As Novac/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 24th of November, 2020, less than a month after Starlink, Elon Musk's space telecom, started operating, discussions have begun about when it will become available here Croatia. Could Musk's move mean the speeding up of the Croatia 5G network?

For now, Starlink has only offered Americans internet via satellite speeds that are between what 4G offers today and what 5G should initially offer in the future. Musk's Starlink offers a speed of 50-150 Mbps with a latency of 20-40 milliseconds, so far with no gigabyte limit, and with the promise that it will be even better in the future.

Due to its price, this alternative to terrestrial telecoms won't be for everyone despite the fact that it will more than likely have very positive effects on the Croatia 5G network. The monthly subscription is 630 kuna with a previous purchase of a package that includes an antenna, tripod and Wi-Fi router for 3200 kuna. However, factories that need a backup connection, construction sites, hotels, platforms, sailboats, ships and planes shouldn't have a problem with these amounts. Musk has already asked the US FCC regulator for permission to test Starlink out on Gulfstream jets. A good portion of Starlink's commercial testers are also potential users of the future 5G.

Satellite operation

Starlink's entry into the European market won't be easy. The first to be able to use his services in Europe are the Norwegians, and that should be in the next few months, as Canada and Norway are listed only as the first markets outside the United States to which Musk will expand. In addition, only India is highlighted, which Starlink is expected to enter in the middle of next year. Here in Croatia, as is the case in other EU countries, Starlink will apparently not be able to sell its services immediately. And until a week ago, when another of Musk's companies, Tesla Motors, opened a car shop in Zagreb, it was inconceivable that something like this could happen here at all, now no one doubts that Starlink will make its way here, too.

From Hakom, Croatia's telecommunication regulator, it was learned that Musk will need certain permits to operate Starlink in Croatia, as he will across the rest of the EU. Hakom states that a license isn't required for the operation of these satellites, but one for the provision of Internet or "electronic communication services" on the territory of Croatia is definitely necessary.

"Starlink or any other company that plans to provide electronic communications services here in Croatia is obliged to apply to Hakom for this activity through the e-Operator portal," they explained from Hakom.

Commercial 5G

They explained that then, the only remaining question regards Starlink's satellite dish and which one Croatia's users will buy. Hakom states that it has issued a general permit that allows the free use of fixed earth stations in a fixed satellite service that communicates with non-geostationary satellite networks. Here in Croatia, almost 150,000 residents use satellite television from Croatian Telecom and A1 Croatia. However, Hakom points out that they don't yet know whether Starlink's terrestrial terminals meet the conditions for that general permit, but this is likely to crystallise over the next year. During that time, telecoms are expected to accelerate the spread of the Croatia 5G network.

At this point, Croatian Telecom has already launched commercial 5G. A1 is announcing the same for next year, although it is being intensively tested, and two weeks ago Tele2 (Telemach) announced an investment of 130 million euros in its own 5G network and the launch of that same network next year. From Hakom, they say that all three operators can already offer commercial 5G.

"Licenses for the use of the RF spectrum are technologically neutral and refer to the frequencies that an individual operator receives, and with the change in October, we enabled the use of 5G technology to all operators," they say from Hakom.

Rural environments and islands

"A public auction for the allocation of the right to use 5G frequency bands is planned to be launched at the end of the first half of 2021, and a public hearing on the specific model of the public auction and the obligations of operators will be held beforehand," Hakom explained.

During that time, all three operators have licenses to test the full range of the Croatia 5G network in the Eastern city of Osijek. The condition is that they cannot offer this as a commercial service. Croatian Telecom and A1 are testing 5G in both Osijek and in Zagreb, and Croatian Telecom also covered ​​Bjelovar and Krk, while A1 installed their 5G antennas in Dubrovnik, Split, Rijeka and Cepin. Tele2-Telemach'a 5G is currently being tested only in Zagreb.

The wider application of the Croatia 5G network will enable operators to compete with Musk's Starlink in rural areas and across Croatia's inhabited islands, ie wherever there is no developed optical network today. Hakom states that telecoms will be able to use 5G to offer a landline phone, internet and TV connection. It will also be able to offer backup over 5G for users of the existing network, and the list of technologies and capabilities will be extended even to autonomous vehicles. Although Mate Rimac said that he was on his way to that, Hakom states that so far no one is using 5G for autonomous vehicles in Croatia.

"Something like this will be possible only with the allocation of 5G frequencies next year. It's important to point out that for autonomous vehicles, it's necessary to ensure the continuous coverage of all roads with a 5G signal with a certain quality of service, which will require large financial investments,'' Hakom concluded.

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As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of June, 2020, Croatian Telecom (Hrvatski Telekom) has contracted four years of exclusivity with Ericsson Nikola Tesla to build its future 5G network.

Currently, not all of the preconditions have been created for construction, not only in the form of permits but also free frequencies and the spread of devices that could support the new network. Alas, construction is expected to begin next year, when telecommunications regulator Hakom has announced a tender for 5G.

The value of the contract has not yet been announced. Kostas Nebis, President of the Management Board of Croatian Telecom, has emphasised that this is the first 5G contract in the Republic of Croatia and that Ericsson NT has become the exclusive supplier of the radio part of the mobile network until the year 2024.

"Cooperation with ENT is the latest example of our support to the economy and society, by which we're continuing to invest in the network and we're connecting everything in Croatia with the possibilities of digitalisation," said Nebis.

He added that they are continuing their cooperation on the modernisation of the radio part of the network. In the last two years, Croatian Telecom has directed the whole part towards the introduction of the 5G standard. In addition to the modernisation of the mobile network, they have worked on pilot projects for 5G in the frequency band 3.5GHz to 100 MHz on Krk, Samobor and in the City of Zagreb.

As part of the pilot project, the operator achieved data transfer speeds of 1Gbps in downloading data from the network and 58.2 Mbps in sending data to the network. Boris Drilo of Croatian Telecom stated back in February this year that their mobile infrastructure is now fully modernised and ready for the implementation of 5G.

Gordana Kovacevic, President of the Management Board of Ericsson NT, says that she is extremely pleased that after the first demonstration of 5G technology two years ago, they have now finalised it all by signing the first 5G contract here in Croatia.

"Ericsson has so far launched forty 5G networks on four continents, and I'm proud that as many as 1,500 of our 3,200 employees in Croatia are making a significant contribution to the development of new 5G network functionality within Ericsson's global R&D community," concluded Kovacevic.

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Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom was the first in the Republic of Croatia to demonstrate revolutionary 5G technology in the existing 4G frequency spectrum.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of June, 2020, recently in Samobor, Croatian Telecom tested out the technology that enabled fast coverage with 5G services in larger areas. It is a technology which deals with dynamic spectrum sharing, or DSS, the application of which is crucial for the rapid implementation of 5G technology.

In the area of ​​Samobor, Croatin Telecom enabled 5G technology on ten base stations in the 2.1 GHz frequency band with five base stations in the 3.5 GHz band, which enabled the largest 5G area in terms of speed and coverage in all of Croatia.

The application of DSS technology enables the current use of existing frequencies for 5G, and reduces the need for new base stations and locations with specific 5G frequencies. The application of 5G technology is crucial for connecting a large number of sensors, industrial devices, drones and autonomous vehicles, where the reliability of the connection is even more important than the data transfer speed, which can only be guaranteed by a quality radio signal using frequencies in the so-called middle band - 1.8-2.1 GHz. A commercially available Samsung S20 5G terminal was used to test the 5G functionality.

"By applying dynamic spectrum sharing technology, we tested out the largest 5G coverage area by combining 5G technology in separate (3.5 GHz) and shared 4G/5G spectrums (2.1 GHz) and thus made the biggest step forward in the development of 5G technology in Croatia, and once again proved that we have a leading network in Croatia,'' pointed out Boris Drilo of Croatian Telecom.

The simple and rapid implementation of dynamic spectrum sharing technology, which allows existing frequency resources to be dynamically shared between both 4G and 5G technology, is possible thanks to the recently completed modernisation of Croatian Telecom's entire mobile network. The project, which lasted more than two years, represents the largest private infrastructure investment in Croatia in 2019.

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Croatian Telecom (Hrvatski Telekom) has contracted with FER to build the first private mobile network in the Republic of Croatia based on 4G and 5G technologies - known as the Campus Network.

The announcement of the continental Croatian city of Osijek becoming the very first Croatian 5G city sparked debate about the potential issues of 5G as well as positive reactions from Eastern Croatia's increasing IT and tech community. Osijek is home to a bustling IT community for whom the introduction of the network will bring good things.

As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of February, 2020, after the capital city of Zagreb, Croatian Telecom (Hrvatski Telekom) plans to set up private 4G and 5G networks in Rijeka, Split and Osijek, while Deutsche Telekom operates similar projects in Austria and of course in Germany.

Deutsche Telekom already operates similar networks in Austria, the Czech Republic, its home country of Germany and Croatia's neighbour - Hungary, and Croatian Telecom will invest a massive two million kuna in the project.

Natasa Malic, Director of Access Networks at Croatian Telecom, says that similar projects are currently being planned in the cities of Rijeka, Split and Osijek and that the goal is to encourage the development of solutions in the fields of automation, robotics, edge and fog computing and other IT applications.

Jerko Dumanic, Marketing Director for Croatian Telecom Business Customers, says they are proud that they can lend a helping hand to both science and the economy. "Croatian Telecom is the largest private investor in STEM development, and we've confirmed this with the Campus Network," stated Dumanic.

Gordan Gledec, the Dean of FER, said that they are making a new leap forward with the move. "We're currently carrying out about 200 research projects and with this we're gaining new opportunities," concluded Gledec.

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Croatian Telecom (HT) have managed to expand their business in the Eastern Croatian city of Osijek owing to the previously announced introduction of a 5G network in the city.

There has been a lot of talk about the introduction of 5G in Croatia. With rumour recently being confirmed about the continental Croatian city of Osijek becoming the first Croatian 5G city, the new technological step forward has attracted as much criticism as it has praise.

From arguments about potential health issues arising to praise about how 5G's introduction will only help Osijek's encouraging IT and tech community to grow and develop, thus encouraging economic stimulation and the creation of more jobs, discussions on the issue have been relentless.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 17th of February, 2020, the City of Osijek is home to one of four Croatian Telecom call centres, and with other operations in the city, this huge operator employs more than 500 workers.

Croatian Telecom has, in a more than encouraging sign of things to come, opened another, brand new call centre in Osijek which employs more than 400 workers.

The new Croatian Telecom business premises in the often overlooked Slavonian city, which the operator decided to invest in after increasing its call centre staff in Osijek by as many as 166 at the end of last year, were opened on Friday by members of the company's management board, Natasa Rapaić and Ivan Bartulović.

The expansion of Croatian Telecom's Osijek-based business is, as previously stated, part of the operator's preparations for the city's introduction of the 5G network.

Many asked why Osijek was chosen to be the first Croatian 5G city, as it is rare that any sort of economic good news comes from that region of Croatia. Unbeknown to some, Osijek has a thriving IT and tech community, and it's more than likely that the introduction of 5G will spur that on.

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There has been a lot of talk about the introduction of 5G in Croatia, with the introduction of 5G in Osijek generating an even stronger response in both a negative sense. Now come the developments in infrastructure which are necessary to facilitate this important network transition.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of January, 2020, this regards a development of telecommunication infrastructure in the municipalities of Antunovac, Čepin, Erdut, Ernestinov, Šodolovac, Vladislavci and Vuka. The project has the intention of seeing the network reach almost 10,000 private business and public users.

As an important step towards the introduction of 5G in Osijek, a partnership agreement for the implementation of a project to build a broadband network in seven municipalities in Osijek-Baranja County, worth more than 54 million kuna in total, was signed recently by representatives of that county and Croatian Telecom/Hrvatska Telekom (HT).

Milan Meden, chief operating officer of HT's infrastructure services department, explained that all residents of the area will have the opportunity to get broadband with a minimum speed of 40 megabits and more, and a minimum of 90 percent of optical infrastructure will be built, which means that there will be a potential 10,000 users who will have a speed of 100 megabits or more made available to them.

"As the Government proclaimed Osijek the first 5G city in Croatia, HT is continuing its infrastructure investments in optical and mobile 5G networks, which means that the area will be covered by new broadband technologies. We will increase the user experience, increase current internet speeds, enable new services and open up new jobs,'' Medan noted.

County Prefect Ivan Anusic expects that this investment, as well as the very introduction of 5G in Osijek will bring with it further progress and improve the quality of life and work of citizens and businesses.

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There has been a lot of talk about the introduction of the 5G network in Croatia ever since the idea of the continental Croatian city of Osijek becoming the first Croatian 5G city first surfaced several months ago. Both negative and positive opinions on the first Croatian 5G city exist, and now the Croatian Government has confirmed that Osijek will indeed be the very first Croatian 5G city, and the entire city will be covered by 5G by the end of 2020.

As Marija Brnic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of January, 2020, in addition to Osijek, the continental Croatian cities of Karlovac and Bjelovar applied to become the first Croatian 5G city, as did the Northern Adriatic city of Rijeka, the European Capital of Culture for this year.

Osijek will be the first major Croatian city to build a 5G network within it by December the 31st this year, and then put it into full commercial operation. At today's session, the Croatian Government accepted the proposal, which has been led by a working group consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, HAKOM, and three well known network operators: HT, A1 and Tele2, since back in March last year.

"I believe that by doing this, we'll contribute to the development of the eastern part of Croatia," stated the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, adding that the introduction of 5G technology in the City of Osijek will open the door to the introduction of this brand new technology throughout the Republic of Croatia.

As previously mentioned, the cities of Karlovac, Bjelovar, and Rijeka also applied for the 5G network, and in addition to synergies with the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem Project, Osijek was decided on because it will not be particularly technically demanding for the construction of such mobile communications networks. 

The first Croatian 5G city has a university and industry, and a continually developing ICT start-up community, on top of all of that, the surrounding area has a great potential for deploying 5G technology in the sectors of both agriculture and tourism.

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As Novac/Gojko Drljaca writes on the 2nd of November, 2019, the Republic of Croatia is in a critical period in which the country and companies in the IT sector should recognise the potential for developing 5G network infrastructure.

It is a mistake to view 5G infrastructure as another step in the development of mobile telephony that will allow for faster and more comfortable use of the Internet or, in turn, watching higher quality videos. 5G is so much more than that.

Most of the special reports prepared by analytics and consulting firms for policy makers of both countries and major corporations conclude that the introduction of 5G will accelerate global economic growth very significantly in assessing the impact of 5G networks.

The big question is whether or not we're even actually aware here in Croatia that now is the right time to jump on the 5G train and accelerate the development of Croatia's 5G infrastructure. More and more governments across the globe are beginning to make decisions based on expert materials that tell them 5G is one of the cornerstones of future growth.

Far, far away in Australia, for example, they are convinced that 5G alone will raise their GDP per capita by 1300 dollars to 2000 dollars in the very first decade of its implementation. Imagine how much of a jump Croatia's general well-being would take if such a thing happened here.

5G provides data traffic speeds equal to those provided by fiber optic cables today. It is said that the Slavonian city of Osijek will, for example, be the first Croatian 5G city. Improving the speed of cable-free communication is in itself a major leap forward, which, according to experts, should be used primarily by inventive Croatian IT companies, of which there are many.

It can be believed that this is possible because the statistical indicators of the Croatian IT industry are very robust, although the state has not paid much attention to them at all, which isn't much of a surprise.

Between 2008 and 2018, the number of IT employees grew by 45 percent (from 26,970 to 39,062), exports grew by 90 percent (from 4.4 billion to 8.8 billion) and revenues grew by 28.8 percent (from 29.9 billion to 38.3 billion). It should be borne in mind that the domestic IT industry has, over the same period, driven a whole host of traditional industries forward.

The IT industry has grown much faster than the pharmaceutical and metal industries, electrical equipment manufacturing, machinery and equipment manufacturing, and even furniture manufacturing.

Even the food industry could not follow it in terms of total growth. The IT industry has slowly and dramatically changed the relations of the sectoral forces in Croatia, even when it comes to exports: in the same observed period, only the metal industry outperformed the aforementioned sectors.

In terms of total revenues from the observed industries, nobody is ''bigger'' or more important than the IT industry, and in terms of the number of employees, it is increasingly approaching the level of the food industry. On top of that, it has quite rapidly overtaken everyone else.

The key question now is how much additional momentum can be gained by Croatia's IT industry thanks to the rapid development of 5G infrastructure, or will it simply miss that train, as it has so many others? Time will tell.

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As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of September, 2019, Croatian Telecom (HT/Hrvatski Telekom) has announced that it plans to deploy as many as nine 5G base stations in the city of Osijek, Slavonia.

For a brief comparison, there are currently ten across the whole of the Republic of Croatia. Five of them are in Samobor and Sveta Nedelja, near Zagreb, four are on the island of Krk, and one is at the company headquarters building in Radnička Street in the City of Zagreb.

Boris Drilo, a member of HT's board, said that they are considering such an investment in Osijek, because it is assumed that this city will most likely be chosen as the first Croatian 5G city, therefore, Osijek is where all three operators will test their 5G technology.

''We don't know for sure whether it will be Osijek, because the 5G city is an EU initiative that came to the Croatian Government and then it called on cities to make contact, so, so far, we don't have any information on which city was really selected. However, given the interest shown by Osijek, then Osijek Software City and other factors, it's certain that this is an option,'' says Drilo.

He added that they are interested in expanding their 5G infrastructure in other parts of the country too, and that he is open to cooperation with local government units. He explained that HT's development path for 5G is very clear.

Firstly, they are currently working on a pilot phase of 5G, and they received the green light to test this technology on the 3.5 GHz to 100 MHz band in Krk, Samobor and Zagreb. He stated that they were able to achieve 1 Gbps data transfer and 58.2 Mbps uploads in real-world conditions.

Drilo emphasised, however, that this cannot be achieved everywhere, as the frequency bands are not yet fully prepared for 5G. Therefore, he sees the Croatian Government's decision as the next step as to which city will be Croatia's first 5G city, and, ultimately, for the commercialisation of 5G, he sees the improvement of 5G licensing conditions as a whole as necessary.

"For the 5G network only, HT would have to pay the same amount of frequency fees as for the existing spectrum, and that must change, because under such conditions, 5G will not be able to exist here in Croatia," he says.

Hr went on to explain that the spectrum fees paid by HT are still 350 percent higher than those paid on average by other members of the Deutsche Telekom group. He added that while the government has taken steps to improve the situation, there's still a lot of work to be done.

''It's still an extremely high price and the whole telecommunications industry in Croatia has a unique attitude on this issue. We're also discussing this with the regulator, and in addition, it should be borne in mind that 5G is a young technology, which offers a lot of potential to both society and the economy, but currently has limited commercial potential,'' Drilo concluded.

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