Foreign player to enter telecom market

Greenhouse Telecommunications has received EUR 22.5mn from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other investors to enter the Serbian market. Greenhouse’s chairman told a press conference that the company had taken over internet operators Media Works and Neobi Net, and was negotiating six other takeovers. Foreign player to enter telecom market Journalists were informed that the names of the companies Greenhouse was planning to buy were a commercial secret. Asked whether they would be bidding in the landline telephone license tender, scheduled for later this year, Greenhouse's chairman said that the company was interested in that tender, but that, in addition to telephone services, Greenhouse offered other telecommunications services too. Media Works CEO Slobodan Djinovic said that Media Works had applied for CDMA licenses for offering telephone and internet services, adding that he expected to win at least one of the two. Should it receive a CDMA license, Media Works plans to offer telephone services both in provincial and urban regions and become a competitor to Telekom, which is currently Serbia’s sole landline operator, Djinovic said. He said that his company offered fast internet services to WiMAX wireless technology business users, with a license running until 2014. Telephone services can also be offered via WiMAX, though the competition for licenses in Serbia is currently on hold, meaning that those who received that wavelength earlier cannot use it for phones for the time being. Djinovic said that a large percentage of the EUR 22.5mn that Greenhouse had generated for entering the Serbian market was destined for investment in WiMAX services and infrastructure, adding that he expected a competition to be called soon. It was also stated at the press conference that Greenhouse was planning to invest between EUR 40 and 50mn in the Balkans over the next eight years. Greenhouse will not be operating under that name in Serbia, and will retain the names of the companies that it plans to purchase, the press conference was informed.

Foreign player to enter telecom market

Journalists were informed that the names of the companies Greenhouse was planning to buy were a commercial secret.

Asked whether they would be bidding in the landline telephone license tender, scheduled for later this year, Greenhouse's chairman said that the company was interested in that tender, but that, in addition to telephone services, Greenhouse offered other telecommunications services too.

Media Works CEO Slobodan Đinović said that Media Works had applied for CDMA licenses for offering telephone and internet services, adding that he expected to win at least one of the two.

Should it receive a CDMA license, Media Works plans to offer telephone services both in provincial and urban regions and become a competitor to Telekom, which is currently Serbia’s sole landline operator, Đinović said.

He said that his company offered fast internet services to WiMAX wireless technology business users, with a license running until 2014.

Telephone services can also be offered via WiMAX, though the competition for licenses in Serbia is currently on hold, meaning that those who received that wavelength earlier cannot use it for phones for the time being.

Đinović said that a large percentage of the EUR 22.5mn that Greenhouse had generated for entering the Serbian market was destined for investment in WiMAX services and infrastructure, adding that he expected a competition to be called soon.

It was also stated at the press conference that Greenhouse was planning to invest between EUR 40 and 50mn in the Balkans over the next eight years.

Greenhouse will not be operating under that name in Serbia, and will retain the names of the companies that it plans to purchase, the press conference was informed.