A portion of a multi-million euro investment fund was used to bridge the digital divide for Ukraine's 1.3 million Urktelecom customers as the operator praised its strategy to procure international investment.
Urktelecom, Iskratel, Slovenian state bank SID Banka and other banks partnered last year to inject €12 million into Ukraine's infrastructure to transform the lives of millions of people.
Some €3 million has been spent so far, marking the "first step" in the deployment of fibre-optic infrastructure with the goal of increasing fibre-optic broadband revenues and subscriptions by 60 per cent.
"Thanks to this effective financial partnership, it will continue to accelerate the development of Ukraine's modern digital telecommunications infrastructure, bridging the country's digital divide and enabling people to use digital services in their daily lives."
Fibre deployment is underway in 300 rural and urban areas across the country. The telecoms equipment for the rollout is being built at Iskratel's production centre in Slovenia, enabling customers to access internet speeds of up to 1Gbps, IPTV and other IP-based services.
Iskratel's CEO said, "This first investment highlights our ability to offer attractive financial terms and manage complex projects end-to-end, as well as our intention to bring gigabit connectivity to over 1.3 million people and 530,000 homes."
