Belgrade – The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the operator that will be selected through the public invitation will build the communication infrastructure in the rural areas of Serbia where there is no fixed Internet.

As stated in the decision, which was reached by the Commission for Control of State Financial Assistance, part of the funds for the activities related to the construction was allocated from the Ministry – 5,220,000 dinars, and part through a project loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the amount of 2.1 billion dinars (2,129,400,000 dinars).

During 2017 and 2018, the Ministry, in cooperation with the EBRD, analyzed the availability of the Internet and then, last year, made a map where the fixed Internet system in Serbia was missing. The results showed that more than 500,000 households in rural areas did not have fixed Internet, because the operators had no economic interest in developing that infrastructure on those locations.

In order to enable a balanced regional development, the relevant Ministry decided to launch a project for the construction of broadband infrastructure, according to the decision of the Commission, by which the state financial assistance of around 5.2 million dinars was earmarked for the activities on that project.

The incentives of the state, it was said in the decision, would enable the connection to the Internet of public facilities, which include at least 600 schools or public institutions, local communities and other republican facilities, as well as local self-governmental bodies and  units.  According to estimates given in that document, there are approximately 90,000 households located in the vicinity of those public facilities.

“Upon completion of the construction and commissioning of the entire built broadband communication infrastructure, it is envisaged that the Ministry entrusts it to the operator for management, use and maintenance for a period of 25 years, " it was said in the decision, as well as that after that period, the operator was obliged to return the infrastructure to the Ministry for management.

Source: “Tanjug” news agency and Coordination Body