Memorandum signed to support broadband development in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) has signed a memorandum on cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada, the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NCCIR), telecom associations and the Huawei Ukraine Company.

The memorandum of cooperation will consolidate efforts to develop broadband electronic communications networks, address the digital divide and provide high-quality Internet throughout Ukraine, the BRDO said in a press release.

The BRDO is funded by the European Union within the framework of the FORBIZ project and the EU4Business Initiative, with the aim of simplifying the process of doing business and providing effective state regulation in key sectors of the economy.

One of the next steps provided for by the document is to review the physical availability of connection to broadband networks for consumers across the country – starting with educational institutions, health care facilities, local authorities and local self-government agencies.

Based on such a comprehensive study, the BRDO said it would determine the principles for providing the entire country with quality Internet. In addition, a working group that will coordinate the development and adoption of the necessary regulatory framework will be set up under the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

The BRDO said it expected to be able to show the first tangible progress made within a year. Reducing the digital divide means ensuring that citizens have equal access to capabilities of modern technology regardless of their place of residence.

Broadband development is one of the key priorities of the European Union’s EU4Digital Initiative, and is one of the five pillars of the EU4Digital Telecom network (EaPeReg). In addition, the EU4Digital broadband project implemented by the World Bank, the EU supports the roll-out of broadband strategies in all 6 EaP countries.

Accelerating broadband deployment in the EaP region is of vital importance, not just in terms of its potential to boost GDP growth (estimated at between €2.9 billion and €4.3 billion for the EaP region, for fixed broadband alone), but also for providing the essential connectivity for the deployment of eServices for businesses and citizens. 

Press release