Technology
According to the report on the use of information and communication technologies for the year 2023 from the Republic of Serbia Statistical Office, 85.4% of the population used the internet in the last three months. Out of this number, 91.3% of people use the internet multiple times during a single day. Social media accounts are held by 82% of the population, and the internet is most commonly used for participating in social networks (82.3%) and sending messages through platforms (93.2%). The report also states that 94.4% of households own a mobile phone, and 97.3% own a television. Computers are owned by 75.9% of households, and internet connections are present in 85.6% of households.
The majority of mobile and internet services are provided by the country's three operators MTS, Yettel and A1. Three operators cover the entire market share of the prepaid and postpaid mobile market.
Mobile operators market share: Telekom Srbija 43.3 per cent, Yettel 31.3 per cent, A1 24.57 per cent.
MTS was created as a shareholder enterprise, where the Republic of Serbia owns the majority, 58 per cent, of shares. Apart from the Republic of Serbia, the stakeholders are also Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd with 20 per cent of the shares and the citizens of the Republic of Serbia with 22 per cent of the shares. The company has its business spread across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia, additionally spreading its operations in the branch of cable and multimedia operators through the acquisition of smaller local cable businesses and the creation of TV cable channels.
Yettel is relatively new to the market. The company took over the business once operated by Norwegian Telenor in March 2022. Its mother company is Czech investment fund PPF, running the Yettel brand for its mobile operators in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia.
A1 Serbia is part of the international Telekom Austria Group. A1 Serbia has been present in the Serbian market since 2007 when it started operating as the largest greenfield investment, with over one billion euros invested so far, making it the youngest mobile operator in Serbia.
According to the RATEL (Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services) market overview of electronic communications in the Republic of Serbia for the second quarter of 2023, Telekom Srbija has the highest number of users. Telekom Srbija has 42.85% of users, while the next largest telecommunications operator is Yettel, with 31.92% of users. The number of postpaid users is 5.2 million, and the number of prepaid users is 3.189 million in the second quarter of 2023.
According to the Ranking Digital Rights report for Serbia, Telekom Srbija, including MTS and Yettel, with the largest market share, creates a duopolistic model in the market.
Besides having the highest number of users, Telekom Srbija in Serbia also holds the highest market share among private entities in terms of the number of subscribers. With a 73.6% market share, Telekom has significantly more subscribers compared to the second-place operator, SBB, with a market share of 22.9%, according to RATEL. However, in terms of market share for electronic communication network operators for the distribution of media content based on the number of subscribers in 2023, Telekom Srbija has a 52.9% market share, and SBB has a 40.9% market share.
The Regulatory Body for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) has proposed the Strategy for the Development of the Information Society and Information Security in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2021-2026, which envisions further development of information and communication technologies.
