A1 Croatia Acquires Radio Frequency Spectrum for €109 Million

In a public auction, A1 Croatia secured spectra in the frequency bands 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2600 MHz for 15 years. These long-term resources, acquired for €109 million, will be the basis for further growth, enabling the best user experience and maximum national coverage in Croatia.

With this significant investment, the company has once again proven itself as a serious investor and partner to the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The public auction process conducted by HAKOM was very competitive, which confirms the significantly higher income of the state than the originally planned €155 million, which is how much the radio frequency spectrum offered at the public auction would cost at the initial prices. A1 Croatia will pay €109.28 million for its acquired part of the radio frequency spectrum.

The president of the board of A1 Hrvatska Jiří Dvorjančanský emphasizes that the company has once again confirmed that it is ready to invest significant funds in the development of telecommunications networks and advanced digital services in Croatia.

"We have always been committed to the further development of globally competitive mobile and high-performance fixed networks, digitization, and the progress of Croatia according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Investments in the spectrum are followed by new significant investments in technology, i.e. modernization and development of new generation networks. Our strategy is to use all radio frequencies in the future as a 5G standard to support the best user experience and ensure maximum availability, reliability, and security for both our private and business users," explains Dvorjančanský.

"Through this public auction, A1 Croatia secured 2x25 MHz in the 800/900 MHz radio frequency band and 2x65 MHz in the 1800/2100/2600 MHz radio frequency band, which will enable high-quality network capacities and meet all the needs of user traffic growth in the coming years. All this is the basis for the continued strong development of mobile networks of the new generation. In addition to this investment in the renewal of the radio frequency spectrum for €109.28 million, A1 Croatia intends to invest significantly in the modernization of its mobile network in the next two years. The goal is to enable the expansion of the area covered by the 5G signal so that it covers almost the entire population, then significantly increase the capacity of the A1 5G mobile network and increase the quality of advanced mobile services in the entire territory of Croatia," explains the chief technical officer of A1 Croatia, Branimir Marić.