Belgrade, July 2, 2020, PPF Telecom Group today announces the completion of infrastructure separation of Telenor business units in Serbia, Hungary and Bulgaria, and the creation of three new organizations which will operate within CETIN Group.
Following the Group strategy, Telenor Serbia will separate its telecommunication infrastructure into a newly established independent entity named CETIN d.o.o. Two companies will operate with different orientation, business models and management focus.
As a commercial company, Telenor Serbia will exclusively dedicate energy to customers, service propositions and retail excellence, while CETIN, as the technology company, will be dedicated to improving telco infrastructure quality, deployment of new solutions, utilization of the assets, operations and maintenance.
After successful separation of O2 as commercial, and CETIN as infrastructure company in Czech Republic 5 years ago, PPF recognized such model as the one of the most efficient and decided to utilize gained learnings and know-how across its Telco companies in CEE.
“Looking back, I am proud of what we have successfully accomplished over the last five years. We have proven our innovative and entrepreneurial spirit by pioneering Europe’s first voluntary separation of O2 and CETIN. In 2018, we acquired CEE Telenor-branded mobile operators and in less than two years have taken another bold step in solidifying our position in the CEE by taking our expertise and applying it to other markets. I am confident CETIN Group will become major infrastructure player in our region,” said Ladislav Bartoníček, PPF Group Shareholder and CEO of PPF Telecom Group.
Telenor Serbia will remain customer-oriented company, services, products, seamless customer experience and retail excellence. The company will also keep mobile and fixed licenses and regulatory responsibility for fulfillment of all network related obligations.
“Our customers will benefit from further network quality increase, as well as from enriched brand, service and retail excellence. With sharpened focus on customers, Telenor will be even more fast, flexible and innovative in developing new services and tailored made offers, building superior experience across all channels and exceeding their growing needs and expectations.” says Mike Michel, Telenor Serbia CEO.
CETIN in Serbia will manage all the aspects of network infrastructure and IT operations. Company will be fully dedicated to improving the quality of the telco infrastructure, driving even better long - term sustainable investments, and deployment of new technologies and energy efficient solutions at faster pace. This will also result in lower energy consumption, at the same time reducing the impact on the environment.
“CETIN Serbia will provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) utilizing the infrastructure part of one of the largest LTE and LTE advanced mobile telecommunication infrastructure in Serbia, aiming to further increase quality in terms of capacity, consistency, reliability and safety. We will build on superior network experience and history of technology innovation built within Telenor for 14 years in Serbia and apply knowledge and experience from Czech Republic. Further on, within CETIN group, we will focus on R&D of new infrastructure services, faster deployment of new technology solutions with more sustainable investments and open new business opportunities for growth in Serbia and across European countries with PPF Telco Group footprint.” says Vladimir Skulić, CEO of CETIN in Serbia.
PPF Group invests in multiple market segments such as financial services, telecommunications, biotechnology, real estate and mechanical engineering. The reach of PPF Group spans from Europe to the North America and across Asia. PPF Group owns assets reaching EUR 48.6 billion (as at 31 December 2019)
For CETIN
Klara Zavadilova, Senior Communication specialist
For Telenor
Marija Vujanic, Communication and Sustainability director