The Serbian government is preparing for the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz, 2500MHz-2690MHz and 3400MHz-3800MHz bands for 5G services, local news outlet Blic writes, citing an unnamed source at the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications (Ministarstva informisanja i telekomunikacija, MIT). According to the source, on Monday (18 September) the government will publish for public consultation the proposed rules for the allocation of the licences. Following this, the government will proceed with the tender, paving the way for the introduction of 5G services in Serbia.

As noted by TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, 5G licensing was initially scheduled to take place in H2 2020 but has been delayed several times. It was initially delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later by presidential and parliamentary elections. Alongside incumbent mobile providers Telekom Srbija, Yettel Serbia and A1 Serbia, ISP SBB is also expected to consider a bid for spectrum, having previously expressed an interest in entering the mobile market. SBB and the government – including state authorities and government-owned operator Telekom Srbija – have been engaged in a bitter political dispute in recent years, relating primarily to control of the nation’s media space. SBB’s sister company is one of a small number of publishers and broadcasters that are not owned by the government or its allies.