Telekom Srbija announced that it plans to lease its fibre-optic infrastructure to Telenor Serbia on commercial terms, reports Danas. According to the operator, this will “significantly liberalize the telecommunications market in Serbia, bring numerous benefits to users and foster competition in the telecommunications industry”.
Telekom Srbija noted that its own copper infrastructure had already been liberalized and is used by several operators, including SBB, adding that the planned contractual cooperation with Telenor Serbia will not be exclusive. In addition to fibre, Telenor will also have the opportunity to buy video content from Telekom Srbija, in addition to buying content from other operators and distributors, as well as producing its own content.
Telenor Serbia earlier confirmed that it was looking at expanding beyond the mobile market to also offer internet and TV services. The companies denied earlier media reports suggesting they were considering a broader alliance or merger.
Serbia’s Commission for Protection of Competition announced that it was approached by Telekom Srbija and Telenor Serbia with a request to examine their cooperation. According to the Commission, this case is not a concentration (merger) of two or more market participants, but an exemption from the prohibition of agreements on limited and defined business cooperation in a particular business segment.
In view that this is a specific market for which sectoral regulatory bodies are also responsible, the Commission will act in cooperation with them on this case. The Commision also said that, at this time, it cannot provide more information or deadlines on this case.
