OREANDA-NEWS. Ukrtelecom expanded broadband Internet access coverage for more than 50% in rural areas and small towns in Ukraine during the last year. The Operator introduced the Internet to more than five hundred new villages.

Now, Ukrtelecom is one of the few telecom operators in Ukraine relying on the countryside when developing its network. Following the results of 2014, the number of villages and urban-type settlements that had got access to broadband unlimited Internet from Ukrtelecom increased by 510 and reached the number of 1425 settlements. Along with this, we develop and upgrade existing Internet areas in major cities and regional centers.

Major expansion of fixed broadband Internet coverage in the regions was the result of the consistent implementation of the strategic direction of the Operator's development. Ukrtelecom is committed to providing the same quality and availability of the Internet for all customers regardless of their place of residence. As part of the network capacity expansion project in 2014, Ukrtelecom activated more than 146 thousand ports and installed more than 2 700 km of fiber optic cables.

During the last two years, Ukrtelecom has been actively investing in geographic expansion of the Internet coverage, which reduces the digital divide between different regions of Ukraine. Last year alone, almost a hundred thousand new subscribers got access to broadband Internet.

"Ukrtelecom will continue implementing the strategy of geographical expansion of its services in order for nationwide subscribers to have access to modern forms of communication. Our company will continue to come to small towns throughout Ukraine because we recognize the importance of access to telecommunications services in the modern world', - states Yuriy Kurmaz, CEO of Ukrtelecom JSC. "In 2015, our network modernization and construction project, as well as improvement of services and customer care, will help us meet the needs of millions of our customers."

Lack of access to the Internet creates the digital divide between the regions of our country. This greatly hinders the development of social sphere and business, limits options for the search for work, education and means of communication for the public.

We remind you that, according to the Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 by the International Telecommunication Union, Ukraine was ranked 73 of 166 countries in terms of development and access to information and communication technologies (ICT Development Index). The low rates are due to low penetration of the Internet services in rural areas of Ukraine.