions fast enough.
Although Kubrakov reminded us this fact, but we have seen the introduction of 3G, and it didn’t appear in a moment, but in one city after another. Probably, the same situation will be with 4G.
However, for example, Kyivstar has announced its plans to launch 4G in the first half of 2018: the mobile operator has already prepared its network to launch a new generation of mobile Internet at 1800 MHz and purchased additional500 base stations for 4G on 2600 MHz frequencies, the auction for which was held on January 31.
As the Vodafone Ukraine website stated, the operator is ready to launch the 4G network technically, and it is planned to launch 4G in the big cities first in the end of March and in the beginning of April. Vodafone promises the full coverage in June.
Lifecell has not announced any start date.
How to connect 4G
To do this, you need to have appropriate gadgets that support the 4G standard and a SIM card with such “functions”. All mobile operators in Ukraine already sell USIM SIM-cards that support the new standard of communication.
For Kyivstar subscribers, there are special codes that will help to check:
– whether your SIM card will work on a 4G network. Dial the code *245*4# and call;
– whether your mobile phone supports 4G – dial the code *245*5# and call.
In some models of smartphones with 2 SIM-cards, only the 1st slot “is able” to work with the last-generation network. To find out whether your phone has such a limitation, you need to pay attention to the marking of slots on a mobile device and, if necessary, put the SIM-card in the appropriate slot.
By Yanina Tkachuk