SBB: Lagging behind with the 5G network harmful to Serbia

The SBB executive director Milija Zekovic, said he would have understood why Serbia's Government had stopped the process of introducing the 5G network "if an auction had been held and no operator had responded".

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"If there are interested operators next to us, we do not see any real reason for the delay," Zekovic told the Belgrade Vreme weekly.

Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic had said that citizens did not need this technology. In contrast, the Minister in charge of telecommunications, Tatjana Matic, said that there was no money due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.

"Let the Government announces which operators do not want to invest money in 5G infrastructure so that it is clear why everything has stopped," Zekovic said, adding the 5network's commercial services had been enabled in 17 European Union countries until September this year.

"It is essential for every country's development to have 5G," he said, adding it was "a harmful decision if Serbia lags behind."
"The 5G network is the inevitable future that we need to provide to our citizens," Zekovic said.

The SBB company was interested in building the 5G network. In a recent press release, the company said that "it is in the interest of citizens and economy, and it would also mean expanding our portfolio in the direction we want, "Zekovic recalled.

"The auction was announced by Serbia's Government and I do not want to believe that the state will decide to stop this process just because some operator does not have the money or does not want to invest in this technology," he said.

Zekovic also recalled that SBB was often targeted by the tabloids and the highest Government's representatives.

"SBB provides services to three million users and has a 46 percent share of the television market," Zekovic said, adding: "The fact is that SBB suffers great competition pressures, that we are witnessing obstruction at various levels and that data is being misused. "

He added that "besides the price blow, we withstand the pressures of the competition and the attacks," adding the attacks by the competition could not be classified as fair market competition.

Despite that, the SBB planned growth was achieved.

"We have shown that SBB is a strong company, whose team consists of professionals, hard-working employees who are responsible for the fact that we managed to continue to grow," Zekovic said, adding the number of users and revenues showed that.

According to research conducted by SBB, 96 percent of SBB users think they have made a good choice by choosing an operator.

"The main associations with SBB are the quality and exclusive offers of the channels - N1, Nova S, Sport Klub and other SBB offers. Our Users especially emphasise the speed of the Internet, channels' choice, and the possibility of reversing the programme."

Zekovic said the technological innovations were "the only way we can go forward and achieve more. I believe that in the coming years, we will further strengthen the position we have today."

"The new generation of mobile internet influences the creation of better working conditions", but also the development of industry, the formation of safe and smart cities. That is why SBB "believes that Serbia's citizens deserve that technological standard and has said it wants to invest in the construction of a 5G network in Serbia," Zekovic told the weekly.