Turkcell said its subsidiary Astelit has launched its 3G service in Ukraine.
With this launch, announced at a ceremony held in Kiev on Thursday, June 4, life:) became the first GSM operator to offer 3G in Ukraine. The 3G network of Astelit is built on 3-Carrier technology, allowing for download speeds of up to 63.3Mbps.
Astelit paid 3.35 billion UAH as license fee to the Ukrainian Government after bagging 3G license at the 3G tender held in Ukraine on February 23. The company completed the 3G roll out in nearly 3.5 months after the tender.
Ahmet Akca, chairman of Turkcell, said: “With this investment, we are opening up new avenues for cooperation between Turkish and Ukrainian businesses. We are also contributing to the $10 billion trade volume target set forth by the Presidents of Turkey and Ukraine.”
life:), 55 percent-owned by Turkcell, currently serves approximately 14 million Ukrainians, and has smartphone penetration of 36 percent. The percentage of 3G-compatible devices on the life:) network is 40 percent. Turkcell’s population coverage is at 99.81 percent in 2G, 92 percent in 3G, while revenues were $1.2 billion as of March 31, 2015.
