“Kyivstar”, which is still threatened with nationalization or partial confiscation, began implementing the high-profile GPON, announcing this event with a small press release that we almost missed: on December 6, the largest operator connected the first subscribers to the optical Internet in the city of Novy Rozil, Lviv region.

If you suddenly missed the previous news about GPON and the recent dispute between the Ministry of Digital and INSAU for the best home Internet in blackout conditions (1 and 2), the technology of passive optical networks is by no means new, but the massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russian drones and missiles have shaken things up. significantly accelerated the deployment of these networks by Ukrainian Internet providers. Among the leaders in terms of the pace of transition and implementation of xPON, if we talk about the largest Internet providers, there are Ukrtelecom, Vodafone Ukraine, which previously absorbed Freenet (O3) and Vega, as well as Lanet. But “Kyivstar” is among the outsiders, as it pushed for the transition to GPON to the last, preferring to modernize the existing networks with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), which provide a few more hours of Internet when the electricity is turned off, provided that the accompanying equipment is supplied with autonomous power.

In the summer, the company announced the start of construction of its “Home Internet” network using GPON in the fourth quarter of 2023. And now this day has come.

Home Internet Kyivstar using GPON technology — what are the conditions and how to connect

To connect to the optical home Internet, you will need a special ONU terminal that converts the optical fiber signal into an electrical signal, and vice versa. So far, there is a 2-in-1 solution (Wi-Fi router + ONU) on the market. If desired, the subscriber can buy the terminal himself, and upon connection, Kyivstar specialists will set everything up. When connecting optical Internet until March 31, 2024, “Kyivstar” will provide ONU subscribers with terminals free of charge. This is a temporary promotion.

Like optical Internet from any other provider, Home Internet from “Kyivstar” will continue to work in the event of a power outage in the house, you just need to heal the ONU-terminal and the router using a power bank, charging station, uninterruptible power supply or other available power sources.

Internet during blackouts – a map of providers that work during blackouts has been created

The main and only condition for connecting Home Internet from Kyivstar using GPON technology is the presence of coverage and equipment in the house. And so far, the company is not so good with this: from December 6, “Kyivstar” connects subscribers to “optics” only in the single city of Novy Rozdil. The plan is to expand high-speed home Internet based on GPON technology to 7 more cities (which are not specified) by the end of March 2024.

Those who wish can leave an application for connection on the official website – recently the company updated its tariffs once again, and now the cost of Home Internet starts at UAH 150/month, and the cost of line tariffs. miss. We told more about the new tariffs in a separate news a month ago.