April the 15th, 2022 - A1 Croatia (A1 Hrvatska) is busy strengthening its presence and position in Eastern Croatia, which is regularly forgotten about in almost every sense and which has experienced by far the worst of the country's demographic crisis. Employment opportunities are being offered in the hopes of keeping hold of the workforce.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in order to strengthen its position in Eastern Croatia and show young people that there are companies in which they can develop and work, A1 Croatia has opened 70 new jobs in its Osijek-based call centre. In addition, the wider goal is to improve the service by making agents more accessible so that they can devote more and better time to customers. With this move, Osijek, with new employment opportunities, becomes the second largest A1 Croatia business centre after Zagreb.

A1 Croatia has invested in arranging an additional 600 square metres of modern and functional office space, which will complete the working space in Eurodom to cover about 1000 square metres. About a hundred agents will work in it, and about 70 of them are currently being employed or are undergoing education and training.

The General Director for Private Users of A1 Croatia, Ivana Markovic, emphasised the importance of a positive working atmosphere because agents are expected to know and be able to do everything, which isn't easy at all.

A strong contribution to youth employment and retention

By choosing Osijek for the new location of the call centre, A1 Croatia is directly contributing to employment and retention, primarily of young people, in Osijek-Baranja County and the City of Osijek.

"Osijek is coming to life in the economic sense, which is confirmed by statistics. We've reduced the number of unemployed people in the city, there are more immigrants than emigrants, and the average salary has increased. We've freed investors from needing to pay utility/communal contributions, which leads to multimillions in terms of savings in the construction of commercial facilities. In terms of conditions, our Nemetin Economic Zone is one of the most attractive in all of Croatia. We're creating a positive economic environment, a significant part of which is A1 Croatia with its large Osijek investment,'' said the Mayor of Osijek, Ivan Radic.

The Osijek-based A1 Croatia call centre also employs more women than men, and the average age is around 25 years. With colleagues from sales and technology in the capital of Slavonia, A1 is the employer of more than 160 workers.

Ivan Skender, Chief Director for Business Transformation, Human Resources and Corporate Communications, stated that A1 Croatia continues to invest in its employees.

''In 2021 and 2022, we invested 8 percent in employee salaries and benefits to ease the impact of inflation. Regular and transparent communication and the creation of a motivating work environment are the foundations of our corporate culture,'' said Skender.

All new employees in the A1 Croatia Osijek call centre receive numerous benefits, among other things, they have the opportunity to receive a bonus for getting good results, they will be able to work from home and they'll also be improve their education to gain future skills.

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June the 16th, 2021 - A team of Croatian designers are set to design A1 Croatia's workwear in a brand new tender which works to keep locally made products in mind.

With the coronavirus pandemic having highlighted, among other things, that we can't always rely on imports and that trying to produce as much as we can locally is the best direction to go in, A1 Croatia have their eyes set on talented Croatian designers, of which there are plenty. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Telekom A1 Hrvatska/Croatia has announced a tender for Croatian designers to apply for. The tender invites them to design new work clothes for their employees, with a prize fund for the best solutions amounting to 30,000 kuna.

As they explained from the aforementioned company, the whole process, from the selection of the design solution to the very execution and application will be carried out in cooperation with Naftalin, a Croatian company which deals the production of workwear. By making this business move, A1 Croatia wants to give an incentive to Croatian designers and companies.

“The choice of such a company was prompted by the desire to show how some support for a creatively strong part of society can easily enable it to become more visible and to improve and develop its business.

We're aware of the exceptional importance of local production for every community, because we can only grow when the community in which we operate is also growing,'' said Iva Ancic, head of brand and marketing communications at A1 Croatia.

The panel for the selection of the design of the new work clothes also provided a place for one of the employees who, with his advice and first-hand knowledge, will help make the new clothes created by Croatian designers as comfortable as possible and according to the wishes of the employees themselves, the company explains.

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January the 6th, 2021 - Very few people will remember the utter disaster that was 2020 with fondness. A return to the economic level of 2019 is now not expected until 2022, or even 2023. How is A1 Croatia planning to push economic growth forward, all while maintaining social and environmental responsibility?

As Novac writes, as has been estimated, the fall in Croatia's GDP could be eight to nine percent, and the growth in 2021 will be equal to about five percent. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the telecommunications sector into an unappealing corner much like it has with the rest of the economy. Companies are facing declining sales, rising bad debts and fewer visitors using roaming services, which significantly shapes their key financial indicators. However, A1 Croatia responded to this crisis with a different approach - a digital and green one, which opens up opportunities for the development of a more digital society.

Examples of smart cities

A1 Croatia, which employs about two thousand people and takes care of the needs of two million users across Croatia every day, welcomed 2020 in a largely digitally transformed way. Furthermore, it introduced a model of hybrid and flexible operation in response to employee protection during the pandemic and stepped up its overall investment in next-generation 5G and fixed networks based on optics to provide its customers with even more advanced services. In addition, to support the creation of better business and living conditions in the long run, they invested in a new data centre to further strengthen their capacities to support the digital transformation of the Croatian economy and smart cities, and joined the UN Global Compact initiative.

A1 Croatia, as part of the wider A1 Telekom Austria Group, is a leading provider of digital services and communication solutions in Central and Eastern Europe and has set itself the task of incorporating the ten basic principles of the UN Global Compact initiative into its business. Some of these principles are already being applied. The company's goal is to achieve full CO2 neutrality by 2030. In terms of sustainable development, A1 Croatia places great emphasis on the green economy, which is reflected in business IoT solutions that contribute to the community, such as smart waste containers, smart metres, air quality measurements and smart parking.

A1 Croatia's brand new data centre

The crisis that hit the globe also prompted A1 Croatia to offer even better business solutions through the accelerated digitalisation of Croatian society. Back in September 2020, the company launched an 11m-euro investment in its second data centre, which will be one of the most modern in the wider region. It will be built according to the Tier III standard and will be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, thus supporting the operations of Croatian companies in the digital transition. In parallel, A1 Croatia has implemented, in cooperation with local communities, several solutions that enable a digitised and greener future. Plin Vrbovec digitised the metres via the A1 NB-IoT network and connected them to the IoT system. As such, they collect data on gas consumption in real time, protecting employees from the possibility of coronavirus infection, as well as users because it can quickly warn them of excessive consumption. This year, A1 Croatia also introduced smart waste bins, which save up to 50 percent in waste management and 40 percent in the number of bins in cities.

In addition, A1 Croatia continues to invest heavily in real, gigabit 5G. In the next year, this operator will remain focused on the purchase of a 5G radio spectrum. They're already working intensively on 5G technology, and were the first in all of Croatia to demonstrate surfing speeds higher than 1 Gbps and a latency of 6 ms on commercial devices. They want to provide their users with just the experience of real 5G, ie a mobile network that offers gigabit speeds and extremely low latencies, which they're convinced will positively affect Croatia's position according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) which is published by the European Commission.

Developing the skills of the future

The basis for all these investments, savings and offers is the digital transformation of A1 Croatia, and at its core lies the development of future employee skills. In the last twelve months, 87 percent of A1 Croatia's employees have completed at least one form of education designed for their personal and professional development. The company has introduced Coaching and Mentoring internal programmes and placed emphasis on learning new technologies and ways of working in five key areas: Agile, 5G, Data Analytics & AI, Digital & Growth Marketing, Process automation.

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January 5, 2021 – After a donation of 2 million kuna, A1 Croatia gives its customers 120 GB of additional free internet traffic to make communication easier for earthquake-affected area residents.

A1 Croatia provides 120 GB of additional free internet traffic on their A1 mobile lines for users whose homes have been damaged. Also, on Tomato lines, A1 gives a free option of 500 min/SMS. All business users from the affected area will receive 150 GB of free data traffic in January, A1 Croatia reported.

Users who cannot use A1 services due to damage can either put it into "sleep mode" free of charge during non-use, request the disconnection of fixed services (free of charge and without the need to return the equipment), or activate replacement fixed services such as Flatbox.

"In this challenging year for all residents of Croatia, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Zagreb and the last devastating earthquake in the broader area of Sisak, Petrinja, and Glina, the A1 Croatia mission is active assistance to the community. We are at the disposal of the Government of the Republic of Croatia," said A1 Croatia.

A1 Croatia has already donated 2 million kuna to repair the aftermath of the earthquakes in the cities of Petrinja, Sisak, and Glina and other cities and municipalities affected by the devastating earthquakes.

Also, A1 Croatia provided additional communication equipment for Sisak General Hospital and the radio stations in Petrinja and Sisak, as the local radio was the first source of information about the earthquake for the local population.

They donated ten free lines for the Croatian Red Cross employees. They also provided free minutes of conversations for experts who provide psychological assistance. A1 employees collect essential hygiene items, food and water, blankets, pillows, lamps, batteries, and other necessary things to deliver to the affected area.

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December 22, 2020 – The Sisak-Moslavina County Development Agency SIMORA and A1 Croatia, a leading technological innovator, have entered into business cooperation to develop the video game industry in the Business Incubator in Novska.

As Jutarnji list reports, SIMORA, a development center for the video game industry, and A1 Hrvatska, a leading technological innovator, have signed a multi-year agreement on cooperation and services exchange.

Business cooperation has common goals: development of the video game industry in the Business Incubator in Novska, including the development of video games on the most modern mobile and fixed technology, promotion of innovations, as well as stronger involvement of ICT industry and video game industry in education, public, and private sector throughout Croatia.

The specific location where the cooperation will take place is the PISMO Business Incubator in Novska, recently declared the best EU co-financed project in Croatia for 2020.

"At a time of unprecedented public health and economic challenges, we are especially pleased that the project of our development agency is recognized by important market participants aimed at digitalization of society, the progress of the local community, and thus the whole of Croatia. I am convinced that the inclusion of A1 Croatia will further accelerate the achievement of the goal of our county becoming a true center of the gaming industry, the fastest growing industry in the world," said Ivo Žinić, prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County.

The PISMO business incubator currently consists of two facilities with about twenty offices, co-working, and conference rooms equipped with the latest technology such as motion capture, photogrammetric and video, and music studio, CNC, 3D printer, VR, and other ICT equipment.

"About forty startups from the gaming industry are already operating in our incubator. It proves that we are succeeding in our intention to give young people the opportunity to stay in Sisak-Moslavina County or a reason to move in. The support provided by our new technological partner A1 Croatia is related, among other things, to access to the most modern mobile and fixed network. This is certainly one of the basic preconditions for our further development and growth in the direction of building a future Gaming campus worth almost 400 million kunas," explains Mario Čelan, director of SIMORA.

In addition to optical fixed infrastructure with access speeds of as much as 1 Gbps, A1 Croatia also ensures the availability of a real 5G network, gigabit speeds, and extremely low latency.

"A1 Croatia is a company that brings innovations and recognizes technological and social trends. So it's no surprise that everything related to the gaming industry has been in our focus for a long time. The potential that we recognized in the PISMO incubator we plan to realize much wider than technical support. In addition to content related to esport and hackathon events, we will organize numerous demonstrations and trainings related to the use of new technologies together. This partnership will certainly be one of the wheels of development of modern, digital society," concludes Tomislav Makar, General Manager for Technology and Information Technologies at A1 Croatia.

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Could smart bins be the solution to Croatia's concerning waste issues? If it's up to A1 Croatia, then the answer is yes.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes on the 31st of October, 2020, the General Manager for A1's business users, Ivan Gabric, said that the company wants to step towards the fourth industrial revolution, trying to recognise the trends of a green future, which they started two years ago when they launched the NB IoT network. They also introduced a free cooling system to reduce the use of air conditioners. "With national coverage with the A1 NB IoT network, we're ready for the exponential growth of the IoT ecosystem in Croatia," said Gabric.

The first model of a smart bin is designed for outdoor use, it enables the compression of waste by increasing the capacity of the smart bin by up to 10 times, it's powered by solar energy and is energetically self-sustaining. The second model is for the internal part, and it's also equipped with a press, status sensors and a system for connecting and sending information, and the disposal of waste in the smart bin is contactless, ie, it opens owing to a motion sensor. The third model is intended for indoor use, it uses artificial intelligence that detects the type of waste being placed in it with sensor cameras and automatically separates it into a suitable container. With the principle of machine learning, each time it recognises the type of waste, it learns, complements its own knowledge base and shares it with other bins in the system.

''Thanks to the IoT cloud platform, it's possible to remotely check the status of the bin at any time so that discharge can be planned efficiently. The map shows the location of the bin, how full it is, and it's possible to create optimal tour routes,'' said Sinisa Stanicic, Director of ICT sales and solutions at A1 Croatia.

The bins can be connected via WiFi, GSM or NB IoT network. The highest standards of hygiene are achieved by non-contact opening, antibacterial coating and are hermetically sealed preventing the spread of unpleasant odors or liquids. They comply with all applicable directives and regulations of the European Union with the CE mark and certificate. It's possible to extend their functionality by adding different sensors such as the measuring of air quality, noise level or WiFi.

''After smart parking, smart metres and air quality monitoring systems, A1 Croatia is continuing with this project with a demonstration of the application of IoT solutions. In addition, our experts will respond to all of the challenges of the smart city concept by creating solutions for specific user requirements. With national coverage with the A1 NB IoT network, we're ready for the exponential growth of the IoT ecosystem in Croatia,'' said Ivan Gabric of A1.

They added that the company presented a number of smart solutions for digitalisation and business improvement for business users on the website www.pametnarjesenja.hr, along with a portfolio of services.

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Users of the popular A1 Croatia will soon have the fastest internet connection in the entire country available to them following a survey which concluded that users want things to be more simple and flexible.

As Dora Koretic/Novac writes on the 27th of August, 2020, users of A1 Croatia's services will be the first in the country to be able to access the internet via optics for the first time in the Republic of Croatia, receiving access speeds of up to 1 Gbit per second, which, according to this telecom operator, is the fastest such internet connection in all of Croatia.

Among other things, A1 Croatia's users will be able to enjoy an internet speed of 200 Mbit per second in the most basic of packages, and thanks to the MOZAIK option, they will now be able to connect the services they need and use, thus achieving savings that can reach up to 120 kuna per month, which will be more than welcome for many families.

The new service is specially adapted to users of A1 Croatia's fixed services - they will now be able to manage the offer of TV content or change packages without having to pay an additional fee on a monthly basis. According to the company, this brand new approach to the user was created after a survey of 406 respondents was carried out and which showed that over 88 percent of them want to activate or deactivate their services more easily, and over 80 percent of them want to independently manage their tariffs and options through an application or portal.

“Our experiences during the coronavirus pandemic confirm that users have adapted, digitally transformed and they do know what they want. Therefore, our new offer is based on simplicity and flexibility,'' said A1 Croatia's director Ivana Markovic.

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The second largest operator in the Republic of Croatia, A1 Croatia (Hrvatska), has now launched a new service after only two weeks of having tested it, the fastest ever. And it's already bringing in visible results.

As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of October, 2019, at a time when classic stores are gradually being transformed digitally by being closed down and being replaced by online and mobile stores, turning into cafes and lounge bars, or expanding their offer indefinitely, an alternative has emerged. A1 Croatia officially unveiled the very first A1 Virtual Shop on Tuesday.

The new store is a mix of a physical store, telesales, and an online store. There is something for everyone, and it does not fall into any of these categories alone. In other words, many elements have already been seen before, or should not be classed as some sort of "major" innovation. However, the A1 Virtual Shop is the first service ever officially launched by this telecom after only two weeks of testing.

Ivana Marković, managing director for the A1 Croatia private customers segment, says they did not expect that A1 Croatia's new service would have such an impact on the market.

"For the last two weeks, we've been quietly testing it through our website, so we just opened the possibility, we didn't tell anyone about it, and users have accepted this service so much that this shop already has a sales result at the level of our smaller point of sale,'' explained Marković.

She noted that the effect of the A1 Virtual Shop is comparable to as much as half the traffic generated by the average A1 Centre, which is what an A1 Croatia retail outlet such as the one located on Gajeva street in the very centre of Zagreb boasts. Ivan Skender of business transformation, human resources and corporate communications for A1 Croatia says that something similar was offered a year ago by a bank.

The bank in question is Addiko Bank. The service consists of the possibility that you can sort something out that you'd usually need to go into branch for via video call, and a very similar thing is now offered by A1 Croatia.

However, the operator has made one small but important change for the users. The seller doesn't actually see the buyer in their new virtual store.

"We've allowed the buyer to be able to see the seller, that he can show them everything in the store that is the same as in any of our outlets, and that they can talk to them, but the seller on the other hand can't see the user, but only hears them, and that proved crucial,'' explained Skender.

He revealed the fact that they made the first store of its kind in a sort of movie studio on Hondlova street in Zagreb, and that they currently have three sellers working weekdays from 10:00 to 22:00.

"Due to demand, we'll triple our capacity, probably extend our working hours and introduce other innovations, and it's possible that this may become a model for the transformation of our shopping centres, since this could potentially increase their efficiency," Skender concluded.

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