SBB asks for license for fixed telephony

Yesterday (September 10, 2007), cable operator SBB (Serbia broadband) asked Republic Agency for Telecommunications for license for fixed telephony services.

Adviser for public relations in RATEL, Aleksandra Stefanović, said that that request had been forwarded to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Informatic Organization of Serbia, since the allotment of such license requires announcement of the tender.

- The Law on telecommunications allows competition in field of fixed telephony, but it is necessary that the Ministry determines minimal conditions that the operator must meet in order to start such business - she said.

Company SBB is, as Stefanović pointed out, the first company other than the only operator on the market, "Telekom Srbija", that officially asked for license for construction of fixed telephony network and provision of phoning services.

She added that RATEL expected new requests for fixed telephony operators in Serbia. Company SBB has more than half million users of cable TV and internet. Control package of stocks of that company was bought by company "Mid Europa Partners" (MEP) and European Bank for Rehabilitation and Development (EBRD) in June.

Fixed telephony services on Serbian market are currently provided only by state-owned company"Telekom Srbije", which has more than 2.8m users.