While still operational on a day-to-day basis, Ukrainian telecommunications networks have been heavily impacted by Russian bombardments. Since the start of the war in February 2022, approximately 3,200 mobile phone stations and over 60,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables have been damaged, totaling an estimated $2.3 billion (€2.1 billion) in costs, according to the Ukrainian government. Prioritizing their reconstruction, the government views telecommunications, alongside energy, as crucial for the country's resilience and equally vital for the anticipated economic recovery post-war.
Despite ongoing bombings, Kyiv aims to initiate a reconstruction and modernization project for its telecommunications networks, drawing on the expertise of the French sector. On Wednesday, April 10, Mykhaïlo Fedorov, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Educational Development, Science, Technology, and Digital Transformation, with InfraNum – a federation comprising over two hundred French digital infrastructure companies. The federation was represented at the signing by Pierre Heilbronn, Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic for aid and reconstruction in Ukraine.
"I could see a lot of countries getting closer to Ukraine in anticipation of rebuilding their digital infrastructures. It stung me a little when you consider France's expertise in this area," explained InfraNum president Philippe Le Grand to Le Monde. Launched in 2013, the France Ultra-fast Broadband plan has brought fiber to 84% of premises in France in 10 years, making the country one of the most fiber-connected in Europe, along with Spain. In Germany, barely a quarter of homes are connected to fiber, with cable, a less powerful technology, still in the majority.
Not wanting to be outflanked by American, Chinese, or European competitors, Le Grand therefore took the initiative of contacting Ukrainian Minister for Digital Transformation Valeriya Ionan in the spring of 2023 to see how the French telecoms sector could contribute to rebuilding networks. "We don't have a vulture or steamroller approach to imposing our companies and our set-up. Our approach is one of development and co-construction," said the federation's president.
Backed by French diplomacy, InfraNum secured a grant of 756,000 euros on February 29 from the Private Sector Study and Assistance Fund (FASEP), a support mechanism for the internationalization of French Treasury companies. These funds will finance the audit of the Ukrainian network, a pilot project in a relevant target locality, and the establishment of a local industry, including the creation of technician training centers or specialized services in fundraising. This scheme is similar to the one signed between EDF, Enedis, and the Ukrainian government in October 2023, for the reconstruction of electricity networks.
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