WikiMini

Kyivstar

Kyivstar JSC
Company typeJoint-stock company
KYIV on NASDAQ
IndustryMobile Telecommunications
Founded1994
HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
Key people
Oleksandr Komarov — President
Andrew Simmons — CFO [1]
ProductsCellular (2G:GSM, 3G:UMTS, 4G:LTE), Internet access (FTTB)
Revenue₴15.753 billion (2016)[2]
₴4.229 billion (2016)[2]
₴3.410 billion(2016)[2]
Total assets24,463,716,000 hryvnia (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
~4 000 (2017)
ParentVEON
SubsidiariesHelsi, Uklon
Websitekyivstar.ua

Kyivstar (Ukrainian: Київстар) is a Ukrainian telecommunications operator offering fixed and mobile voice and data services, including 4G LTE, throughout Ukraine. The Kyivstar mobile network covers all cities of Ukraine, as well as more than 28,000 rural settlements, all major national and regional routes, most sea, and river coasts. As of 2024, Kyivstar served approximately 24 million mobile subscribers and over 1 million fixed-broadband (‘Home Internet’) customers.[3][4][5] In 2024, Kyivstar partnered with Starlink to offer satellite-based messaging and broadband in Ukraine.[6][7] In August 2025, Kyivstar became the first U.S.-listed Ukrainian company.[8]

History

[edit]

PJSC Kyivstar was registered in Ukraine in 1994 and commenced mobile‐telephony operations in 1997. The company's head office is located in Kyiv. Kyivstar is a part of the international telecom group VEON. Oleksandr Komarov has been the President of the company since December 2018.

In 2022, Kyivstar, together with other mobile operators, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the National Commission for State Regulation in the Fields of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Postal Services, together with the Ukrainian Association of Telecom Operators "Telas", launched national roaming.[9]

In December 2024, Kyivstar announced that it had signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s Starlink to introduce direct-to-cell satellite connectivity for its subscribers in Ukraine.[6] Subsequently, in July 2025 Kyivstar confirmed that the partnership with Starlink’s LEO satellite constellation would enable over-the-top messaging by the end of 2025, with mobile satellite broadband and voice services to follow in mid-2026.[7] The service makes Ukraine one of the first countries to have the Starlink direct-to-cell service.[10]

Since 2025, the company has expanded into digital health, ride-hailing, delivery, and cloud-computing services. Its subsidiaries include Helsi, Ukraine’s digital health platform,[11] Uklon, Ukraine’s ride-hailing and delivery platform,[12] and its big data and cloud services, supporting 500 business clients.[13][14]

On March 18, 2025, Kyivstar signed a business combination agreement with Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp (CCIR).[15] On August 15, 2025, Kyivstar started trading on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in the United States as the first U.S.-listed Ukrainian company. It is trading under the ticker symbol KYIV, replacing CCIR. Its parent company, VEON, retained and locked up nearly 87% of its shares, leaving less than 11% available for public shareholders.[8][14][16][17]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine

[edit]

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Kyivstar implemented a series of measures to support its customers and the Ukrainian public.[5]

During February and March 2022, in cooperation with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Kyivstar sent over 150 million SMS alerts detailing air-raid procedures and basic first-aid instructions.[18] In the first quarter of 2022, Kyivstar invested UAH 659 million in communication development. The company built hundreds of new mobile communication facilities and connected 1,150 bomb shelters in various cities of Ukraine to free Internet.[19] Thanks to the round-the-clock work of the company's specialists, 95% of the base stations of the telecom network operated normally.[20][21] Kyivstar provided emergency credit and free communication services to customers, including refugees in neighboring countries.[22][23][24] It extended business-client payment deadlines and offered some services for free.[25]

Charity and fundraising

[edit]

Kyivstar allocated at least UAH 15 million for charity and paid more than UAH 1 billion in taxes ahead of schedule.[26][4] It donated ₴10 million to the Come Back Alive charity fund and 5 million for the NGO “Your Support” (Твоя опора, Tvoya opora).[27] It also built a platform to raise funds for Armed Forces of Ukraine. With the short number 88009, Kyivstar subscribers collected more than UAH 1.2 million in the first two weeks of the platform's existence.[28]

Use of artificial intelligence

[edit]

On 17 June 2025, Kyivstar and Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine signed a memorandum to develop the country’s first Ukrainian-language large language model (LLM), due for release in December 2025. The parties plan to develop Ukrainian LLM using open-source architectures and trained exclusively on Ukrainian data sources. In addition to capturing the full range of Ukrainian dialects, terminology, history, and cultural context, the project is designed to ensure that sensitive national data is securely stored and processed within Ukraine, for sectors such as government, defense, healthcare, and financial services.[29]

Network

[edit]

The company uses six network codes: 67, 68, 77, 96, 97 and 98.[30]

On December 12, 2023, Kyivstar experienced a significant service outage, which its CEO, Oleksandr Komarov, attributed to a powerful Russian cyber attack. This attack, described as one of the largest against a civilian communications system, disrupted both phone and internet access for millions in Ukraine and involved efforts to destroy the company's virtual infrastructure. The company restored services and continued operation.[3]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

In 2016, Deloitte named Kyivstar among the 500 largest companies in Central and Eastern Europe, one of 29 Ukrainian firms on the list.[31]

In 2020, Korrespondent magazine ranked Kyivstar as the most expensive brand in Ukraine, estimating its value at US $225.48 million[32]. In the same year, the annual TOP-100 ratings published by Delo.ua and TOP-100 recognized Kyivstar as the Best Employer in Ukraine[33], and the company was also named Company of the Year in the mobile communications sector[34].

According to independent reports, Kyivstar was the largest taxpayer in Ukraine among communications and information companies for both 2020 and 2021, contributing over UAH 90 billion in taxes and mandatory payments[35].

In 2024, Kyivstar won the [[Global Mobile Award (GLOMO) for "Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations" for its Network Resilience Project at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.[36][37]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Власники та бенеціфіціари компанії ПРАТ "КИЇВСТАР"". opendatabot.ua (in Ukrainian). 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  2. ^ a b c "Private Joint Stock Company Kyivstar. Consolidated Financial Statements" (PDF). Kyivstar. 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  3. ^ a b "Ukraine's top mobile internet company says it has been hit by Russian cyberattack". NBC News. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  4. ^ a b Marochko, Daniil (July 4, 2022). "Kyivstar will provide Ukraine with UAH 300 mil for the restoration of digital infrastructure". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Київстар допомагає абонентам спілкуватися навіть без поповнення рахунку". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  6. ^ a b "Starlink to roll out direct-to-cell services in Ukraine". Reuters. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Ukraine to launch Starlink mobile internet in 2026, becoming Europe's first". Reuters. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  8. ^ a b Lo Nostro, Gianluca; Marchandon, Leo (2025-01-13). "VEON moves ahead with planned US listing for Ukraine's top telco Kyivstar". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  9. ^ "Тепер зв'язок буде більш надійним: в Україні запустили внутрішній роумінг, як працює". Економічна правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  10. ^ "In a Groundbreaking Agreement, VEON and Starlink to Bring Starlink Direct-to-Cell Satellite Connectivity to Kyivstar Customers". Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  11. ^ "Kyivstar's buyout price for 28% of Helsi is $11 mln – report". Interfax-Ukraine. 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  12. ^ "Kyivstar and Uklon officially closed a deal to buy the online car ordering business". Uklon. 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  13. ^ "Kyivstar Group Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results in Conjunction with its Nasdaq Listing Process". Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  14. ^ a b "Investor Presentation of Kyivstar" (PDF). Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  15. ^ "VEON Moves Forward with Kyivstar's Landmark Nasdaq Listing; Signs Definitive Business Combination Agreement with Cohen Circle". Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  16. ^ "VEON Moves Forward with Kyivstar's Landmark Nasdaq Listing; Signs Definitive Business Combination Agreement with Cohen Circle". Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  17. ^ Yana Prots (2025-08-15). "Kyivstar makes historic Nasdaq debut as first Ukrainian listing". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  18. ^ Yevgeniy Kasyan (2022-02-27). "Київстар допомагатиме ДСНС інформувати громадян про актуальну ситуацію в їх регіонах". kyivstar.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  19. ^ ""Київстар" забезпечує бомбосховища "Домашнім Інтернетом"". www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  20. ^ "Партнерський проєкт: Творять історію. Як працює та допомагає ЗСУ бізнес в Україні під час війни". biz.nv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  21. ^ "Київстар сплатив 3 мільярди гривень податків і спрямував 33 мільйони на благодійництво". www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  22. ^ "Київстар збільшує допомогу абонентам у роумінгу". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 11 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  23. ^ Ani Safaryan (2022-02-28). "Домашній Інтернет працюватиме без поповнення рахунку". Kyivstar (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  24. ^ Yevgeniy Kasyan (2022-03-14). "На Київстар ТБ доступні уроки з Всеукраїнської школи онлайн та інший контент для дистанційного навчання". kyivstar.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  25. ^ ""Київстар" безкоштовно надає бізнесу та держорганізаціям сервіс електронного документообігу Star.Docs". Інтерфакс-Україна (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  26. ^ "Kyivstar paid more than UAH 15 billion in taxes and fees to the state budget during the war". The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  27. ^ Yevgeniy Kasyan (2022-03-01). "Київстар виділив 10 мільйонів гривень благодійної допомоги для гуманітарних потреб". kyivstar.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  28. ^ Yevgeniy Kasyan (2022-03-15). "Абоненти Київстар зібрали понад 1,2 мільйони гривень для допомоги українській армії". kyivstar.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  29. ^ "Kyivstar and Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine sign Cooperation Memorandum to Launch National Large Language Model for Ukraine". Veon.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  30. ^ ""Kyivstar" purchased a new mobile network code 077: what does this mean for subscribers?". elbuz.com. 2024-02-28.
  31. ^ "2016 CE Top 500 Report" (PDF). Deloitte Central Europe. September 2016. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  32. ^ Staff (2021-04-27). "The most expensive brands of Ukraine named". Gordon.ua. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  33. ^ Voloshina, Tetyana (2024-05-02). "TECHIIA holding is one of the best employers in Ukraine". TECHIIA. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  34. ^ "TOP-100: Ratings of the largest companies in Ukraine 2020". Korrespondent. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  35. ^ "Rakuten Symphony and Kyivstar Sign Letter of Intent to Deploy Integrated 5G Network Solutions". Rakuten Symphony. 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  36. ^ "2024 Glomo Award Winners Unveiled at MWC Barcelona". MWC Barcelona. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  37. ^ "VEON's Kyivstar Awarded "Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations" at GLOMOs". veon.com. 2024-02-29.
[edit]