An auction was held today to acquire 3G licenses in Ukraine. Astelit LLC, which services the mobile operator Life, won the first lot (1920-1935, 2110-2125 MHz) and will pay UAH 3,355 billion for it. MTS-Ukraine acquired the second lot (1950-1965, 2140-2165 MHz) for UAH 2,715 billion. Kyivstar purchased the third lot (1965-1980/2155-2170 MHz) at a starting price of UAH 2,70 billion. The license acquisition will be completed after the mobile operators transfer the funds to the treasury. The licenses will be issued for a period of 15 years.
Mobile operators Life, MTS Ukraine, and Kyivstar will be required to meet the mobile service quality standards established by the National Commission for State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NKRZI). To do so, they must use UMTS radio technology in all regional centers of Ukraine within 18 months of receiving their licenses. They must also do so within two to six years in all populated areas with a population of over 10,000. In European countries, 3G licenses began to be issued as early as 2000. In Ukraine, only one operator has this technology: Ukrtelecom subsidiary Trimob, which is owned by Rinat Akhmetov.
Let us recall that the radio frequency bands 1920-1935/2110-2125, 1950-1965/2140-2155, 1965-1980/2155-2170 MHz were put up for tender, the starting price for each was 2,7 billion hryvnia.
The mobile operator Life and Astelit LLC, which services it, are 100% owned by Euroasia. Turkish operator Turkcell owns 55% of Euroasia's shares, and System Capital Management, Ukraine's largest financial and industrial group owned by businessman Rinat Akhmetov, owns 45%. Astelit LLC has long been unprofitable.
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