Vodafone checked for readiness for blackouts.

The NCEC imposed a directive on 'VF Ukraine' for violations of network energy independence

The national regulator in the field of electronic communications (NCEC) has imposed a directive on the company 'VF Ukraine' (brand Vodafone Ukraine) for violating the requirements for network energy independence.

NCEC Chairman Oleksandr Zhivotovskiy reported that during inspections in October, the commission noticed a low level of compliance with the stringent requirements of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NCEC).

'These are quite strict requirements. Based on the inspections we have already conducted - we do not see compliance, very low level. Based on the inspection results in October, we have already issued a directive to 'Vodafone-Ukraine', we are waiting for the operator's reaction,' Zhivotovskiy said.

Increase in the number of operator inspections by 25%

The regulator plans to increase the number of operator inspections by 25% compared to last year. In 2023, there were 18 inspections, and this year about 24 are planned. Each inspection covers a specific area of the operator's activity.

According to the NCEC chairman, these inspections should motivate operators to improve the energy independence of networks and their resilience to emergencies.

According to the requirements of the NCEC, operators must ensure the availability of mobile communication services for 10 hours in case of power outages. However, the largest operators - 'Kyivstar', 'Vodafone Ukraine' and lifecell - have reported difficulties in fully ensuring such autonomy.