Telenor" bids for new fixed landline telephone license

Belgrade, Jan. 16, 2010, (Serbia Today) - "Telenor Srbija" was the only company to submit a bid for a license to become the second landline telephone operator in Serbia, the Republic Telecommunications Agency (Ratel) announced on January 12, 2010
The Minister of Telecommunications of Serbia, Jasna Matić, expects the tender will be successful and that the offer of "Telenor" will be suitable. All the necessary documentation was submitted and the financial bid will be opened prior to January 18th. The Minister said that if the bid of "Telenor" is inappropriate, the tender's weakness would be analyzed and the selection procedure would be repeated. “The aim of the tender is to enable citizens to select the least expensive package of combined mobile and fixed telephone and internet services,“ said Matić. He noted that the new draft law anticipated the complete liberalization of the telecommunications services market in Serbia by the end of 2011.
The representative of "Telenor", Goran Vasić, said that if "Telenor" got the license for landline telephone services, it would start providing services within one year. The goal was to offer subscribers a single internet, mobile and fixed landline service. “’Telenor’ is willing to resume investments in development of telecommunications in Serbia and offer new, better and more modern services,” he told the press. Vasić did not want to speak at this point in the tender process about the prices that "Telenor" would offer, but he point out that the fixed telephony market in Serbia was the cheapest in the region and in Europe. He also said that Telenor" would invest in development of its own telecommunication infrastructure, although part of it would have to be rented.

Documentation for participation in the tender was also purchased by "Vip Mobile", by the Serbian-American group "Konsing" and by Cypriot "Kerseyco Trading Limited", but they declined to submit bids. The new license is intended to end the monopoly on fixed landline telephone services now enjoyed by the state-owned company "Telekom Srbije."