Montenegro to introduce 5G in two years

The most important challenges that the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (EKIP) is going to face in the next four years are smooth functioning and further development of electronic communication networks amid the coronavirus pandemic, the complete abolition of roaming charges in the Western Balkans (July 2021), the next allocation of the radio frequency spectrum (end of 2021) and deploying commercial 5G networks (end of 2022), the Executive Director of EKIP, Mr. Darko Grgurović, told Pobjeda daily.

The EKIP Council named him as the executive director of the Agency in mid-October, thus extending his previous four-term mandate.

“I’m satisfied with the results I’ve achieved with my closest associates and other colleagues in the Agency in the past four years. The successful work of the Agency and its employees has ensured the continuity of almost two decades of good regulatory action, which enabled stable development and good functioning of electronic communications and postal services,” Mr. Grgurović told.

He assessed that a stable and predictable business environment has been created in Montenegro, which, as he says, has led to a high degree of technological development and the presence of leading telecommunications and postal operators in our country.

He added that the Foreign Investors Council confirmed at the beginning of the year their success of regulatory action and the creation of a favorable environment in the electronic communications sector, i.e. they assigned the highest grade for the telecommunications and information technology sector – 7.6 (on a scale from one to ten), while the rating of that council for the overall business environment in the country was 6.9.

Mr. Grgurović also recalled that the successful regulatory operation was recently confirmed by the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, as well.

Speaking about the 5G networks, he announced that the necessary regulatory framework will be completed by the end of this year, and appropriate plans for radiofrequency allocation adopted, whereas a study on the strategy for introducing 5G networks is currently being drawn up and is supposed to be finished by the first quarter of next year.

On relations with the new parliamentary majority and the future government, Mr. Grgurović told he expected them to be within the authorizations prescribed by laws and reminded that the EKIP is an independent regulatory body, that, in performing its duties, must not require instructions from any state body, organization or third party.

CdM / Balkantimes.press