Hrvatski Telekom (HT) has signed 13 partnership agreements with local and regional governments for the construction of a broadband network.
The telco has committed to build the fibre network over the next three years, offering speeds of at least 100Mbps and reaching 135,000 new customers in cities and municipalities across Croatia.
HT notes that the agreements are an integral part of a public call for the construction of next-generation access networks worth a total of HRK 1.1 billion (€147.3 million), as announced by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds in July last year. HT won 13 of the 16 bids submitted at the public call, committing to invest HRK328 million of its funds to bring next-generation network to parts of Croatia where no such infrastructure currently exists.
The total value of eligible costs for projects developed by HT, together with the public component, goes up to HRK651 million.
Commenting on the development, Boris Drilo, management board member and chief technical and chief information oficer of HT, said: “After finalising the modernisation of the entire mobile network across Croatia at the end of last year and preparing it for an upgrade to 5G technology, we have made an additional breakthrough in the fixed segment. As part of this project, we will bring the next-generation network to parts of the country where it does not exist, thus enabling all residents in those areas to use modern technology to create a better future. Digitalisation of all parts of Croatia is a fundamental part of HT’s social purpose”.