Kyivstar, Vodafone and lifecell: in order for communication to work for 10 hours without electricity, a nuclear power unit is needed and more than 13 billion hryvnias

Ukrainian telecommunications operators “Kyivstar”, Vodafone and lifecell issued a joint statement regarding the requirements of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NCU) regarding 10-hour autonomous operation of the network during power outages.

The operators indicated the need to solve a number of technical and logistical problems in order to fulfill the assigned tasks. In particular, they need to obtain permits from Oblenergo to increase the capacity for charging batteries. According to the companies’ estimates, 2.8 GWh of electricity is required every day to ensure 10-hour autonomous operation of base stations, which is comparable to the power of one power unit of a nuclear power plant.

Operators also emphasize the lack of qualified specialists to service the new equipment, estimating that tens of thousands of workers need to be hired additionally. Additionally, there are restrictions on installing generators and batteries on the roofs of buildings where most base stations are located due to building and sanitation codes.

According to the resolution of the National Center of Ukraine from July 16, operators are obliged to equip all base stations with batteries and generators by February 1, 2025. In addition, by December 1, 2024, 25% of base stations must ensure uninterrupted operation for 72 hours. According to industry experts, the fulfillment of these requirements will require investments in the amount of more than 13 billion hryvnias.

Despite the difficulties, operators have already invested heavily in increasing the energy independence of their networks. They invested more than 3 billion hryvnias, upgraded 370,000 batteries at base stations and purchased 5,400 generators and other sources of uninterrupted power.