Telekom Srbija’s arrangement with US EXIM Bank to be completed by November

Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lucic told TV Prva that the arrangement between Telekom Srbija and the US EXIM Bank would be completed by November, adding that US support was very important for the development of the 5G network in Serbia.

He pointed out that Telekom Srbija was also the only operator working with the European Investment Bank, adding that that was proof that both Europe and America saw Telekom Srbija as the main telecommunications player in the Western Balkans and a carrier of the development of optical infrastructure, as well as 5G in the future.

Lucic previously told the digital magazine rEUconnection (REUC) that Telekom Srbija was one of the first two operators in the world to which EXIM Bank, together with Bank of America, would provide financing for the development of the 5G network.

Telekom is the only operator in the Western Balkans that has established cooperation with the European Investment Bank, and it has also made excellent arrangements with the Swedish Bank and the Finnish Export Bank, Lucic stated, as reported by Vreme.

– All these loans are for 10 years with low interest and a long grace period. We have already had this type of lending before with the Bank of China, and Telekom is the first operator in Europe that will establish cooperation with the American EXIM Bank by the end of the year – Lucic recently said.

Lucic added that none of those loans had any conditions related to the ban on the use of anyone’s equipment, which was the result of the desire to help Telekom make the best commercial and business decision.

Doing business in Kosovo and Metohija

Lucic pointed out to TV Prva that during his visit to the USA he had spoken with representatives of the State Department about the problems that the company had in Kosovo, especially in connection with the announcement of a tender for the third license for telecommunications operators in that territory.

– I have to say I am optimistic. Our meeting at the State Department was better than ever. They really understand the need that we just want to bring competition to that territory (Kosovo) and that granting a third license will not only benefit Telekom Srbija but also all residents, and the market itself will determine who will be on which network – said Lucic.

He also assessed that Telekom Srbija showed “how much Kurti’s administration violates its own laws.”

– They are consciously discriminating against the Serbian company through their regulatory bodies, violating their own laws, and how can we trust such an administration when they sign an agreement. They are violating their own laws, in order to consciously expel the Serbian company from that territory. We all know that the goal of the Kurti’s administration is to have as few Serbs as possible down there – he said.

Lucic stated ahead of his trip to the USA that telecommunications were a part of everyday life and that 30,000 households in Kosovo used Telekom Srbija’s services.

He previously stated that, under the Brussels Agreement, Telekom Srbija had received a temporary license for mobile telephony in the area of Kosovo and Metohija where Serbs lived, but that the number of stations was limited, so the quality of the mobile telephony signal was poor.

Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd

Evropska investiciona banka EIB

Telekom Srbija

EXIM bank

European Investment Bank

Bank of America

Vladimir Lučić

5g network