This year’s jubilee 30th Telecommunications Forum – TELFOR 2022 took place in Belgrade, on November 15 and 16. In the introductory part of the meeting, the attendees were addressed by dr Vladimir Krstić, Member of the Managing Board of RATEL.

“Despite past challenges, RATEL managed to remain dedicated to its core objectives, namely: safeguarding market competition, ensuring better user protection, improving quality of services and operators’ working conditions in the telecommunications and postal markets, as well as providing coordination of the ICT systems security risk prevention and protection. Our commitment and results are a clear sign that we have contributed to the advancement of the economy and prosperity of the citizens”, said dr Vladimir Krstić.

In the further part of the address, an overview of the electronic communications market was presented. “According to the gathered and analyzed data for 2021, total revenues in the electronic communications market of the Republic of Serbia amounted to approximately 220.7 billion dinars, representing an increase by 3.9% compared to the previous year. Electronic communications revenues account for 3.5% of the GDP in Serbia, with mobile telephony service provision accounting for the biggest share in the total income (60.2%). Overall investment in the electronic communications sector in 2021 was 63.2 billion dinars, a 31% increase compared to the previous year, when the investments were 48.2 billion dinars”, explained dr Vladimir Krstić.

Among RATEL’s future tasks and priorities, the efforts to advance the regulator’s radio frequency spectrum monitoring system through the expansion of remotely controlled monitoring and measurement stations was highlighted, as well as the preparation to carry out a public bid for the award of individual licenses for the use of frequency bands allocated to the 5G technology.

At this year’s conference, RATEL presented three papers about its activities related to the EMF measurement system for radio frequency spectrum monitoring, as well as the competencies of the National CERT, with presentation „Cyber Security in the Republic of Serbia” being discussed at the 8th RSNOG (RS Network Operators’ Group) Conference, held along with the jubilee TELFOR.

TELFOR is an international event where all relevant telecommunications and IT topics, such as: research, technical aspects, development, economic issues, education, equipment, services and systems are presented and discussed. The Forum, traditionally attended by a high number of participants, this year hosted individual guests and company representatives from telecommunications and related industries from more than 30 different countries.