8 internet operators and one regional company obtained VoIP licences

Licences for offering of telephone services through internet (VoIP) were given to 8 Serbian internet providers and informational companies and one regional company, it was announced yesterday (December, 30, 3008).

As it stands on Ratel’s website, the licences were given to internet operators “Verat”, “YUBC”, and “Beotelnet”, “Eunet” and “Yunet”, “Informatika” and “INT CS”.

Licences were also given to telecommunication companies “Maxtira” and “Art communication” and a regional company for internet services “Akton”, whose head office is in Slovenia, and is also present in Croatia, BiH, Montenegro and Macedonia.

Ratel approved licences for VoIP on December, 22nd, and they were registered on December, 30.

Approval for international connection was given to “Art communication” for connecting with the network of Croatian telekom, while cable operator SBB received approval for connecting with the network of Romanian company “Pantel”, and internet provider, YUBC for connection with Croatian telekom and Prime Telecom from Romania.

Approvals for using telecommunication networks were given to SBB, Art communication and UBC.

Ratel issued licences according the regulations published on October, 17, in the Business herald. Those are the first licences issued based on the regulations for liberalization of internet market and market of telecommunication, and the number of those companies is not limited.

Users of VoIP will not be able to get a new phone number, but instead they will be accepting the calls through Telekom or mobile operators. Complete liberalization of fixed telephony market is planned for 2009.

A few companies were offering the users in Serbia the service of VoIP before those regulations were published. The price of their offer was up to 7 times lower than in fixed telephony in Serbia for all international calls, while their prices for domestic calls were higher than through Telekom.

Approvals for connecting with international networks, will mean liberalization of internet market, and this could lead to improvement of the quality and lowering of internet prices in Serbia, according to Ratel representatives and Ministry for telecommunications.