Dragan Pejović, Director of Serbia’s Regulatory Body for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL), announced that the auction plan for introducing the 5G network in Serbia is expected to be adopted by the end of August, with the auction officially announced shortly after. Operators could receive their 5G licenses before the end of 2025.
Pejović informed the Serbian Parliament’s Committee for Spatial Planning, Traffic, Infrastructure, and Telecommunications that the first step—the adoption of minimum conditions by the competent ministry—has been completed, allowing RATEL to form a commission for the 5G auction.
The auction document is currently undergoing public consultation until August 4. Following the review of feedback, RATEL aims to finalize and announce the auction by late August. The auction period will last at least 45 days before licenses are awarded.
Unlike previous auctions, this one will include existing frequency bands alongside new 5G-specific bands. The impact of the licenses will depend on how quickly operators install the necessary infrastructure.
The Committee also accepted RATEL’s 2024 work report, noting a 4.1% revenue increase to 2.43 billion dinars from the electronic communications and postal services market compared to 2023.
The five-year mandates of RATEL’s leadership will expire in March 2026, with plans to hold competitions for these positions ahead of time.
By the end of the year, RATEL will transfer funds to both the Serbian national budget and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
