Summary

  • Kyivstar added central Odesa as its fifth 5G pilot location on 10 September, using 3500MHz non-standalone architecture alongside existing 4G infrastructure.
  • Access is charged under customers' current tariffs. Aggregate trial usage is not evidence of new paid upgrades or measured relief on the LTE network.

The customer without a 5G phone matters too

Kyivstar's new Odesa pilot has a business question beyond how fast a compatible handset can download. If some traffic moves to 5G, can the remaining LTE service become less congested? That potential benefit could reach customers who never switch networks. It is a reason to test additional capacity, not a result already established by the announcement.

The operator began the trial on 10 September in Odesa's historic centre and nearby areas, its fifth pilot location. It says 5G complements LTE where more capacity, speed and simultaneous device connections are needed. The test uses non-standalone 5G in the 3500MHz band with existing 4G infrastructure. This is neither citywide coverage nor a statement that a standalone network has replaced LTE. Kyivstar's Odesa announcement

The tariff arrangement helps explain the choice of commercial question. A compatible phone, current software, a USIM and presence inside the test area are required; usage follows the customer's existing tariff. The pilot can reveal behaviour under familiar billing conditions. It does not, by itself, test willingness to pay a separate 5G premium. Existing charges also mean the service should not be described as free.

Reach is not a congestion measurement

Kyivstar reports that more than 1.6 million subscribers have used 5G since the pilot programme began, with over 200,000 connecting daily, varying by weekday. Those are programme-wide figures, not an Odesa customer count. Neither total represents newly acquired subscribers or paid 5G upgrades. Dividing daily use by cumulative reach would not produce a meaningful retention rate.

The speed figures require similar care. The operator reports an open-test average of 600–800Mbps and a peak reaching 2Gbps. Its earlier April review explicitly placed the figure above 2.4Gbps in closed tests with minimal load. That review already reported a 600–800Mbps open-test average. These observations do not establish deterioration from 2.4Gbps, or a like-for-like efficiency trend as the trial footprint changes. They are operator-reported measurements, not independently verified Odesa service guarantees. April pilot review

Odesa's regional administration separately confirms the local pilot and describes LTE offloading as a benefit of 5G. That supports the intended operating purpose, not a quantified reduction in congestion. Regional administration's launch notice

The missing comparison is therefore on the network being relieved: similar locations and busy periods, with traffic conditions accounted for, before and after the change. The release provides no such LTE comparison or pilot profitability measure. More trial use is relevant evidence of uptake; the investment case still needs to show what that use improves.