Cell service in Ukraine key to resisting Russian invasion

Ukrainian telecommunication providers have shown remarkable resilience one month into Russia’s invasion of the country, reports The Wall Street Journal.

In turn, the consistent internet access has helped Ukraine’s defense, allowing locals to feed the military with intelligence and helping spread images of Russian attacks on apartments, hospitals and other civilian targets.

“This is one of the factors that probably can explain the success of the Ukrainian resistance,” said Victor Zhora, deputy chairman of the country’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, on Wednesday.

Broadband land lines and cellular signals have been maintained in the face of heavy bombardment against cities and infrastructure thanks to daring repair work and cooperation among private sector providers, say experts.

The volume of visible internet data flowing out of Ukraine has only dropped 20% - relatively high considering front-line cities are being shelled and refugees are on the move.

Russian military action in eastern Ukraine, like the 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula, meant the telecom sectors had planned for the possibility of a full-scale invasion. All wireless operators in the country began letting customers roam on each other’s network to increase signal reliability, and backup fiber-optic lines and generators for cell towers were installed.

Close cooperation with the government allowed Ukrainian carriers to end service to all phone numbers registered in Belarus and Russia within a day of the invasion’s start.

Brave telecom workers continue to man key infrastructure and move equipment to in-demand areas. WSJ reports that repair crews kept the last working cell tower in Mariupol through heavy bombardment until it was hit directly in early March.

Internet access has also been assisted by outside benefactors. Elon Musk made Starlink satellite internet available over the country in February and shipped the government receivers that officials say are now in use.