2 Telecommunications 2022 IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF Neda n.lukic@aim.rsLukić ART DIRECTOR Branislav b.ninkovic@aim.rsNinković PHOTOS Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR Mark mrpeditorial@mail.comPullen PROJECT MANAGERS Biljana m.cuckovic@aim.rsMihailov.vukajlovic@aim.rsVesnab.devic@aim.rsDevićVukajlovićČučković OFFICE MANAGER Svetlana s.petrovic@aim.rsPetrović FINANCE Dragana finance@aim.rsSkrobonja EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR Maja m.vidakovic@aim.rsVidaković PUBLISHER Ivan i.novcic@aim.rsNovčić DIRECTOR Ana a.novcic@cordmagazine.coma.novcic@aim.rsNovčić PRINTING Rotografika d.o.o. Segedinski put 72, Subotica TELECOMMUNICATIONS 2022 Published by: alliance international media Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fascimile: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@cordmagazine.comoffice@aim.rs; www.cordmagazine.comwww.aim.rs;ISSN:2560-4465Allrightsreservedallianceinternationalmedia2022Theviewsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseofthepresenter;theydonotnecessaryreflecttheviewofpublicationspublishedbyallianceinternationalmedia THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE OF CHARGE 04 TATJANA MATIĆ, MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM & TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEW TECH FOR NEW JOBS 06 EPSON:EPSON TECH THAT’S HOT YET HEATLESS 07 SLOBODAN PAPAK, FIXED SERVICES SEGMENT MANAGER, YETTEL HIPERNET TV PROVIDES THE BEST SPORTS CONTENT 08 ŽARKO KECIĆ, CTO RNIDS TLD OPERATOR’S ROLE IN CYBER SECURITY 10 GORAN STOJADINOVIĆ, A1 SERBIA ENTERPRISE SALES AND ICT SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR STRENGTHENING DIGITAL LIFE & OPERATIONS 11 SNEŽANA STJEPANOVIĆ, CEO AT LED PAY D.O.O. INTEREST IN E-MONEY ON THE RISE 12 DIGITAL AGENDA FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AND EUROINTEGRATION 5G NETWORK CATALYST OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION 14 SERBIA’S PERSPECTIVECAPACITIESINNOVATIONFROMTHEOFSERBIANREGIONS WHERE SHOULD START-UPS RESIDE? CONTENTS
4 Telecommunications 2022
TATJANA MATIĆ, MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- The experiences of other countries, whether in the surrounding area, the European Union or around the world, represent examples of good practice that Serbia will take into consideration when planning and implementing public tenders. There are numerous examples of potential applications of the 5G network, which encompass areas like the automotive industry, agronomy, medicine, education, logistics, manufacturing, energy, connected autonomous vehicles, ap
Despite many of the surrounding countries having already introduced 5G networks, Serbia continues to wait. Serbian Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Tatjana Matić explains that the procedure for acquiring the right to use radio frequencies on the basis of an individual license, which is issued follow ing a public bidding process, is underway, in accordance with the Law on Electronic Communications.Uponcompletion of the procedure, the Regulatory Agency for Electronic Commu nications and Postal Services is then tasked with making a decision on whether applicants fulfil the conditions for issuance of individual licenses on the basis of the public bidding process.After this, explains our interlocutor, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommu nications passes an act that stipulates the minimum conditions for the issuance of indi vidual licenses in accordance with the public bidding procedure, then the Agency brings a decision on the launch of the public bidding procedure.
INTERVIEW
Many of the countries of our region have already advanced in this work. What have their experiences taught us about implementing 5G?
New Tech For New Jobs
The development of 5G networks and modern technologies will undoubtedly provide a strong impetus to Serbia’s overall development
AVAILABILITY COORDINATION COMPETENCES
The construction of the middle mile segment enables private sector operators to construct the last mile infrastructure and ensure their investments in rural areas are sustainable
The use of 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data and other modern technologies provides new opportunities for development, innovation and hiring staff, as well as contributing to society achieving optimised healthcare, improved operational efficiency, environmental protection and the development of smart cities.
The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia recently conducted a survey on the use of high technology (automation, artificial intelligence applications etc.) in Serbian companies. How much of a real need for 5G exists in our industry and who would be its most important users?
Telecommunications 2022 5 plications for the automation of transport and storage, and many other areas. The development of 5G networks and modern technologies will undoubtedly provide a strong impetus to Serbia’s overall development.
The Strategy for Digital Skills Development represents a fundamental document that will contribute to advancing digital competences in education
Considering 5G’s development potential, Ser bia will ensure that all interested parties have opportunities to utilise this technology.
- The basic advantages that are brought by 5G technology include a significant increase in flow with reduced delays, which is essential for effi cient automation and other important processes for the development of industry. That’s why our industry is interested in the implementation and adequate application of 5G technology.
At the same time, you previously announced major works to construct capacities for broad band internet in the parts of Serbia that had a The biggest gap in the acquiring of digital skills is linked to income levels between households. That’s why social inclusion in the area of developing digital skills is the Strategy’s most important task Considering 5G’s development potential, Serbia will ensure that all interested parties have opportunities to utilise this technology
poor internet signal or lacked internet coverage entirely. How much have these works progressed? Under the scope of the ongoing first phase of the project, the Ministry enables public institutions and primarily schools in certain rural settlements to connect with the existing optical network. The construction of the ‘middle mile’ segment provides an incentive for private sector oper ators to construct the ‘last mile’ infrastructure by rendering their investments in rural areas financially sustainable. The areas where joint construction is being conducted would be left without coverage if it weren’t for government intervention, because operators have no economic interest in independently constructing broadband infrastructure.
Epson Heat-Free Technology does not require heat in the ink ejec tion process. Instead, pressure is applied to the Piezo element, which flexes backwards and forwards firing the ink from the printhead. In contrast, laser printers need to heat the fuser to enable printing.
In this sense, social inclusion in the area of developing digital skills is the Strategy’s most importantConsideringtask.the various identified groups of the population and their vulnerability when it comes to the capacity to develop digital skills, the Strategy follows the EU’s contemporary development goals and relies internationally on the existing regulatory framework that is constantly developing. As such, this Strategy really represents a fundamental document that will contribute to advancing digital com petences in education, improving digital skills with the aim of furthering the use of electronic services and labour market competitiveness, eliminating disparities that emerge between different groups of the population as a result of social stratification and the availability of modern technologies and infrastructure, as well as promoting the continuous and lifelong education of experts in this field.
BUSINESSINTERVIEW Epson: Tech That’s Hot Yet Heatless Increase your productivity and reduce your environmental impact without compromise by using Epson inkjet printers that use Heat-Free Technology to deliver advanced benefits
Less power consumption saves energy and money: Epson HeatFree Technology uses less power than laser technology, because it does not use heat to warm up. As inkjets have no fuser unit to heat, this results in significantly less energy consumption. Fewer replacement parts, low er environmental impact: Laser printers typically have more con sumables and require the periodic replacement of the drum, trans fer belt and fuser in many cases.
The second phase of the project will see additional rural settlements provided with broadband access. The rise of e-services and e-government, and finally also the shift to online education, have all impacted on the need for all citizens to acquire digital skills. How much of a gap in digital skills exists in this domain and to what extent does the current Strategy represent a relevant platform for further action?
Less intervention increas es productivity: The Heat-Free structure of Epson inkjet printers means that there are fewer parts that can fail, which reduces the amount of intervention required. As a result, Epson inkjet printers offer reliability and significantly reduced downtime.
Consistent high-speed printing: Epson Heat-Free Technology re quires no heat to warm up when it is switched on or awoken from sleep. This means it starts printing imme diately, compared to the delayed functioning of laser printers that need to preheat the fuser to print. Consistent high-speed printing is ensured, even for documents with high-printing density.
The benefits of Heat-Free Tech nology is consistent high-speed printing and less power consump tion that saves energy and money, requires fewer replacement parts, a reduced environmental impact and less intervention, thus increasing productivity.
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The Strategy for Digital Skills Development in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2020 to 2024 aims to reduce the gap that’s emerged due to accelerated technological development and the objective impossibility of individual and collective digital transformation unfolding at the same pace, along with indispensable internet security and personal data protection.
Thanks to Heat-Free Technology, Epson inkjet printers use fewer parts that need replacing than in a laser printer, and these printheads are not a consumable. This reduces the environmental burden of having to manufacture and recycle addi tional resources.
Likewise, documentation for obtaining location conditions has to date been prepared and submitted for approximately 1,500 kilo metres, while requests for the approval of construction have also been submitted for almost 1,200 kilometres of the route. A tender is also underway for the works contractor on the construction of the middle mile segment of infrastructure, as well as for the expert supervision of construction, with these tenders being conducted in accordance with the rules of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Infrastructure works will begin following the culmination of the tender and the signing of the contract.
Existing data of the Statistical Office show the state of computer literacy, where a slight gap exists between the male and female popula tion in favour of men, as well as a distinct gap between urban and rural households when it comes to the use of information and commu nication technologies. However, the biggest gap is in income levels between households.
6 Telecommunications 2022
As of this summer, Hipernet TV also includes the best sports content, broadcast in top picture quality. Here we speak with Yettel Fixed Services Segment Manager Slobodan Papak about what sets Hipernet apart from the competition and which sporting competitions are available within the scope of the Hipernet TV offer.
Yettel's Hipernet offer includes fixed Internet, the latest generation TV and fixed telephony services. It uses only the optical network, which guarantees excellent Internet connection speeds and service quality in all places where it is available
BUSINESS
SLOBODAN PAPAK, FIXED SERVICES SEGMENT MANAGER, YETTEL
- The main vision of Hipernet TV is to bring content closer to users. This means that we break down the artificial barriers that divide content according to the source from which it comes, from some catalogue of movies or linear television, or some channel. Even the broadcast time isn’t crucial, with the exceptions of sports and news content. The content provided within the scope of Hipernet TV is sorted thematically. Thus, if the user wants to watch a thriller movie, it is enough to go to the “Movies” section, then the “Thrillers” cate gory, and all the thrillers broadcast on all television stations over the previous seven or more days will be available. We wanted to adapt the TV user interface to the large amount of content available, following the example of Netflix and other global pioneers of video content innovation. Of course, for all those users who are accustomed to watching TV in the tra ditional way, Hipernet TV provides all the functionality of traditional linear television. Another important area is optical Internet for the entire house hold and stableWi-Fi in every corner of the home. According to our research, this is extremely important to people, particularly when several members of a household have different needs. And thirdly, we are exerting efforts to provide a really high-quality experi ence for users during their interaction with us - from a clear presentation and easy service selection, via tidy installation, the exact time of which is determined by the user, to efficient customer support What can Hipernet TV users expect? - Hipernet users can now follow the English Premier League, as well as the other most relevant sports content available on the Arena Sport and Eurosport channels. We are talking about the best football competitions, including Serie A, La Liga, League 1, the Champions League, Europa League, but also the Super League of Serbia. Arena Sport channels will also feature the best basketball, such as the NBA and ABA leagues, while Eurosport is known as the home of cycling, tennis, winter sports and the Olympic Games. In this way, we have created a diverse offer for all sports fans. Is the app’s interface responsive to diverse content? - When developing products and services, we are always guided by a desire to enable users to access content that interests them in an in tuitive and simple way. With Hipernet TV, all sports content is in one place, organised by sports, competitions and leagues. In addition, with an ex cellent selection of channels, users can choose movies, TV shows or children’s content sorted by genre. Is it possible to use Hipernet TV as a separate service? - Hipernet TV is an ideal combination with Hipernet’s high-speed optical internet. However, we also offer Hipernet TV as a separate service, and the only prerequisite is that you have a stable internet connection, regardless of technology and opera tor. This means that you can choose a combination of optical internet and digital television, or just one of these services.
Hipernet TV Provides The Best Sports Content
Offering TV channels and streaming content has become an impor tant factor when it comes to satis fying users’ needs, and Hipernet is your response to that. What sets Hi pernet apart from the competition?
Telecommunications 2022 7
With Hipernet TV, all sports content is in one place, organised by sports, competitions and leagues
ŽARKO KECIĆ, CTO RNIDS
Locking the domain name solves only part of the DNS security problems. The Domain Name System (DNS) responds without vali dating the source, which means it is vulnera ble to injecting invalid DNS information and
BUSINESS
Running a trustworthy ccTLD As more people and businesses have been moving online, it has been our duty, as a ccTLD registry, to maintain stable and safe access to internet resources. As in any industry, domain name holders want to be sure that their personal information is adequately protected and that they are provided with top-notch services.
TLD Operator’s Role In Cyber Security
The domain name system (DNS) is one of the most critical components of internet infrastructure and, sadly, one of the most neglected. When a portion of the DNS is compromised or un available, users cannot reach related online resources and services. That’s because the DNS runs as the address book for the internet and is responsible for translating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (series of numbers) into human-friendly domain names. Spoiling some elements of the DNS implies entire parts of the internet becoming unreliable or unreachable. It should therefore come as no surprise that DNS is a top target for cybercriminals.
As security risks ramp up, TLD registries must implement thorough protection against security threats on two key aspects: databases of contacts and technical information related to registered domain names and the technical DNS infrastructure critical for public domain nameOverresolution.thelast few years, certain security measures have been established to reduce vulnerability to known threats and respond to growing attacks. RNIDS and its registrar partners are now more secure, implementing stiff security protocols to prevent any incident involving the registry’s data and its opera tions. As a result, we haven’t experienced any registry breaches or operational difficulties, but this doesn’t mean there are no attempts. Like any system connected to the internet, we experience constant probing and attacks against our systems. Is registry assets security enough to gain our users’ confidence? One of the main threats faced by RNIDS is the compromise of registrants’ accounts used to update domain name information. That enables the attacker to execute unauthorised changes to domain name data by pointing a domain name toward a compromised online service instead of the appropriate content pro vided by the registrant. Accordingly, RNIDS has enabled three domain name lock mechanisms
8 Telecommunications 2022 for registrants of Serbian national domains. By locking their domain names using an ap propriate type of domain name protection, registrants allow only authorised persons to perform changes to the domain name.
Locking domain names, to some extent, prevent phishing and malware distributed via lookalike websites. Lookalike sites are regularly used to distribute malware or exe cute phishing schemes by replicating financial institutions or government portals to collect valuable personal information to drain bank accounts or steal identities.
With the outbreak of the pandemic, many companies rushed to implement digital technologies to keep their business running. Yet, many of them missed an essential step in securing their digital assets against cyber attacks. With increasing numbers of people using the internet and accessing their business environment, bad actors gain a larger field of operation and benefit significantly from a successful attack
DNSSEC (DNS Security Extension) is a technology that provides mechanisms for protection against the modification of DNS responses and redirecting users to online locations that are potentially harmful. For several years, RNIDS has been enabling Ser bian national domains to be DNSSEC signed, in order to protect internet users from be coming victims of cybercriminals. This DNS security extension can be used by all domain name holders, but is almost mandatory for financial institutions and companies that do business online.
RNIDS strives to contribute to a safer envi ronment for all internet users in Serbia. We thus actively organise educational campaigns and professional meetings to share our knowledge on technical, legal and internet protection issues related to domain names, DNS infrastructure and other issues that fall under our area of expertise.
RNIDS has responded to the problem by implementing changes to network architecture and introducing rate limits on the number of consecutive queries. Our DNS infrastructure comprises a network of public DNS servers in several geographic locations on all continents. Trust is vital A vital element of any TLD operator is trust in the reputation and ability of the registry to manage its namespace and enforce its policies. Where domain name registration is suspicious or engaged in illegal activity, RNIDS may audit the registration by triggering the Registrant Information Validation process via a registrar, thus ensuring that a registrant meets RNIDS registration policy requirements. If the regis trant fails to verify that the information provided is correct, the domain name is suspended and cancelled, and no longer poses a threat to internetRNIDSusers.systems process more than 500 million DNS queries on a daily basis, and if someone wants to visit the website or send an e-mail on the .rs or . срб domain names, we ensure that they are directed to the right website; or that the message is delivered to the intended mailbox.
Telecommunications 2022 9 redirecting users to malicious content. This happens every day, all over the world. The estimate is that two-thirds of all cyber-attacks are related to the abuse of the DNS used for criminal acts or censorship of content.
Conclusion The terms “secure, stable and resilient” have always been associated with TLD operators. From day one, we have been working to main tain the security, stability and resiliency of the systems that support the .rs and .срб domain names. We keep pace with the technology and cyber security trends and ensure that our customers enjoy the benefits of utilising the Serbian domain namespace. As a TLD operator, RNIDS constantly moni tors its systems to detect incidents and mitigate risk. We are aware that new attack vectors and events are constantly popping up and require continuous attention and the implementation of adjustments and different approaches to ade quately defend against changing circumstances.
DNS infrastructure security Attacks against DNS infrastructure have increased in frequency and intensity over recent years. The aggregated bandwidth of millions of compromised “zombie” devices in a botnet has proven disastrous, and even well-equipped targets cannot sustain that amount of traffic. The best practice of TLDs to mitigate large-scale DDoS attacks is to utilise multiple globally distributed DNS any cast providers.
- The primary needs of business that will nev er change are to make your operations more efficient and profitable. Digitalisation has only increased those needs, but also brought the tools to achieve them. The applying of modern ICT solutions is synonymous with efficiency, as it enables enterprises to make major savings, improve the quality of their products and services, shortens the time required to complete a job and reduces administration. An excellent example of that is A1 SD - WAN [Software Defined Wide Area Network], which is software-defined networking that provides greater flexibility by enabling the flow of traffic via multiple networks, unlike VPN that directs all traffic down a single route.
STOJADINOVIĆ,A1 SERBIA ENTERPRISE SALES AND ICT SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR
10 Telecommunications 2022 ICT advances have brought countless possibilities and benefits to enterprises of all sizes. Which of these gains do you see as being the most important?
The A1 Cyber Backup solution is intended for all business users, regardless of whether or not they’re users of A1 Serbia’s services, and has built-in proactive protection against cryptographic viruses, such as ransomware and other malware
Increased numbers of remote employees and new business models rely on flexibility, speed and security. Is security the most important issue in the online world because of the situation with the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine? - In this digital age, the risk of data loss continues to rise as a result of the rapid digitalisation of companies and as a result of the fact that data has become the most valuable asset of organisations worldwide. In order for every company to be fully pre pared for the new way of working, it must also take measures to ensure the protection of its resources, or its data, and provide for swift and efficient recovery in the event of an incident, hacker attack etc. We really recognised this need well and can state with pride that we launched the A1 Cyber Backup solution, which is intended for all business users, regardless of whether or not they’re users of A1 Serbia’s services, and has built-in proactive protection against cryptographic viruses, such as ransomware and other malware.
W ith the successful comple tion of last year’s rebranding project and the launch of a new brand on the Serbian tel ecommunications market - A1 Serbia told its users that it would strengthen its users’ digital life and work. Less than a year and a half on, A1 Serbia is positioning itself as an important player in the area of applied ICT solutions and business software appli cations. This stride forward in operations also provided reason for us to interview A1 Serbia Enterprise Sales and ICT Solutions Director Goran Stojadinović. ICT development has shuffled the deck on the market in such a way that now one telecommunications company is recognised as a partner in IT operations. How would you comment on that? - We say in jest at A1 Serbia that we have long been connecting not only people, but also machines. Mobile operators are among the main drivers of the digital transfor mation of business around the world. We didn’t want to stop at the providing of telco services and internet access, rather we wanted to provide our users with full cov erage to enter cyberspace, with the help of solutions and services for cyber security, advanced connectivity, data storage and machine-to-machine communication. Given that we’re a provider of internet and digital solutions, we have possibilities to combine services and offer everything in one place for business users, under the one-stop-shop principle. Likewise, these solutions mustn’t be a burden on users, which is why we insist on the “managed service” model, where we relieve them of any concern over the running of the service, in accordance with the “turnkey” principle.GORAN
We didn’t want to stop at the providing of telco services and internet access, rather we wanted to provide our users with full coverage to enter cyberspace
Strengthening Digital Life & Operations
BUSINESS
Specifically, this is a Castles device, the Saturn 1000 model, in which a cash register application is integrated with a payment application that is enabled for the acceptance of Dina, MasterCard, Maestro and Visa payment cards, and recently also UnionPay payment cards.
The market is dynamic, while the demands of clients are changing significantly, together with their needs. How have clients responded so far?
Many clients that didn’t accept payment cards as a payment method prior to the shift to e-fiscalization are now doing so for the first time.
- As a company, Led Pay was actively included in the e-fiscalization process from the outset, by enabling its partner companies to combine a cash register app and a payment terminal in a single device.
BUSINESS Using e-money can bring a multitude of benefits, while it can be used for different purposes – from crowd funding to classic payments of goods and services
Led Pay is an electronic money (e-money) institution that operates within the framework of the OMR Group, with a license from the National Bank of Serbia to issue e-money and provide payment services. Among the pioneers of e-money in Serbia, Led Pay strives to become the leading institution in this domain not only in the country, but also further afield
Interest In e-Money On The Rise
Telecommunications 2022 11
SNEŽANA STJEPANOVIĆ, CEO AT LED PAY D.O.O.
How do you enable clients to utilise this service?
Your company has also launched several projects linked to the increasingly relevant e-commerce, while you also offer your clients payment card acceptance and split payment transaction services.
- Interest in e-money is really massively on the rise in Serbia, as we can see from our daily con tacts with potential distributors and partners. Its use can bring a multitude of benefits, while it can be used for different purposes – from crowd funding to classic payments of goods and services. This payment method brings savings to both those who accept e-money and those who use it, and thus we have the aim of maximally raising awareness of the benefits of this type of cashless payment, as well as expanding our network of clients and becoming the leading electronic money institution in the country, and hopefully further afield.
- Our company signs contracts directly with clients that use the Saturn 1000 POS terminal device (which enables the accepting of payment cards). In that way, we strive to promote cashless payment methods and thus ease clients’ handling of cash, and without the obligation to open current account in a different commercial bank.
Speaking for this issue of CorD Magazine, Led Pay CEO Snežana Stjepanović ad dresses current projects, the issuance of e-money and other payment servic es that it offers its clients, including business payment transactions and the acceptance of payment cards.
- We were pleased to have succeeded, within a period of around a month and a half, in signing more than 400 contracts with clients, which makes us very proud, and for Led Pay to be accepted equally alongwith other banks that offer the same service. One important factor was definitely the fact that we don’t require our clients to open additional bank accounts, nor to switch commercial banks.
- Led Pay will offer its clients (web shops and web platforms) the service of accepting payment cards at online points of sale, as well as the split payment transaction service, where payments are executed, on behalf of the web platforms, directly to the accounts of merchants who sell their goods or services online. The clients in this segment also had positive reaction and the interest was definitely greater than we expected.
LedPay participated in the e-fiscalization process. In which ways did your company con tribute to this process?
Is the local Serbian market ready to shift to cashless payment options through e-money?
12 Telecommunications 2022
5G Network Catalyst Of Regional Economic Integration
For development in the Western Balkans, it is important to follow the EU strategic framework for the digital agenda in the long term, while harmonising the interests of the countries' economies. The joint work of Western Balkan representatives ensures an exchange of experience and knowledge, which is good preparation for EU membership
Video transmission that requires high through puts and shows sensitivity to variations in delay, but not to the magnitude of constant delay. Control and management of automated pro cesses are based on interactive user access or fully automated processes, with strict requirements for signal delays. The most complex automatic control is in the movement of driverless vehicles. Associa tions of car manufacturers are intensively testing such vehicles, based on the collection of information from interconnected vehicles on the road and data generated by servers at checkpoints along the road. Delays to data generated in this way must be extremely small, and the signal transmission must be highly reliable. The data is stored in a computing cloud distributed along the road. 5G networks need e a densely connected (capillary type) optical network for signal transmission, i.e. to exchange large amounts of data. The automotive industry in the EU is already installing devices intended to increase the safety of automated vehicles, which use a radio frequency range known as G5. Serbia was the only non-EU country to sign a memorandum of cooperation and participated in THEME
Given the stated and fulfilled requirements, the following are possible applications of 5G:
The imperative of modern science is in its application, which is why science has entered deeply into the needs of industry. 5G is part of the industrial revolution 4.0, making a major contribution to its application in almost all branches of industry. The concept of 5G is based on the need to increase the speed of information transfer, greater mobility, enormous capacity and, crucially, small delays (at the level of human perception) of the order of a millisecond.
AGENDA
DIGITAL FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AND EUROINTEGRATION
Irini Reljin Ph.D., School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade
• A higher frequency range (26GHz) provides small coverage (just a few metres), so it is often necessary to use a larger number of base stations. High frequencies ensure high flows making them suitable for urban environments.
DIGITAL AGENDA FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS
In developing the Digital Agenda for the EU, a Digital Single Market (DSM) was defined, to provide better access to digital goods and services for consumers and companies. For economies that are preparing for European integration, DSM is a serious obligation, and the World Bank has defined an action plan for development of the Common Regional Market (CRM) for the period from 2021 to 2024. It was conceived as a “catalyst for deeper regional economic integration and a step towards the DSM”. The goal is to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of the region, to place it on the global investment map and reduce differences between the CRM and the EU market. An important element in this is the areas of the digital region, which will integrate the Western Balkans into the pan-European digital market. Activities aimed at intensive development and better connection of broadband networks (fixed and 5G), towards the adoption of digital skills for all Western Balkan citizens, towards the development of the digital economy in the light of new ICTs and towards the strengthening of capacities for the introduction of trusted services have been elaborated. Progress in developing the EU digital society is shown by the DigitalEconomyand SocietyIndex DESI. Initially, it relied on five categories: connectivity (network), human capital, public digital services, internet use and integration of digital technologies. By weighting the values of the parameters that describe the status of individual categories, DESI is calculated for each of the EU member states.
Serbia was the first to release the 700 MHz band when digitalising the transmission of the television signal, but unfortunately it has not yet announced an auction for issuing licenses to use this part of the spectrum. Hesitation on the introduction of 5G is a loss for industry and the overall development of society
Telecommunications 2022 13 preparing plans for testing cross-border passage of automated vehicles with two EU member states. Automation of processes in closed systems (production halls, mines, warehouses, ports, air ports), due to the possible collision of moving objects, requires small delays. Movements of objects take place in a limited space, creating conditions for the introduction of vertical operators (manufacturers, ports, construction sites, etc.). A part of the radio-frequency spectrum is usually set aside to be auctioned for these purposes in which the frequencies are used in a limited area, enabling their reuse in more distant places. Serbia has provided a portion of the 100 MHz band for use in limited areas. Vertical operators can be either independent operators, or engaged operators of public mobile systems, or a combination of the two.
Telemedicine applications in the 5G envi ronment are particularly interesting for remote operations, where a surgeon from a remote location controls a robot, while making decisions based on video with extremely low latency. Smart technologies in synergy with 5G make it possible to improve living conditions. Sensors are placed in a large number of locations col lecting data on environmental pollution, climate parameters, noise level, etc. The operation of the parking service, waste management, water supply network, water level monitoring, monitor ing of parks, green areas and agricultural crops (increasing yields) is simplified. The radio frequency bands intended for 5G systems were finally adopted at the World Radio Conference in 2019, after harmonising the require ments (and interests) of the 193 ITU members and performing tests.
The methodology for calculating the DESI index in the EU is changing. The last major changes were made in 2021, and according to these DESI is calculated on the basis of four (originally five) cate gories. The changes followed the Digital Compass defined by the EU to speed up the digitalisation process. It insists on: the adoption of digital skills, the introduction and use of public online services, Cloud technology and BigData services in the economy, gigabit internet access for everyone and the introduction of Cloud and large databases at network endpoints.
Some Western Balkan economies have not even released 700 MHz yet, while Montenegro and North Macedonia were the first to hold auctions for the introduction of 5G systems. Hesitation on introducing 5G is only a loss for industry and the overall development of society.
Serbia was the first to release the 700 MHz band while digitalising the transmission of the television signal, but unfortunately it has yet to announce an auction for licenses to use this part of the spectrum.
• The 700MHz band favours transmission in rural areas because it provides greater coverage and a smaller number of base stations, but unfortunately a smaller amount of data that can be transmitted.
The responsible ministry of the Republic of Serbia calculated the DESI index for the first time for the year 2016. At that time, only one EU member state had a worse result. In 2020, the regulatory agency for electronic communications showed that Serbia was more successful than nine EU member states.
• The 3.4-3.8 GHz band is a compromise between the size of the coverage area and the amount of transmitted data and is considered the most interesting “golden band” for 5G.
14 Telecommunications 2022
THEME
The approach taken to date in encouraging innovation in Serbia could deepen the gap between Belgrade, as the undisputed centre, and the country’s less developed regions. Is it time to re-examine the existing model of smart specialisation and provide more wind to the sails of Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac?
In the absence of a targeted policy to encourage the development of innovation capacities from the perspective of the country’s regions, a question arises over the actual level of innovation activity by region, as well as the degree to which a dichotomy exists between the development of innovation capacities and balanced regional development.
This article is authored by Ljubivoje Radonjić, research associate at the Public Policy Research Centre
The adoption of the Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Republic of Serbia for the 2020 to 2027 period created a platform to integrate scientific, economic and tech nological capacities with the aim of advancing the innovation and research ecosystem in Serbia and increasing its regional and global competitiveness. However, the current Action Plan for implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy for the 2021 to 2022 period strives to maximise overall national potential, while side-lining concerns over their development at the regional level.
SERBIA’S INNOVATION CAPACITIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SERBIAN REGIONS
Through an overview of the regional allocating of various instruments of the Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia from 2016 to 2022, the latest study of the Public Policy Research Centre maps the key differential points in the development of innovation among regions in Serbia. With an initial overview of the regional al location of support, we can already observe serious disparities in the level of development of regional innovation ecosystems. The analysis conducted showed that economic and scientific capacities from the Belgrade region are unde niably positioned as the most productive part of Serbia’s innovation ecosystem. Testifying to how important these capacities really are is the fact that every other project of the Innovation Fund was awarded to applicants hailing from this region. Activities around the sharing of knowhow and creating of innovations are represented to a much lesser degree in the remaining three regions, though there are also differences among them. Specifically, every fifth project financed by the Innovation Fund, on average, is awarded
Where Should Start-Ups Reside?
The commercialisation of knowledge, which is realised through collaborations between science and business, is most commonplace in the Belgrade region: this region’s private sector relies on intraregional scientific re sources to the greatest extent. Furthermore, the scientific capacities of the Belgrade region represent an important pillar of support for the development of the innovation potential of other parts of Serbia. The knowledge created in the scientific and research framework of the Belgrade region is of particular importance to the economic sector of the Šumadija and Western Serbia region. Findings show that, in more than 66% of the projects that urge cooperation between business and science, enterprises from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region networked with scientific and research organisations from the Belgrade region. On the other hand, 42% of projects led by companies from Vojvodina had key science domain partners from the Belgrade region, while cooperation with Belgrade scientific and research organisations was realised in approximately 36% of projects led by compa nies from the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. This ubiquitous presence across other regions serves to confirm that Belgrade’s scientific capacities extend beyond regional frameworks and represent a lever that encour ages the development of the entire national ecosystem by connecting regional innovation capacities.
THE BELGRADE REGION’S SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES REPRESENT A PILLAR OF SUPPORT FOR THE ENTIRE NATIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM
Findings show that, over previous years, partic ipants who were ready to establish a start-up came mostly from the Belgrade region. The second region in terms of the number of startups launched is Vojvodina, which lags behind Belgrade significantly, with almost three times fewer newly founded companies in this province during the period from 2016 to today. Of course, establishing start-ups is linked to urban centres, and given that the majority of them are estab lished in Belgrade, followed by Novi Sad, this type of innovation activity is almost negligible in the remaining two administrative centres of Kragujevac and Niš. This is also confirmed by data showing that, during the analysed period, only around 15% of the total number of startups supported by the Innovation Fund were in Šumadija and Western Serbia and in Southern and Eastern Serbia. Regardless of the fact that the Innovation Fund continues to incentivise the establishment of start-ups, by providing conditions for their growth via financing, net working and mentoring support, it doesn’t appear likely that the disparity between the number of new technology start-ups in these cities will be overcome quite so easily. Numerous local factors – such as a higher number of organisa tions that provide support to start-ups, more technological corporations present in the city and the higher concentration of young people and technological experts (Start-up Genome, 2021) – continue to provide a great advantage to Belgrade over other urban centres.
START-UP ECOSYSTEMS AS URBAN “OASES” OF INNOVATION
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Telecommunications 2022 15 to applicants from Vojvodina, while only one in every ten approved projects is implemented by someone from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region or the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. A higher number of approved projects equates to a greater inflow of investments. According to the data analysed, approximately 62% of total funding approved by the Innovation Fund has been allocated to applicants from the Belgrade region. The remaining funding was al located to the other three regions: 19% of funds to Vojvodina and 11% of funds to Šumadija and Western Serbia, while the smallest percentage of funding – a mere 8% approximately – was allocated to applicants from the Southern and Eastern Serbia region.
Successfully combining innovation and re gional development policies depends on the dual challenge of differentiating and specialising regional capacities. Differences – in terms of history, socioeconomic conditions, geographical, demographic and other specificities – determine regional differences in capacities, possibilities and limitations on research and innovation, as goals that cannot be met fully within the framework of undifferentiated policies, which are limited to providing aggregated and generic prerequisites (education, public research infrastructure and financing). As such, developing the innovation of each region requires the special determining of the relationship between opportunities and limi tations for each region. Once such combinations are identified, the need for a further process of “specialisation” becomes clear, which actually means attempting to concentrate resources, cluster actors, incentivise related projects and provide specific new public goods and institu tional support in order to advance knowledge and encourage innovation in selected domains.
Although the Innovation Fund doesn’t take the regional allocation of support into account when supporting the development of the 4S priority areas, the analysis indicates that incentives provided to date have fallen somewhat into line with the pre-existing comparative advantages within the regions. The two areas that were the most dominant, or at least highly represented, in all regions are information and communication technologies and the development of innova tions in the fields of mechanical engineering and production processes.
Innovation in Vojvodina mostly occurs in the domain of agriculture and the food industry, while ICT is also the second most represented area in this region. In the remaining two regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia, innovative activities are most commonplace in the area of mechanical engineering and associated activities. Such a distribution of areas by region is to be expected to a certain extent, and serves to prove that the concentration of resources and participants within certain areas by region acts as a self-reg ulating mechanism that impacts on innovations being generated specifically in those areas and furthering regional comparative advantages.
Although the process of developing the Smart Specialisation Strategy actually identified re gional comparative advantages (and limitations), the existing mechanism for achieving the goals of the Strategy does not recognise the regional aspect. Approaching the support of innovation by viewing Serbia as a single entity raises the question of how optimal the existing develop ment model actually is, given the possibility of it further deepening the divide between the parts of the country that have developed scientific, economic and other capacities and those that don’t, and the possible need to harmonise the different parts of Serbia’s European integration process in a coherent way.
On average, every fifth project financed by the Innovation Fund is awarded to applicants from Vojvodina, while only one in every ten approved projects is implemented by someone from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region or the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia
In the region with the largest number of projects – Belgrade – it is most commonplace for innovations to be developed within the scope of these two areas.
16 Telecommunications 2022
SUPPORTING SMART SPECIALISATION PRIORITY AREAS AND THE REGIONAL ASPECT
