It has long been the dream of Svitlana Myrna, the founder and CEO of LLC “BRAIN STREAM”, to connect every home in her small village to the Internet. To implement this goal, she created her own company, a small enterprise of 6 specialists registered in Borzna, Nizhyn district, Chernihiv region. However, the company provides internet connection services in the adjacent rural areas of Borzna, Plyskivka and Krutiv ATCs – in those remote corners where other operators often do not come.
Svitlana Myrna’s idea was not just to connect rural residents to the Internet, but with the help of modern communications to open unprecedented opportunities for them – both access to information and modern digital services that have been actively implemented in Ukraine in recent years. So, even before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the company took part in the project to connect critical social infrastructure facilities in the adjacent rural areas to broadband Internet access and began to do so in an innovative, but also not cheap way – by laying a cable underground.
In the first months of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, the company’s networks were destroyed and damaged. Communication nodes and visible cables were destroyed by the enemy army. Since the main trunk cables of LLC “BRAIN STREAM” were laid underground in inter-village fields, the company’s subscribers in Chernihiv region had access to the Internet during the most difficult months of February and March.
However, other cable networks that had been laid by air continued to be damaged, spare cables and other equipment for emergency repairs and connection of subscribers were in short supply, and personnel capable of repairing the damage quickly and efficiently were mobilised. Energy challenges were also added to the mix: as a result of Russia’s targeted shelling of Ukrainian energy facilities and widespread power outages, the need for autonomous power sources arose.
Coping with all the challenges alone was not easy. That is why participation and winning in the grant call within the international cooperation project ReACT4UA, financed by the German Government and implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit” (GIZ), became a lifeline for the continuation of the work of LLC “BRAIN STREAM”.
Thanks to the grant funds, LLC “Brain Stream” purchased an optical fibre welding machine, which is the most necessary working tool which is used daily during scheduled and emergency visits and when new subscribers are connected. The team also uses it to demonstrate professional skills in specialised educational institutions and to conduct industrial and theoretical practice for students at the company. New connecting elements, such as crossover boxes and ground couplings, which are mounted underground to protect them from shelling, are now used instead of improvised structures.
Within the implementation of the grant project, a fibre-optic cable has been laid at Khoroshe Ozero railway station. It connected the villages of Khoroshe Ozero, Ombysh and Pechi to the network. In Khoroshe Ozero, 42 households have already been connected. The villages of Ombysh and Pechi are in the process of being connected – their social infrastructure facilities and the Points of Invincibility have already been provided with internet connection.
Also, thanks to participation in the ReACT4UA programme, the team was trained at the DEPS Engineering and Service Centre, where they learned how to choose technologies and software with maximum access to developer support. According to CEO LLC “Brain Stream” of Svitlana Myrna, the company can now quickly receive updates, support and solutions to any of their technical issues.
The company’s grant project under the ReACT4UA programme also included the development of SMART goals, strategic plans for building the region’s infrastructure and improving its economic performance – because without high-quality infrastructure for access to Internet communications, neither the education of the younger generation, nor the scaling of local businesses, nor the development of the community is possible.
“Small villages are being killed by the lack of modern technology and communication – there is a threat of whole settlements turning into fields. I put my heart and soul into my idea while writing the grant project, because the development of a strong economy begins with training and support for the local population, which will become the foundation for training a new generation that will have access to modern educational practices thanks to a high-speed and stable Internet connection. That is why programmes such as ReACT4UA are important, because they not only accelerate progress, but also impact communities by providing them with access to information, resources and opportunities,” says Svitlana Myrna.
Reference information
Non-reversible financial support (grants) to Ukrainian telecommunication operators in de-occupied territories is provided within the international cooperation project ReACT4UA (“Utilization and Implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine in the field of trade”), financed by the German Government and implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”. The grants were made possible by ad-hoc funding from the German Government. The programme aims to support Ukraine’s economic resilience, recovery and growth, create better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as support innovation and exports.
The strategic implementer of the programme is the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”. The implementing partner is Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO). The support is given by: The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The contents are the sole responsibility of BRDO and do not necessary reflect the views of the European Union and the German Government.
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