In the first half of the year, Crnogorski Telekom recorded, as reported, stable financial growth, higher revenues and profitability, growth in the postpaid base, the number of prepaid users, and excellent results in the segment of fixed internet and television services.
Also, the company has maintained its leadership position in postpaid and mobile internet in Montenegro.
“At the end of June, Telekom had 298,000 active postpaid cards, nine percent more compared to the comparable period last year. The number of active prepaid cards was 173 thousand, 41 percent more compared to the end of June of the previous year, while there were 259 thousand mobile internet users, that is eight percent more compared to last year”, the announcement states.
The executive director of Crnogorski Telekom, Stjepan Udovicic, said that they enter the season ready and continue the well-thought-out activities on the mobile and fixed network that they have been implementing for two years.
“As we have emphasized several times so far, the modernization of the mobile network is a very intensive investment activity, which included all elements of the network. “Telekom has over 400 locations from which we provide mobile internet services and all services, and the modernization includes all locations, and the modernization project is already nearing completion,” said Udovicic.
In other words, it was the modernization of the mobile network that set Telekom apart on the market, which is especially important during the summer season, when Internet traffic is 50 percent higher than in the rest of the year.
Telekom also stated that they are not neglecting the fixed network, which is predominantly an investment related to the expansion of the optical network. The number of optical users in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, increased by 13 percent and amounted to 35 thousand, while the total number of broadband connections increased by one percent and amounted to 83 thousand. A three percent increase in the number of TV service users was also recorded, with a total of 88,000 at the end of the period.
“Further expansion of the fixed optical network remains a priority, and the plan is for about 70 percent of households to be covered by the Telekom optical network.” Only thanks to optimization and investments in the mobile and fixed network can we guarantee the quality and stability of the service to users, and their demands are increasing, which is also confirmed by the data we have – when the traffic in the fixed and mobile networks is added together, Crnogorski Telekom through its network misses and a half a day 600 thousand gigabytes,” said Udovicic.
At the presentation they organized for journalists at the end of June, Telekom also announced two novelties.
“The first is the transition to modern VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology, which will provide users with the opportunity to be connected to the Internet while talking on the phone, and enable better quality of voice services.” The VoLTE project is being implemented by Telekom in cooperation with its strategic partner, the Samsung company, as well as other major manufacturers of mobile devices (Apple, Xiaomi), which certify their mobile devices on the ground in Montenegro,” said Udovicic.
The second relates to the fact that the company has provided the conditions for its fixed network to transmit data through it at a speed of ten Gbps in both directions, both when receiving and when sending data.
“We have been working intensively on this for half a year, and this possibility will be crucial for interactive services in the future, such as AR/VR, gaming, IPTV, video on demand,” reminded Udovicic.
Revenue growth of 6.4 percent compared to the previous year is due to better results in the retail services sector. Operating profit before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA), after lease and excluding special effects, amounted to 14.5 million, which represents a growth of 5.7 percent. Net profit in the same period was 3.3 million.
Telekom reminded that at the regular Assembly of shareholders of Crnogorski Telekom, a decision was made to reduce the capital on the basis of which they will cancel the acquired own shares, and that the Assembly of shareholders authorized a new purchase of own shares in the amount of up to two million EUR in the next ten months.
Crnogorski Telekom, according to the latest official report of the Electronic Communications Agency (EKIP), has the largest and fastest 4G or 5G mobile network in the country, which covers 97 percent or 80 percent of the population with the highest average speed compared to the competition. Also, almost 40 percent of the total Internet traffic in the country takes place through the Telekom mobile network.
