MOBILE NETWORKS IN SERBIA

Mobile telephony services in the Republic of Serbia are provided by three mobile network operators (MNOs):

  • Telecommunications Company Telekom Srbija Joint Stock Co., Belgrade; 58.11% owned by the Republic of Serbia – the Government of the Republic of Serbia, 20% owned by Telekom Srbija, 14.95% owned by the citizens of the Republic of Serbia and 6.94% owned by the current and former employees of Telekom Srbija and its predecessor
  • Yettel Ltd. Belgrade; 100% owned by PPF TMT Bidco 1 B.V., the Netherlands
  • A1 Srbija ltd. Belgrade; 100% in the ownership of Mobilkom CEE Beteiligungsverwaltung GmbH, Austria

All three MNOs have individual licenses for the use of radio frequencies on the basis of a public tender (license) for the public mobile telecommunications network and services of the public mobile telecommunications network on a technologically neutral basis in the following radio frequency bands:

  • 791-821 / 832-862 MHz;
  • 890-915 / 935-960 MHz;
  • 1710-1780 / 1805-1875 MHz;
  • 1900-1915 MHz (this band is not yet used by operators);

  • 1920-1965 / 2110-2165 MHz.

    MNOs use GSM (2G), UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G) technology.

*YETTEL temporarily uses 1965-1980/2155-2170 MHz.

All three operators were granted licences for public mobile telecommunications networks and public mobile telecommunications network services in accordance with GSM/GSM1800 and UMTS/IMT-2000 standards, issued by RATEL. The licences were issued for the territory of the Republic of Serbia, for a period of 10 years, and in 2016 they were duly amended and extended for another 10 years.

In addition to network operators, in 2016 two virtual mobile operators were also registered, Mundio Mobile d.o.o. and Globaltel d.o.o.

4G network was launched in 2015 in the Republic of Serbia. In the beginning of 2015, the public bidding procedure for the issuance of individual licences for the usage of radio frequencies in the 1710-1785/1805-1880 MHz frequency bands, in which all three mobile operators had participated, was completed. In March 2015, individual decisions were awarded to all three operators, granting the usage of two 5 MHz-radio frequency blocks, each. The requirements were thus met for the 4G mobile technology to be launched, enabling better coverage and faster Internet on the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

In the second half of 2015, public bidding procedure for the issuance of individual licences for the usage of radio frequencies in the 791-821/832-862 MHz frequency bands in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, in which all three mobile operators had participated, was successfully carried out. Upon the completed procedure, in January 2016 individual decisions were awarded to all three operators, granting the usage of two 10 MHz-radio frequency blocks, each, in the 791-821/832-862 MHz frequency bands.