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Kostas Nebis, Hrvatski Telekom: We are committed to investment plans

The unprecedented rise in electricity prices and record-high inflation pose a challenge for the entire economy. However, despite growing macroeconomic pressures, we managed to achieve solid results in the first six months of 2022, strengthening our position as the leading fixed and mobile network, while also achieving record-high customer satisfaction.

These achievements represent a continuation of our focused strategy, but we expect that the unpredictable and unstable macroeconomic environment and the effects of inflation on our profitability will become even more visible in the second half of the year. We welcome the national package of measures that includes small, medium, and large enterprises, which will enable the economy to cope with the significant burden of unprecedented electricity prices affecting all sectors of the economy as well as the standard of living for citizens. The adopted package of measures will definitely support the functioning of the national economic engine, which is crucial not to stall now when it is most important.

Hrvatski Telekom supports national priorities and therefore, even in such circumstances, we remain committed to our investment plans, where our investments in fiber optics and 5G play a key role in economic and social development, effectively providing a platform for future progress. This is particularly important considering the latest DESI index, which reflects the lack of modernization of part of the regulatory framework, especially regarding fixed broadband internet, which is why Croatia lags behind EU countries and prevents it from taking advantage of digital opportunities that could provide the much-needed boost to the economy.

This is also the reason why we have continued to further build our networks, during which we have once again won the Best in Test awards for the best and fastest mobile and fixed broadband network. We have covered nearly half a million households and businesses with our optical network, and we are working on connecting an additional 150,000 users in rural and suburban areas across Croatia by the end of 2023, while with 5G we already cover more than two million people and nearly 100 cities. We will not stop here as investments in the critical infrastructure we are building are key to a new cycle of economic growth and broader social development. Therefore, in this challenging business environment, we remain committed to our investment plans.