Yettel Serbia (known as Telenor Serbia until 2022)
is a Serbian
mobile
Mobile may refer to:
Places
* Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city
* Mobile County, Alabama
* Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S.
* Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Mobile ( ...
,
fixed
Fixed may refer to:
* ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails
* ''Fixed'', an upcoming 2D adult animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
* Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System
* ...
,
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
and
IPTV
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, ...
provider, owned by the Czech investment group
PPF. It is headquartered in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. As of 2020, it is the second largest mobile telephony operator with market share of 36.98%.
History
1994–2006: 063 Mobtel Srbija
Originally launched in 1994 as Mobtel Srbija ("Mobtel Serbia"; full name: ''Mobilne telekomunikacije Srbija'', "''Mobile telecommunications Serbia''"), the company's operation was a joint venture founded in 1994 between
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
-based
BK Trade (owned by
Bogoljub Karić
Bogoljub Karić ( sr-Cyrl, Богољуб Карић, ; born 17 January 1954) is a Serbian businessman and politician.
Early life and education
Bogoljub was born to Janićije Karić and Danica Kuzmanović. He earned a degree in Geography at the ...
) and government-owned
PTT.
The first
NMT
NMT may refer to:
Science and technology
* Nordic Mobile Telephone, an analogue mobile phone system
* Neurologic Music Therapy
* Neural machine translation
* Network management protocols, in the CANopen#Network management (NMT) protocols, CANopen ...
network was announced on 31 December 1994. The signal covered major urban areas and highway routes – 60% of Serbia's inhabited territory and 12% of Serbia's land area (Serbia was then a
constituent republic
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
within the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
). This service is not commercial anymore. The MSISDN Network Code was 061 (international: +381 61); this code is now appointed to
A1 Srbija
A1 Srbija d.o.o. (formerly ''Vip mobile'') is a Serbian mobile network operator owned by A1 Telekom Austria Group. As of 2020, it is the third largest mobile telephony operator with market share of 25.67%.
History
On 1 December 2006, the mobil ...
. The
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
network has been in use since 1996.
In 2005, BK Trade sold its shares to a consortium of Austrian investors (through Holdenhurst Holding headed by
Martin Schlaff
Martin Schlaff (born 6 August 1953) is an Austrian businessman. He was occupied in trade with East Germany before the German reunification. According to investigations by the German parliament, Schlaff was an unofficial employee of the Stasi. His ...
) and the company was renamed Mobi 63.
2006–2018: Telenor Serbia
![Telenor Serbia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Telenor_Serbia.jpg)
In 2006, a majority stake in Mobi 63 was sold (70% owned by the
Government of Serbia
The Government of Serbia ( sr, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Government ( sr, ...
) to the Norwegian
Telenor
Telenor ASA ( or ) is a Norwegian majority state-owned multinational telecommunications company headquartered at Fornebu in Bærum, close to Oslo. It is one of the world's largest mobile telecommunications companies with operations worldwide, ...
for a sum of 1.513 billion
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s.
The condition for the acquisition of the remaining 30% of shares, was a bid higher than 1.1 billion euros. The Norwegian company outbid such industry heavyweights as
TeliaSonera
Telia Company AB is a Swedish multinational telecommunications company and mobile network operator present in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Telia also owns TV4 Media which includes TV4 in Sweden, MTV Oy in Fi ...
,
France Télécom
Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 5 ...
,
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG (; short form often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a German telecommunications company that is headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. Deutsche Telekom was ...
,
Mobilkom Austria
A1 Telekom Austria (A1, ''A eins'') is the leading fixed and mobile network operator in Austria, with 5.4 million mobile and 2.3 million fixed-line customers. A1 Telekom Austria traces its origins to Austria's first GSM mobile phone network whi ...
,
Orascom Telecom
Global Telecom Holding S.A.E. (GTH; formerly Orascom Telecom Holding) is a holding company based in Amsterdam, and a subsidiary of the multinational telecommunications services company VEON. GTH previously owned mobile network operators in multipl ...
and
Tele2
Tele2 AB is a Swedish telecommunications operator headquartered in the Kista Science City, Stockholm, Sweden. It is a major telephone operator in Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Tele2 also has a 25% share in T-Mobile Netherland ...
. On 31 August 2006, Mobi 63 officially became the property of Telenor and changed its name to Telenor d.o.o.
In January 2010, Telenor Serbia acquired a
landline
A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...
operating licence ending the monopoly held by
Telekom Srbija
Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd is a Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator. It was founded in May 1997 as a joint-stock company, by spinning off the telecommunications business from PTT Srbija (present-day „Pošta Srbije"). In April 2015 ...
.
On 26 April 2013, Telenor Serbia bought 100% of shares of the Serbian "KBC bank", establishing
Telenor banka. With that transaction, 81,000 clients of the former bank were taken by
Société Générale Srbija. Since 10 September 2014, Telenor banka operates on the Serbian banking market. In August 2017, Bulgarian investment fund River Styxx Capital has reached an agreement with Serbia's Telenor Banka to acquire 85 percent of its shares, while Telenor will maintain the remaining 15 percent.
2018–present: PPF takeover and rebranding as Yettel
In January 2018, the company's management confirmed media reports that there is interest in sale of Telenor's business in Southeast Europe, including Telenor Serbia.
In March 2018, Telenor sold its business in Southeast Europe (
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
and Serbia) to the investment fund
PPF, for a sum of 2.8 billion euros.
As part of the deal, company continued using the brand "Telenor" until early 2022, when the rebranding was announced — since March of that year, the company would take a new name, "Yettel".
Mobile telephony
Yettel has a license to operate
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
networks in the range 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
/
IMT 2000 network in the range 2100 MHz. This license was received on 31 December 2006. It is valid for 10 years with the possibility of renewing the license for an additional 10 years.
;Network coverage
Yettel's GSM signal covers 99% of Serbia's inhabited territory and 91% of Serbia's land area. The company has more than 1033 active base transceiver stations (BTS) which cover all urban and suburban areas, major highway routes, and tourist centers. It has 2.96 million customers. The
IMSI Network Code of Telenor is 220-01 and the
MSISDN Network Codes are 062 (international: +381 62), 063 (international: +381 63) and 069 (international: +381 69).
* Identification code (IMSI) of Telenor is 220-01, and phone number prefixes are 062 (International: +381 62), 063 (International: +381 63) and 069 (International: +381 69).
* Roaming is enabled in 158 countries, or in 369 networks of foreign mobile operators, 2 Marine, 1 cheap and 1 satellite network.
* During 2013, Telenor built 372 new base stations, so that their total number at the end of the year amounted to 3048.
* At the beginning of 2011, Telenor put into operation one of the most modern data centers in South East Europe – Telenor Tier 3 data center, which houses the new core Telenor network.
The network coverage as of 31 December 2016:
* Coverage of the territory of Serbia with
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
signal is 91.90%
* Coverage of the population of Serbia with
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
signal is 99.42%
* Coverage of the territory of Serbia with
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
signal is 91.02%
* Coverage of the population of Serbia with
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
signal is 98.51%
* Coverage of the territory of Serbia with
LTE signal is 9.95%
* Coverage of the population of Serbia with
LTE signal is 53.78%
;Network technology
*
2G (
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
,
GPRS
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data standard on the 2G and 3G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was established by European Telecommunications Standards Insti ...
,
EDGE
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
up to 250 kbit/s) on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
*
3G (
HSPA+
Evolved High Speed Packet Access, HSPA+, HSPA (Plus) or HSPAP, is a technical standard for wireless broadband telecommunication. It is the second phase of HSPA which has been introduced in 3GPP release 7 and being further improved in later 3GPP ...
up to 42 Mbit/s) on 900 MHz and 2100 MHz
*
4G (
LTE up to 300 Mbit/s) on 800, 1800 and 2100 MHz
;3G network
The
EDGE
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
network which represents 2.75 generation of mobile telephony or weak 3G has the same coverage as the
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
networks. This network has been in commercial operation since November 2004.
With its
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
,
HSDPA
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunicat ...
and
HSPA + (3G and 3.5 G – generation of mobile telephony) signal Telenor covers over 98% of Serbia's population.
Telenor Serbia 3G network supports the following technologies in over 250 cities throughout Serbia, as well as all major roads with the following maximum theoretical speeds:
*
HSPA + 42 – up to 42 Mbit/s when downloading flow up to 5.76 Mbit/s when sending data flow
*
HSPA + – up to 21 Mbit/s when downloading flow up to 5.76 Mbit/s when sending data flow
*
HSPA
HSPA may refer to:
* High Speed Packet Access, a mobile broadband technology
* Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
Education
* High School Proficiency Assessment
* Humphrey School of Public Affairs
The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Aff ...
– up to 14.4 Mbit/s flow downloading and up to 2 Mbit/s when sending data flow
*
HSDPA
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunicat ...
– up to 7.2 / 3.6 Mbit/s when downloading and flow rates up to 384 kbit/s when sending data flow.
;4G network
In the middle of 2010, Telenor started a project of recovery of the existing network (
NGN transition), as the main precondition for the introduction of next-generation mobile telephony (
4G) and supporting advanced services. The realization of the project involved the companies
Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...
,
Nera Nera may refer to:
People
* Nera Smajic (born 1984), Bosnian-born Swedish footballer
* Nera Stipičević (born 1983), Croatian actress
* Nera White (1935–2016), American basketball player
* André António Ribeiro Novais (born 1988), Portugue ...
and
LG.
Fixed telephony
In 2010, Ratel delivered Telenor the second license for fixed telephony, which officially abolished the monopoly of
Telekom Serbia in this field.
Telenor was obliged to start providing fixed telephony services.
By signing the first commercial contract to provide fixed telephony services on 20 January 2011, Telenor has met the formal requirements of the license for the second fixed telephony operator. However, as of 2019 Telenor Serbia provides fixed telephony services only to
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
es and not to home customers.
Optical fiber Internet and IPTV
In 2021, Telenor announced its plans to offer
optical fiber Internet, fixed telephony and
IPTV
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, ...
to public.
[Telesrbija: Goran Vasić - "Dolazak Telenora unaprediće konkurentnost, što donosi veći izbor za korisnike"](_blank)
/ref> To do so, company started a highly controversial cooperation with one of its strongest competitors, a state-owned "Telekom Srbija
Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd is a Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator. It was founded in May 1997 as a joint-stock company, by spinning off the telecommunications business from PTT Srbija (present-day „Pošta Srbije"). In April 2015 ...
", who leased its own backbone structure to "Telenor". It was to a dismay of yet another player on the market, United Group
United Group is an alternative telecom provider in Southeast Europe that operates both telecommunications platforms and mass media outlets.
History
United Group was formed in 2007, as a Luxembourg-registered multinational entity, in a merger o ...
-owned cable and internet operator, Serbia Broadband
Serbia Broadband (branded as SBB; full legal name: ''Serbia Broadband - Srpske kablovske mreže d.o.o.'') is a cable television and broadband internet service provider in Serbia. The SBB company operates as part of the United Group, leading media ...
. According to that position, the deal was concluded to diminish the influence of SBB and UG-owned channels for business and political reasons. Despite it, in November 2021, "Telenor" officially announced its offer under the brand "Hipernet".Telenor Hipernet homepage
/ref> Although "Hipernet" is offered independently of mobile services, "Telenor" became only the second company to offer quadruple play In telecommunications, quadruple play or quad play is a marketing term combining the triple play service of broadband Internet access, television and telephone with wireless service provisions. This service set is also sometimes referred to as "The ...
on the Serbian market.
Banking
On 26 April 2013, Telenor announced that it has reached an agreement on the purchase of KBC Bank in Serbia. According to the agreement, Telenor will buy 100% stake in KBC Bank, while Societe Generale Bank will take the portfolio of clients of KBC Bank, which includes 81,000 individuals, entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises. In August 2017 Bulgarian investment fund River Styxx Capital has reached an agreement with Serbia's Telenor Banka to acquire 85 percent of its shares, while Telenor will maintain the remaining 15 percent. According to media reports, as of July 2017, the bank has more than 300.000 opened MC accounts.
Partnerships
; With Wikimedia
On 28 February 2012, Telenor Group and the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., or Wikimedia for short and abbreviated as WMF, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California and registered as a charitable foundation under local laws. Best kno ...
announced a partnership under which Telenor customers in Asia and Southeastern Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...
will be given free access to Wikipedia through a mobile phone. The offer is available to 135 million mobile users in Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
and Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. This agreement was implemented in the second quarter of 2012.
; With the Ministry of Internal Affairs
On 17 June 2011, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Telenor CEO Kjell Morten - Johnsen signed an agreement on the application of filters to block access to illegal websites with elements of sexual abuse of children and presented to the public details of the project. Telenor users who try to access a website with illegal content, were automatically informed that they are trying to access forbidden sites, and the Interior Ministry will strive to establish such cooperation with other operators in country.
; With Deezer
On 4 February 2013, Telenor established a partnership with one of the biggest music streaming services in the world, Deezer
Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline.
Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in i ...
. Serbian customers are able to listen in online and offline mode to a range of over 25 million tracks by local and foreign artists.
References
External links
*
Telecommunications Market of Serbia for 2016
at ratel.rs
{{Telenor
Serbian companies established in 1994
Companies based in Belgrade
Mobile phone companies of Serbia
Telecommunications companies established in 1994
Telenor
2006 mergers and acquisitions
2018 mergers and acquisitions