The National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Postal Services (NCCS) has fined mobile operator Lifecell. The reason for this was accusations of failing to comply with the requirements for power supply to base stations in Rivne region. The fine amounted to almost UAH 10.5 million.
«To apply to Limited Liability Company «Lifecell» (22859846, Kyiv), for failure to comply with the order to eliminate violations of the legislation on electronic communications and radio frequency spectrum dated 15.11.2023 No. 4/p, issued by the decision of the NCCEC dated 15.11.2023 No. 434, as recorded in the inspection report dated 20.12.2023 No. 48/EK-1 and in the act on failure to comply with the requirements of the regulatory authority’s order dated 20.12.2023 No. 48/EK-2, administrative and economic sanctions in the form of a fine of 0.1 percent of the income received for the provision of the relevant electronic communication services for the last reporting year preceding the year in which the fine is imposed, which amounts to 10450511,70 (ten million four hundred fifty thousand five hundred and eleven) hryvnias 70 kopecks».
In fact, Lifecell suffered due to the failure to comply with the requirements of regulations that force operators to provide base stations with uninterruptible power supplies. These can be generators or other solutions that allow base stations to operate in the absence of a stable power supply.
In the winter of 2022-2023, Ukrainians faced problems with mobile communications when, during emergency or planned power outages, communication was unstable or even disappeared. To prevent a similar situation from happening again during the winter period of 2023-2024, operators had to take care of the backup power supply to base stations. However, Lifecel did not fulfill these responsibilities properly. In Rivne region alone, the operator failed to provide backup power for 239 addresses (points).