From 1 January of the current year, the largest Ukrainian companies providing Internet access services are obliged to specify in their contracts with subscribers not only a maximum (usual “up to 100 Mbit/s”), but also a minimum Internet connectivity.
In its attempt to push illegal Internet operators out of the market, the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NCCIR) adopted a decision requiring all telecom providers from January 1 to specify in their subscriber contracts a minimum guaranteed Internet bandwidth.
The LІGA.net edition found out that starting this year, the leaders of the Ukrainian market of Internet services like VOLIA and Ukrtelecom wrote into their contracts the minimum rate at 64 Kbit/s.
“This speed (64 Kbit/s, – ed.), we believe, can be achieved on any client hardware under any terms and methods of measurement”, as explained by Mikhail Shuranov, Head of Public Relations and External Communications at Ukrtelecom.
The lower data transmission limit of 64 Kbit/s can be also excused by the fact that VOLIA and Ukrtelecom provide Internet services based on older technologies (DOCSIS, ADSL, respectively).
At the same time, the companies with Internet networks built by applying more advanced technologies set a minimum connectivity of much lower values. For example, service providers Lanet and Triolan provide their services via fiber-optic networks. At that, Lanet wrote into the contract a minimum rate of 1 Kbit/s.
“Zero is a lacking service. And 1 Kbit/s can be measured though”, as stated by Marian Ivasyuk, CEO at Lanet.
However, Vadim Sidorenko from the Triolan Group strongly disagrees with Mr. Ivasyuk, and the subscription contracts of this provider commit the lower bandwidth limit at zero.
“If the electricity is lost and the networking equipment is out of service, or someone cuts a cable, or subscriber’s Wi-Fi router hangs up, what can be the minimum speed? Only zero! All those who say that they have the minimum possible speed higher than zero, either lie, or do not understand what they are saying”, as Mr. Sidorenko argues.
It is noteworthy that only Kyivstar indicates the minimum data transfer and receive rates of 10 Mbit/s, except as otherwise provided in contract provisions.
