Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
Life Cell and Kyiv Star are both cheap and have good service. - May 2021
We used a local provider, it's also very cheap and easy to use, just buy a sim card at any store. - Jun 2018
Embassy staff get Blackberries, but most people wind up getting local SIM cards so they can have data, Uber and access to Telegram and WhatsApp, which Ukrainians like to use. We have KyivStar and also us it to call the States for about 1 cent a minute (crazy!). - May 2017
We kept our home-country plan for our personal phones, but had local mobile phones from work. It is cheap and easy to get a local sim card, though sadly data is pretty slow (it was a huge deal when we got 3G!). - Nov 2016
We had local mobile service on our work phones so we chose to keep U.S. T Mobile service. They had free international data so we could text and use internet on that without paying extra (and it already worked upon landing in other countries we visited while on vacation). Whether you use a local or U.S. provider, the fastest data you can get in Ukraine in 3G - and it's really slow 3G at that. - Jul 2016
We brought an unlocked phone and got a pay-as-you-go plan. Works great. - Nov 2015
Sim card for my iPhone with unlimited texts, as many phone calls as I've ever wanted to make and all the data I can use cost US$4 a month. Of course, every few months it won't work at all and I have to take it the phone place and have them change the settings, but normally, it's fine and very cheap. - Jun 2015
Local service is cheap. Ideally, bring your own phone. - Apr 2014
Buy one in the States, get it unlocked, and then come here and get a SIM chip to stick in it. Services are very cheap. I can run my phone on $10 / month. - Apr 2013
Buy an unlocked cell phone in the US or buy one here. Use a pre-paid sim chip. - Apr 2013
Pay-as-you-go is cheap. Any unlocked GSM phone will work (including iPhone). - Feb 2013
Embassy/AID employees will get Blackberries, but for family members it's very easy to buy a phone and SIM card on the local market. Pay as you go. - Jul 2012
Everybody has one. You can buy more minutes at almost every street corner. - Aug 2009
Cheap service is available. - Apr 2008
No, cheap and plentiful. Embassy provides employees with one. - Apr 2008
Embassy employees are issued one. Any other family members will want to get one. You can pay as you go and just by recharge cards on the street. - Feb 2008
