The Lack of Mobile Coverage Is Shrinking
The GSMA found the number of people living without mobile coverage dropped to 400 million by end-2022 from 1.8 billion in 2015.
A1 Group announced that its local subsidiary in Serbia has agreed to acquire part of the infrastructure of the Serbian provider Conexio. A total of approx. 850 kilometers of gage piping to be acquired will close the gap between the A1 markets Croatia and Bulgaria, while also providing routes to Hungary and North Macedonia. After the completion of the transaction, A1 Group will be able to lay fiber in the pipes and close the existing network infrastructure gap.
“With this asset deal, we can successfully pursue our growth strategy. A1 Serbia positions itself as a serious player in the region, providing strong support for local traffic needed for mobile backhauling and for the provision of other local services. The continuous connectivity is also a great asset for enterprise customers that need overall solutions and long-distance connectivity,“ said A1 Group CEO Thomas Arnoldner.
“With this deal, we take our international connectivity to a new level. A1 Group will be able to offer state-of-the-art technology and with a total of 850 km of connecting pipes across Serbia will be able to offer fiber along this track to our national and international customers“, added Alejandro Plater, COO of A1 Group. “We will be able to offer services running on our own managed infrastructure from the Bosporus to Austria.“
Fiber and mobile networks, such as 5G, for which A1 Serbia is well-prepared and eagerly awaits the auction, should support numerous contemporary trends that are present or emerging at a high speed, as well as the growing needs of our customers and the market. The completion of the transaction is subject to the applicable merger control clearance. As agreed between the parties, details regarding the transaction will not be released.