More fast and reliable Internet: Ukraine is actively implementing advanced technology
7 April 10:56
PON (Passive optical network) technology has become the main technology for connecting subscribers to the Internet in Ukraine. This was reported by the IT publication DEV.ua, according to
According to the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Postal Services, PON accounted for 48.5% of the market in 2024. This is 3.98 million lines. According to the regulator’s report, FTTx technology lost 4% of the market and now accounts for 42.7%.
What explains these changes?
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, PON technology, which provides data transmission via a passive optical line, demonstrates its effectiveness in difficult conditions of power outages. As a result, more and more Ukrainians have been applying to connect to providers that use this advanced technology.
Over the year, the number of users in Kyiv, for example, more than doubled from 72 thousand to 172 thousand. At the same time, as of the second half of last year, Kyiv still ranked last in the statistics, with only 17% of subscribers covered by this technology.
The main connection technology for Kyiv and many other cities, FTTx, cannot guarantee stable operation during blackouts. It implies that the Internet cable is first wired to a special network switch installed in the building and then distributed to the apartments. This switch needs constant power and is the Achilles’ heel of the network.
Most networks in Ukrainian cities were built on FTTx technology. And now this technology is rapidly losing popularity.
What is PON technology and what are its advantages?
PON (Passive Optical Network) is a modern technology for high-speed and energy-efficient data transmission using a passive optical line.
Passive optical networks (PONs) began to be developed in the 1990s as a solution to improve efficiency and reduce broadband costs. The idea was to use optical fibers to transmit data from the operator’s central office to the end user without active components in between. This would reduce maintenance costs and improve network reliability.
In 2000, the International Telecommunication Union standardized the first version of PON – BPON, which provided data transmission speeds of up to 622 Mbps. With the development of technology, new, more advanced versions have emerged.
XPON is an advanced version that provides speeds of up to 10 Gbps per user.
This technology guarantees stable Internet speeds even during peak periods. In addition, optical connectivity makes the network less vulnerable to weather conditions and more resilient to blackouts, as it requires fewer additional devices that require alternative power supply.
Vodafone is switching its base stations to optical connection
These days, Vodafone has announced a large-scale network modernization – the connection of base stations using XPON technology. As the company emphasized, this technology already provides superfast home Internet in apartment buildings, and now it will make mobile communications even more stable and faster.
The first stage will involve switching 140 base stations in Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv from radio relay to optical connection. The first 40 sites are already successfully operating on optics.
According to the company, Vodafone became the first operator in Ukraine to implement this advanced technology in mobile networks. The company called the transition to XPON a “strategic step into the future” because this technology not only immediately improves the quality of communication but also creates the foundation for the development of 5G and even 6G technologies.
What technologies do Ukrainian providers use?
XPON is a modern technology for high-speed and energy-efficient data transmission via a passive optical line, which requires ten times less costs to maintain Internet networks in the event of power outages (Internet for up to 72 hours);
FTTx – the most common technology for Internet access that requires power from batteries and generators (Internet for 4-8 hours, less often – up to 72 hours);
DOCSIS – a technology that transmits the Internet via a TV cable (Internet for 4-8 hours, less often – up to 72 hours);
xDSL is a technology that transmits the Internet through telephone cables (Internet for 4-8 hours, less often – up to 24 hours).
