In Ukraine War, Keeping Phones Online Becomes Key Defense

As Russian artillery fire rained on Mariupol, Ukraine, the largest mobile-network operator in the country said repair crews worked to keep its last working cellular tower in the city from going offline for a few extra days. “Our team was regularly repairing that base station to give people who were staying there some chance to call their families,” said Volodymyr Lutchenko, Kyivstar’s chief technology officer. The service kept operating on backup generators for days until a direct hit silenced the tower in early March 2022. Ukraine’s telecommunications services—especially its cellphone links—have shown resilience a month into the invasion, according to public data, executives from telecom companies and industry analysts. Broadband connections and wireless signals are being maintained despite attacks, failing mostly in places under heavy bombardment. Telecom experts cite a combination of daring repair work, private-sector cooperation and more reliable technology among the factors helping keep the connections alive. Years of war on Ukraine’s eastern flank prepared the telecommunications sector for handling a full-scale invasion, according to current and former employees of companies serving the country. All wireless operators started letting their customers roam on each other’s networks, making service more reliable. Companies have also expanded coverage to reach users pinned down in other cities. Kyivstar last week said it had brought Wi-Fi service to more than 200 bomb shelters. Rival operator Lifecell said its crews spent about two months before the invasion moving some equipment out of eastern areas to stiffen wireless coverage in the west, where millions have since relocated.