OREANDA-NEWS. February 22, 2012. Kyivstar has completed the first stage of the "Ukraine-transit" project, which consists in the construction of the "Southern" route for traffic exchange between Europe and the CIS. The Kyivstar optical fiber backbone line of a total length of over 20 thousand kilometers has a direct connection to terrestrial networks in Russia, Hungary, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Poland and Romania. The total network traffic handling capacity of external channels is more than 180 GBps.

In 2011 "Kyivstar" implemented a "Ukraine-transit" project, designed to create an optimal route for traffic transit between Europe and the CIS through the territory of Ukraine. To do this, the works on the expansion of the operator data transmission backbone network based on optical fiber technology were carried out; additional cable junctions with networks of foreign operators were built as well as new technical platforms (hubs) at international telecommunication centers implemented. Now, the total capacity of the Kyivstar external communication channels is more than 180 GBps.

The Kyivstar DWDM optical fiber backbone line of more than 20 thousand kilometers is connected through cable junctions with ground networks in Russia, Hungary, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Poland and Romania. Access to resources of the non-Ukrainian segment of the Internet is provided both through direct connections with service providers such as Level3, Telia Sonera, Beeline and the European traffic exchange hubs installed at international telecommunication centers of Ancotel GmbH (Frankfurt), DATAPLEX (Budapest) and LIM (Warsaw). To exchange traffic with Russia five direct channels with a capacity of 10 GBps each were built.

Due to the largenumber of direct interconnection lines (more than 40 switchings-in with foreign operators and more than 100 with the national ones) Kyivstar can independently manage the traffic transit without resorting to the services of intermediary companies. Thus, the Kyivstar optical fiber network is an optimal transit network of the international level.

Oleksandr Medianovskyi, Head of Inter-Operator Business, Kyivstar:

"The exchange oftraffic between Russia, the CIS countries and Europe is carried out mainly through the "Northern Route," which mostly goes over the sea bottom. Ukraine, due to its geopolitical location, can offer an alternative route for transmission of traffic, shorter in distance and secure due to the terrestrial route. Kyivstar can implement this through its optical fiber network that meets all quality requirements by foreign partners."

From 2008 to2011 the volumes of the Kyivstar inter-operator business (transit of voice traffic and data transmission services) grew 2.5 times. The transit of voice traffic going through the Kyivstar network is more than 30 million minutes per month. Operating revenue from this business in the 1st — 3rd Quarter 2011 increased by 21% against the corresponding period last year.

Kyivstar introduces modern solutions of the national level that contribute to the country and telecom industry development.