December the 8th, 2020 - Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom (HT), the largest private investor in the digitalisation of the Republic of Croatia, has started implementing the most modern optical infrastructure in the area of ​​the city of Porec and its suburbs, and this hefty Croatian Telecom investment is sure to please many.

As Novac writes, this latest Croatian Telecom investment stands at an enormous 2.5 million kuna, and about 1,100 households in Porec's city centre will have the opportunity to enjoy gigabit speeds, and the realisation of this investment is planned to be completed in the first half of 2021.

A Croatian Telecom investment of an additional two million kuna on top of the above will enable the inclusion of vectoring and supervectoring technology, which will enable 100 Mbit / s internet speeds for 2,100 households in the areas of Varvari, Buici and Musalez by the end of 2020, CT announced.

With a superior experience of home internet connection, distance learning and enjoying entertainment such as gaming, the implementation of this project will improve the use of advanced digital products and services such as e-Citizens, e-schools, e-health, e-parking and other smart city projects being rolled out. High speeds and the availability of the Internet all over will also improve the tourist offer of this Istrian city and contribute to the further development of entrepreneurship and economic activity.

Back in September, Croatian Telecom signed a grant agreement with the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Central Agency for Financing and Contracting of EU Programmes and Projects for a broadband infrastructure development project in the City of Porec and the municipalities of Funtana, Kastelir-Labinci. Sveti Lovrec, Tar-Vabriga, Tinjan, Visnjan, Vizinada and Vrsar.

Within this EU project, CT and its project partner, the City of Porec, will build a new generation broadband network infrastructure on the project's spatial scope, so that broadband access will be provided to 11,189 potential users (apartments, business and public users) at the identified 7,979 addresses. Access speeds of at least 100 Mbit / s symmetrically connected to the optics (ultrafast access) will be provided for 90 percent of households and business and public users.

The project implementation period runs from the 31st of January 2021 to the 30th of September 2023, and the total value of the project stands at a massive 68,596,456.66 kuna, of which grants in the amount of 27,924,952.44 kuna have been awarded.

''Croatian Telecom is continuing to invest in optical infrastructure even during these challenging times, and I'm glad that fast and quality Internet access will enable the entire community of the City of Porec to increase its economic activity and the quality of life of its citizens. At the beginning of next year, we'll will start implementing an EU project that will provide a quality optical infrastructure with its project partner, the City of Porec, in the area of ​​Porec and all of its surrounding municipalities,'' said Boris Drilo, a member of CT's Management Board for Technology and Information Technology.

''As mayor, I welcome this valuable investment that will ensure the fastest and highest quality telecommunications network for citizens and visitors to Porec with open arms. In addition, we're working on a large broadband internet project for the entire Porec region, which will provide areas with fixed optics for faster internet. As a city, we're striving to constantly work on projects that will further improve quality of life here. Along with all other investments - such as the construction of schools, kindergartens, roads, drainage - today, quality and fast internet can really help us to have the best possible everyday life and offer for guests. I'm sure that through this investment, we'll make a big step in that direction as well,'' concluded Loris Persuric, the mayor of Porec.

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ZAGREB, October 29, 2020 - Hrvatski Telekom (HT) on Thursday rolled out a 5G network in Croatia, the first company to do so, initially covering Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Osijek, Samobor and Sveta Nedelja.

With 5G, HT is building a network of the future that will enable the connectivity and automation of a large number of sensors, industrial devices, autonomous vehicles, drones, as well as further advances in telemedicine, the company said in a press release.

CEO Kostas Nebis said that the commercial start of the 5G network was a milestone for the company and for the entire telecommunications industry in the country, because the 5G network would open up opportunities for innovations that would boost economic and social development.

The rollout of the 5G network is a continuation of activities on the construction of the network of the future which HT began to implement and test in March 2019.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of September, 2020, a large independent analysis conducted by the international technology company Umlaut is the latest confirmation that Croatian Telecom is the best Croatian mobile network. Until now, Umlaut was known on the Croatian market as P3. "Best in Test" as the highest recognition and the highest "Best Rated Broadband Coverage" rating confirm the leading position of Croatian Telecom on the market.

Detailed analysis of user measurement data is based on 44.5 million samples collected by 14.2 thousand users in 98.2 percent of the inhabited area of ​​Croatia, or 97.4 percent of the area of ​​the territory of Croatia which has been built on, covered by this Croatian mobile network. The analysis was conducted over a six-month period, from January to July 2020.

"Croatian Telecom is focused on providing customers with the best mobile network and service, and we're proud of the Umlaut certificate and the fact that experts and users recognise us as the best Croatian mobile network. Over the last few months, society has become aware of the importance of digital infrastructure and a stable and reliable network.

The recognition we receive and the positive user experience are a reflection of our commitment to the continuous investment, expansion and upgrade of our mobile network and we aren't going to just stop there, we'll continue to further improve our infrastructure,'' said Boris Drilo, a member of the management board and Chief Technology Officer at Croatian Telecom.

In 2020, for the second year in a row, Croatian Telecom won two Ookla awards once again - for the fastest Croatian mobile network and for the best mobile network coverage, achieving significantly better results in mobile download speeds than other mobile operators in Croatia.

Due to the continuous modernisation of this Croatian mobile network, the company is ready for 5G and intensive preparatory works are being carried out while waiting for the start of commercial work after the allocation of the required radio frequency spectrum.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of September, 2020, this year, Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom has been providing financial support to educational institutions and donating equipment for the development of creative STEM projects, and the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation has been provided with comprehensive professional support. Meet Generation NOW.

Croatian Telecom is continuing to invest in future STEM experts and recently opened applications for the new Generation NOW donation tender. Through this year's donation tender, the company is investing 700,000 kuna in the development of the STEM area in the Republic of Croatia and continuing on with its successful cooperation with its long-term partner, the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation (IRIM).

The tender runs from September the 22nd to October the 5th, 2020, and all educational institutions and non-profit institutions that promote the STEM field can apply through the online form. The selected institutions will have the support of IRIM experts for the entire duration of the programme, while Croatian Telecom will donate the most modern equipment for creating creative Internet of Things projects, free internet access with free data traffic and a financial donation.

"The acquisition of new skills not only encourages personal and professional growth but also makes progress possible. By acting in the present and empowering our children, through Generation NOW, together we create a better tomorrow. I'm extremely proud that Croatian Telecom has invested more than four million kuna into STEM education over the last four years, but we're primarily proud of the fact that we encourage the development of STEM competencies in Croatia from an early age and help children and young people build a better future for themselves personally and for society as a whole. Thanks to this, more than 300 educational institutions participate in our programme, and more than 2,200 creative, dedicated and knowledge-seeking young minds are one step closer to realising their dreams and their full potential. Although this is a very challenging year for all of us, right now it is even more important to support and involve young people in areas that will open up countless opportunities for them,'' said Kostas Nebis, President of Croatian Telecom on the occasion of another major investment in STEM education.

Generation NOW is being implemented with the aim of providing the most modern forms of education to young people so that they, with the help of the latest technology, develop their creativity and innovation, and this year it is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Education. The novelty of this year's programme is IRIM's interactive educational web portal Izradi! where a free course on Arduino is available to everyone, an extremely important technology for the STEM area that will be used in education. The Generation NOW programme will be held again this year, if the epidemiological situation allows for it, in the premises of selected institutions throughout Croatia, and interactive materials will additionally help programme participants in acquiring knowledge and creating their own projects. As the entire educational programme is online, it will be available to all other institutions, but also to individuals interested in improving their own STEM knowledge and skills.

On the occasion of the opening of the fifth Generation NOW donation competition, Paolo Zenzerovic, IRIM Business Manager, stated: ''This year, the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation is continuing its successful long-term cooperation with Croatian Telecom by including 50 new institutions and supporting previously involved institutions. Through this project, we're educating mentors in primary and secondary schools and associations for the use of Arduino - the world's most famous platform for the implementation of do-it-yourself projects in the field of electronics, automation, robotics and engineering in general. Together with their mentors, students create their own projects while developing competencies in the field of STEM and other digital skills needed to work and live in today's digital world,'' he concluded.

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As Novac writes on the 1st of September, 2020, with the aim of improving the user experience and providing an even better service, Hrvatski Telekom/Croatian Telecom has opened another new multimedia store on Ibler's Square (Iblerov trg) in Zagreb. Croatian Telecom has thus converted as many as 26 traditional T-Centres into modern stores according to the highest standards.

The T-Centre on Ibler's Square is divided into several functional units and is fully adapted to all users of Croatian Telecom's services. With all of the standard features, members of Generation Z and all those who feel that way can get acquainted with all the services offered by the bonbon brand in the first specialised zone within the T point of sale.

On the smart devices in the bonbon zone, visitors have access to music albums by Billie Eilish, multiple Grammy Award winners and global activists in the field of spreading digital optimism. Ibler's Square's T-Centre is also adorned with a so-called chill zone where users, when surfing the leading network, can try out new functionalities on the smart devices on display there.

Employees and the space of the T-Centre on Ibler's Square are equipped in accordance with all of the current epidemiological recommendations, and environmentally conscious landscaping with the already recognisable green wall in the newly decorated area provides an even more pleasant atmosphere when getting better acquainted with the company's impressively wide portfolio of products.

''Our customers deserve the best service, and its integral part are highly functional modern points of sale, designed and organised in such a way so as to ensure a flawless user experience and offer varied content. Our T-Centre on Ibler's Square is a space that combines technological innovations and all of the benefits of a physical branch and we're proud that it's equipped according to the model of the most modern European multimedia stores. With this opening, we're showing that even in challenging times, we're continuing to invest in our offer and in the provision of an even better service,'' said Maja Zunic of Croatian Telecom.

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As Novac writes on the 3rd of August, 2020, Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom provided the citizens of Sisak and the residents of the municipalities of both Ražanac and Posedarje with free internet in areas where public gatherings take place. They are part of the cities and municipalities that were awarded a voucher in the amount of 15,000 euros as part of the WiFi4EU initiative, after which they chose Croatian Telecom as the best contractor to provide public free WiFi internet for their citizens.

As part of the WiFi4EU initiative, the European Commission is launching projects co-financing high-quality free internet access for citizens in public places such as parks, squares, public buildings, libraries and museums.

In the area of ​​the city of Sisak, thirteen WiFi connection points have been installed, which have been successfully connected and integrated with the city's telecommunications network and cover the locations of the newly renovated city skating rink ''Zibel'' and the city pool, Caprag, a central summer gathering place for local residents. The project provoked extremely positive reactions from citizens, on which occasion, Mayor Kristina Ikić Baniček stated: "Our goal is to facilitate access to Internet services in public spaces and improve digital connectivity in the city of Sisak."

Access to free public internet was realised at the beginning of summer in well-known tourist destinations in the vicinity of Zadar. In the municipality of Posedarje, free WiFi internet access was launched in early June at several locations including Punta beach, Sveti Duh beach, the building of the Posedarje Tourist Board and the Podvrtline car park. Access points have been set up in the nearby municipality of Ražanac, where there are nine external and two internal access points which work to cover the locations of the Municipality building, the square in front of the Municipality, the National Library, Riva (waterfront) and the Vlaški kraj, Pisak, Pježavac and Puntica beaches.

Due to the specific weather conditions in the local climate, the municipality of Ražanac has invested additional funds of its own that will ensure the functioning of the network throughout the year. "With this project, we've covered the most frequented places in the Ražanac area and we're sure that our locals and their guests will be satisfied. The project team of Croatian Telecom has really done an excellent job and all of our wishes and ambitions have been entirely fulfilled,'' said Nikola Miletić, Mayor of Ražanac.

Otherwise, Croatian Telecom is the largest private investor in the Republic of Croatia, which has been continuously investing in the quality and development of its mobile and fixed network infrastructure for years.

"We're proud that cities and municipalities recognise us as a reliable technological partner, which will provide their citizens with the best experience of using the public and free internet. We're continuing to digitise Croatia by providing access to quality internet to as many citizens as possible, which means investing in the development of optical infrastructure, WiFi access points and the mobile network,'' said Nikola Brebric, manager for the development of ICT business solutions at Croatian Telecom.

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As many as 14,000 households in the area of ​​Velika Gorica near the City of Zagreb will have the possibility of the use of ultra-fast Internet with speeds over 100 Mbit/s, and in the future these speeds will exceed 1 Gbit/s thanks to a large investment from Croatian Telecom.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of July, 2020, Croatian Telecom/Hrvatski Telekom, the largest private investor in the Republic of Croatia, has started implementing the most modern optical infrastructure in the area of ​​Velika Gorica which is situated close to the capital, the move will provide Velika Gorica's citizens with gigabit speeds and the best experience possible when using Croatian Telecom's telecommunications services.

The project worth around 29 million kuna will enable the connection of as many as 14,000 households to ultra-fast Internet with speeds over 100 Mbit/s, and in the future these speeds will exceed 1 Gbit/s. In addition to the superior experience of home internet connection, which is necessary for working from home, holding distance learning and enjoying entertainment such as gaming, the implementation of this project will improve the use of advanced digital products and services such as e-Citizens, e-schools, e -health, e-parking and other projects in the domain of smart cities, and the use of which requires high access speeds.

"Optical networks to households undoubtedly provide the highest quality and fastest access to the Internet and are an integral part of the digitalisation of society, increasing economic competitiveness and quality of life. We're very pleased that Velika Gorica is part of our optical investments, which will provide a large number of citizens with an advanced user experience through the enjoyment of ultra-fast connectivity. This year, in a challenging business environment, Croatian Telecom is continuing with its investment plans, as evidenced by the record 60 percent growth in covering Croatian households with optics, which we plan to realise this year,'' said Croatian Telecom's Boris Drilo.

"Nowadays, modern high-speed communication infrastructure is one of the most important preconditions for economic development and investment attraction, but it's also important in all other spheres of social activity, especially when it comes to education. In the City of Velika Gorica, in recent years we've been continuously working on the improvement of the communication infrastructure, from the development of a broadband internet development plan to the establishment of numerous access points for free wireless internet access. The planned investment from Croatian Telecom in the form of the optical infrastructure in the area of ​​Velika Gorica is the most significant development project of this type so far, which is equally important for economic entities and institutions, as well as for households,'' said the Mayor of Velika Gorica, Drazen Barisic.

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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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The coronavirus crisis has seen many a Croatian company provide generous donations to various hospitals and other health institutions up and down the country. From INA to HS Produkt, the desire for hospitals fighting the virus head on to have the proper equipment to do so has brought out the best in many companies wanting to help procure respirators and other items. Croatian Telecom is yet another.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of April, 2020, Croatian Telecom (Hrvatski Telekom) has generously donated a massive four million kuna to the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb to help them in the ongoing and difficult fight against the spread of the new coronavirus, the company stated on Wednesday.

''With this donation to the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases, whose experts have been working on the suppression of the [coronavirus] epidemic since the very first appearance of the coronavirus in the Republic of Croatia, we wanted to contribute and support their further efforts,'' read a statement on the donation provided by Croatian Telecom.

''Every day, we're witnessing the heroic deeds of doctors, nurses, medical professionals and everyone who works tirelessly for the common good during these difficult circumstances. With this donation, we'd like to contribute to the [efforts of] the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases, which was chosen because it is an institution that has been on the front line of defense since day one and, and we're all indebted to its engagement,'' said the Chairman of the Board of Croatian Telecom, Kostas Nebis.

The now very well known and widely celebrated director the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotic, said on the occasion that this generous donation would provide for even better conditions for the treatment of patients in the phase of the most intense fight against the spread of COVID-19.

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