RATEL’s delegation took part in the 19^th International Regulatory Conference entitled “Current and future regulatory challenges and harmonization with the EU regulatory frame”, organized by the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services of Montenegro (EKIP), held in Budva, Montenegro, on September 26-28.

The Conference was opened by Branko Kovijanić, Head of the EKIP Council, who highlighted the history of the event going back to 2003, as well as its importance not only to the advancement of mutual cooperation and research of the trends in the area of electronic communications, but also to the harmonization of the relevant regulatory processes.

Director of RATEL, Dragan Pejović, pointed in his introductory speech to the relevance of the regional and international cooperation and this meeting’s significance to the exchange of experiences between the regulators in the region, briefly presenting the main RATEL’s goals and plans for the future period.

Representatives of RATEL held presentations in three different areas and discussed the results and plans regarding the analysis of the relevant electronic communications markets, including steps to be taken in the forthcoming 5G technology RF spectrum bidding procedure, as well as the current activities related to the digital radio (T-DAB) introduction in the Republic of Serbia.

The program sessions within the Conferenece were dedicated to the promotion of market competition, market analyses, regulatory measures and international roaming and termination. The discussions were held on the enhancement of user protection, identification of best practices tied to consumer awareness, information transparency, with a possible focus on new services such as open Internet and digital platforms, including the digital radio (T-DAB) implementation.

The International Regulatory Conference hosted by EKIP is one of the leading events gathering the regulators of Central and Southeastern Europe, themed around different aspects of electronic communications market regulation, with 167 representatives of 15 countries from the region and Europe having taken part this year.