Skopje, 19 August 2024 (MIA) - Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Nikoloski said Monday that the goal of the announced changes in the telecommunications market with the potential entry of Hungary’s “4iG Group” is for the citizens to receive higher quality services for less money since, according to the Minister, “the current duopoly” only leads to an increase in prices.

In answer to a journalist’s question regarding the letter of intent submitted by 4iG Group to the Government, Nikoloski said the Government will make a strategic decision in the coming period on whether to approve the entry of a third telecommunication operator in the country or work on reducing the prices of the existing two operators. “But,” he stressed, “it is a fact that currently we have a duopoly between the existing two operators and the market is ideally split 51:49 between the first and the second operator”.

“Not only are the prices of services not dropping, but they are increasing. There is no competition whatsoever in terms of offering better services or lower prices of the citizens. Every day we face problems because of the existence of this duopoly – whether it’s the way the base stations are being installed, or the services delivered to the citizens,” Nikoloski said.

The Minister said the Government is ready for attacks by the two operators, but also that it is “a few steps ahead” and well-informed.

“When we entered this operation, we were aware that we would be under great attack by these two operators, since disrupting the market and introducing competition doesn’t suit them. We are ready for this attack, but I have to say that we are at least a few steps ahead of them since we are much better informed, and we are aware that they will never publicly come out and attack this, but will instead do so through certain media in which they have serious sponsorships and for which they allocate a portion of their budget through commercials,” Nikoloski said.

Quizzed why the potential third operator is a Hungarian company known to be close to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Nikoloski responded by saying “why not” and noting that it doesn’t matter who provides the service as long as it leads to reduced prices for the citizens.

On August 6, Minister Nikoloski informed the Government that a letter of intent had arrived from 4iG Group after he previously met with the Group’s President, Gellért Jászai, in Budapest.