The State Special Communications Service of Ukraine obliged mobile operators to ensure 10 hours of network operation during outages

The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (Derzhspetzvyazo) obliged mobile operators to increase the autonomy of equipment during power outages. According to the Order of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks dated July 15, operators must ensure uninterrupted operation of the network and maintain communication for at least 10 hours.

This is due to the fact that stabilization and emergency power outages continue in most regions of Ukraine, due to which the quality of communication among subscribers deteriorates, and in some cases, communication completely disappears. Previously, operators were required to maintain communication for at least 4 hours, but due to insufficient time to fully recharge the equipment, the communication quickly deteriorated with repeated outages.

The new order requires operators to phase in the necessary backup power sources at base stations by February 1, 2025. Additionally, by December 1, 2024, at least 25% of base stations must operate for up to 72 hours in the absence of power supply, creating “communication islands” in the event of a prolonged blackout. Operators must also ensure communication of emergency services, critical infrastructure and large nodes of the network infrastructure for a period of up to 72 hours.

Mobile operators must comply with the requirement in the following terms:

• by October 1, 60% of the base stations of each region must be provided with appropriate sources of backup power
• by November 1 – 70% of base stations in each region
• until December 1 – 80% of base stations in each region
• by February 1, all 100% of base stations must provide 10 hours of continuous communication.