As of December 31, 2023, the number of active mobile network identification cards amounted to 50.3 million units, which is 2% more than at the end of 2022, but 5.6 million units less than in 2021.
The National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) attributes these figures to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the unavailability of mobile networks in the temporarily occupied territories, a cyberattack on Kyivstar, and migration of people seeking refuge outside the country.
This is stated in the NCEC report for 2023 (PDF).
Leaders in connectivity
Thus, on average, there are 145 active mobile network identification cards per 100 inhabitants in Ukraine, meaning that the mobile penetration rate is 145%.
Kyiv has the highest rate at 204%. It is followed by Kyiv (181%), Odesa (170%), Lviv (154%), and Dnipro (153%) regions.
The data exclude the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the territories located in the area of hostilities or under temporary occupation, encirclement, in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Mobile Internet
At the same time, the total number of active identification cards used to access the Internet amounted to 36.9 million as of December 31, 2023. Their number increased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, the number of active ID cards used to access the 4G network reached 29.8 million units as of the end of December last year. The year-on-year growth was 11.2%.
