Connecting Serbia With the Rest of the World

Montop Pro is the instigator of the project to develop the latest, cutting-edge optical telecommunications networks in Serbia, while it also participates actively in works aimed at bringing broadband internet to the country’s rural areas and its company goal is to participate in other infrastructure projects to an even greater extent

It was in April this year that we launched works and we are currently engaged in the second part of the project to construct 900 km of fibre-optic networks in 165 locations – on the geographical map of Serbia - says Montop Group presidents and Montop Pro founder and CEO Marko Bosanac, revealing how the expansion of internet connections is impacting on the country’s development.

Is Serbia lagging behind economically developed countries in terms of internet coverage?

- If we take into account the fact that only Scandinavian countries had average internet coverage exceeding 90 per cent in 2021, while Germany, France and Italy only had up to 30 per cent coverage, Serbia – with 41 per cent of its territory covered by the internet – was in the intermediate class. Our country now has 75 per cent of its territory covered by high-speed internet access, which shows that, in just two years, we’ve drastically improved the situation compared to 2021 and are currently among the leading countries in Europe.

The state administration’s determination to also position Serbia in the group of leading countries when it comes to the application of e-solutions has also been confirmed through the

We take care of planning for personnel, their professionalisation and education, as well as advancing the organisation of work and the long term sustaining of motivation report of the World Bank, in which Serbia is currently ranked 4th in Europe. Furthermore, the United Nations has evaluated Serbia as being among the world’s top 10 countries when it comes to the development of e-government, which confirms that we are undoubtedly on the right track.

Fibre-optic infrastructure currently reaches more than half of Serbian households. Can we expect broadband internet to be introduced to rural areas in the period ahead and why would that be important?

- Absolutely – yes. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia has devised a plan to introduce high-speed internet to more than 700 villages by year’s end 2025, installing 4,700 kilometres of fibre optic cables for this purpose and connecting more than 120,000 households and over 700 schools. Thanks to this endeavour, 99 per cent of our country’s rural communities will gain internet access.

When it comes to the advantages, there are many. Introducing internet connections to rural communities enables access to e-government services, the implementing and organising of education based on the model of urban schools, and additional support for local manufacturers and farmers in the sense of enabling the use of e-commerce channels.

What do you consider as having been the most important factors in your company’s success to date, but also when it comes to the realisation of future plans?

- Our company is an active participant in the project to bring broadband internet to Serbia’s rural areas, with that project divided into three parts. We intend to remain engaged in this area in the future, but we are also nurturing ambitions to participate to an even greater extent in other infrastructure projects that are important for the development of our country, and beyond.

As the climate for doing business changes, so technologies, material resources and capital become available to us. We thus reach the basic principles of a knowledge-based economy, which clearly shows us that people who possess knowledge are a key factor of future success. We will certainly take care of planning for personnel, their professionalisation and education, and advancing the organisation of work. Last, but by no means least, comes motivation and the sustaining of that motivation over the long term. That is the only way, by taking care of employees and each other, that we can plan long-term development and raise the level of our personal and company targets and accomplishments.

ZORANA MILIDRAG, PRESIDENT OF THE E-COMMERCE ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA (ECS)