The Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RAK BiH) may be at odds with the Competition Council in their approach to the acquisitions being undertaken by Telekom Srbija in the country.
Capital reports that according to information supplied by RAK, the cable operators Telrad from Bijeljina and BlicNet from Banja Luca are now owned by Telekom Srbija’s subsidiary Mtel, while the latter’s request to buy Elta kabel in Banja Luka has been rejected.
Speaking in a press conference, Pedrag Kovac, the DG of RAK, said it was inappropriate for monopolies to arise and it was RAK’s task to ensure there were more market participants than at present. However, he did wish to discuss on what basis the Competition Council had rejected Mtel’s offer to buy Elta Kabel.
It is also unclear if RAK undertook a market analysis and imposed regulatory measures, though the former may have been abandoned due to changes in EU rules.
There are concerns Mtel will achieve monopoly status by taking over smaller operators and it is unclear as to whether RAK or the Competition Council should address the issue.
