Veon expects 12 million Ukrainians to use SpaceX's Starlink for internet connectivity by the end of 2025, up from the current 5 million users. The Dubai-based telecoms group partnered with Elon Musk's satellite company last year to provide connectivity in remote areas and during power outages caused by the ongoing war.

CEO Kaan Terzioglu told Reuters at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the service addresses critical infrastructure gaps. Twelve million users would represent about half of Kyivstar's total customer base. The company is also expanding Starlink integration to its Kazakhstan operator Beeline, with plans to launch in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan by year-end.

Veon is exploring expansion into underserved markets in South Asia, Latin America, and Africa over the next three to five years. While the Starlink partnership is non-exclusive, Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov said the company won't use other satellite providers until at least 2026 due to operational timelines. The company is also developing AI capabilities, planning to deploy a large language model using Google's Gemma framework for Ukrainian state purposes, including war-related applications.