Telekom Srbija gears up for end-2024 5G licence auction

"We are already ready for the development of 5G and we already have a certain number of 5G base stations built by Ericsson and Nokia, so we are practically just waiting to receive a spectrum range and to turn 5G on," Lucic said in an interview for local TV Prva on Tuesday.

"Together with Vodafone as a strategic partner and largest mobile operator in the world and biggest 5G manager in the world, we are looking at what kind of services we will be implementing," Lucic noted.

He highlighted president Aleksandar Vucic's earlier announcement that Serbia plans to offer autonomous car rides for visitors at Belgrade Expo 2027 within three years.

"This requires a really good coverage of 5G network and sensors on the roads as the vehicle will be able to drive itself with the help of artificial intelligence and the sensor communication via 5G," Lucic said.

He stated that by 2027, nearly the entire territory of Serbia will be encompassed by the 5G network.

Last week, Serbia's telecommunications minister Mihailo Jovanovic said that the 5G auction will be launched by the end of 2024, once the government adopts regulations on the segment.