Lviv Business Intel

Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile operator by subscriber count, launched the country's first commercial 5G network in Lviv on 12 January 2026. The initial rollout covers 12 of the city's 12 administrative districts, providing service in central business areas, the Lviv IT Cluster campuses, and the residential areas with highest data consumption density. The network operates in the 3500 MHz band using equipment from Nokia and Ericsson. Kyivstar Chief Executive Officer Oleksiy Lutsenko confirmed at the launch event that the Lviv rollout cost approximately €45 million in capital expenditure, making it the company's largest single infrastructure investment since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. ## Lviv as test case Kyivstar selected Lviv as the 5G launch city for two reasons. First, Lviv's relative distance from active combat zones reduced the operational risk of deploying new infrastructure. Second, the Lviv IT Cluster's 25,000+ technology professionals represent the highest-density concentration of potential enterprise 5G users in the country outside Kyiv. SoftServe and Intellias, two of Lviv's largest IT employers, have already begun testing 5G-dependent applications on the network, according to the IT Cluster. Use cases include real-time video quality testing for remote development environments and low-latency communication protocols for defense-technology applications. ## Kyiv expansion timeline Kyivstar stated that 5G expansion to Kyiv requires approval from military authorities responsible for spectrum use in the Kyiv metropolitan area. The company has submitted a formal application but has not received a response. No timeline for Kyiv 5G has been publicly confirmed. Ukraine's national 5G spectrum auction, originally scheduled for 2022, has not been conducted. Kyivstar is operating the Lviv pilot under a temporary experimental license granted by NKRZI, Ukraine's communications regulator.