Ukrainian carrier Kyivstar has said it plans to deploy an additional 848 industrial generators, plus more than 61,000 batteries, to bolster its service continuity amid ongoing attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
Veon, the parent company of Kyivstar, outlined the plans this week, noting that in the past two years it has invested more than $24 million in its energy resilience.
It follows on from Veon's announcement last month that it will increase its investment in its Ukrainian subsidiary Kyivstar to $1 billion.
It said it will invest the figure into the telco over the five-year period from 2023 through 2027.
"Energy resilience and preparedness against blackouts have been at the center of our investment priorities since the end of 2022," said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar.
"Consistent and significant investment of over $24 million over the last two years has helped us improve energy resilience. However, the changing nature of threats to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and extended blackouts now necessitate a reinforcement in our strategy. This second wave of focus on energy resilience will enable Kyivstar to support critical connectivity with even further resources dedicated to energy resilience."
Kyivstar said the power backup systems will be deployed across the country, including at critical facilities that require at least three days of generating capacity in the event of a comprehensive power outage.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyivstar said it has deployed 2,322 generators and 115,000 four-hour duration batteries at base stations to provide backup power during blackouts.
The war has led to the destruction of more than 4,000 base stations across all operators, plus 60,000 kilometers of fiber optic lines, while 12.2 percent of households have lost access to mobile services.
Rival telcos Vodafone and Lifecell have told DCD previously that it's not uncommon to repair or replace base stations at the same site multiple times.