Release of 28.06.2013
- Vipnet is the first and the oldest subsidiary of Telekom Austria Group
- Vipnet is successfully implementing the Group’s convergence strategy
- Telekom Austria Group’s international exchange program meets with considerable interest among both Croatian and Austrian employees
Vienna, June 28, 2013 - Welcome to the European Union – The first international subsidiary of the Telekom Austria Group, Vipnet in Croatia, will become a truly European company following the accession of the country to the EU. In September 1998, Vipnet was awarded a license for the second GSM network of the country and, as of July 1, 1999 the company started commercial operations. Vipnet was the first private mobile operator to enter the Croatian market and was able to reach the break-even only within one year and a half. Telekom Austria Group is the biggest Austrian investor in Croatia.
“Croatia is one of our most important foreign markets and is currently showing a particular dynamic trend thanks to convergent offerings. With Croatia’s accession to the EU, both companies will move closer together. That’s why I’m so delighted about Croatia’s accession, which marks the first EU expansion step since 2007,“ said Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Telekom Austria Group.
Vipnet as Technology Leader in CroatiaOver the past 14 years, Telekom Austria Group’s Croatian subsidiary succeeded in establishing its position as innovation leader on the Croatian telecommunications market. The close collaboration and the exchange of know-how between Austria and Croatia as well as across the entire Group has led to a wide range of technological and economic successes. Vipnet was the first operator in Europe to successfully carry out a live demonstration of the HSPA technology and, thus, to offer considerably faster mobile Internet connections than ADSL. Moreover, the Croatian subsidiary was the first operator in the country to launch a commercial LTE network. Based on independent network tests and quality measurements performed by P3 Solutions in line with EU standards on an annual basis, Vipnet’s mobile network has received the best rating over the past 5 years in terms of audio quality and average data transmission speeds. As of year-end 2012, Vipnet had 1.9 million customers and, with a current market share of 38.3%, the company is the second largest mobile operator in Croatia.
“In the long run the accession of Croatia will be beneficial for our local telecommunication industry as part of the macroeconomic framework. I am convinced Croatia will profit from becoming part of the biggest single market in the world,” said Mladen Pejkovic, CEO of the Croatian subsidiary.
Successful Implementation of Convergence StrategyFollowing the acquisition of Croatia’s largest cable operator B.net in 2011 and its rapid integration into the company, Vipnet has started to offer convergent product packages combining fixed net, mobile communications and Internet services based on the Austrian model. To continue along the convergence path that the company has embarked on and consistently pursued according to plan, Vipnet has recently acquired a further three regional cable network providers that specifically contribute to quickly expanding the present operational footprint. At year-end 2012, Vipnet registered a total of 163,000 fixed net access lines and 122,000 TV subscribers.
As far as the implementation of environmentally friendly future-proof technologies is concerned, the Croatian subsidiary has also showed outstanding performance, exceeding the industry standards. In addition to the “Global Telecom Business Innovation Award“, Vipnet also won the “Green Award" within the framework of the World Communication Awards 2012 held in London, for the realization of an autonomous electricity generation system to power its mobile base stations known under the brand name ‘KONČAR Hybrid Box’.
Diversity and Know-How Transfer within the Group“The diversity of our employees and the cultural strengths and wide range of local traditions of our operating countries are a key pillar of the Telekom Austria Group. We actively leverage the skills and experiences of our workforce, promoting cross-border collaboration and open exchange of know-how within the Group as a source of mutual learning and mutual inspiration,“ added Hannes Ametsreiter.
The Telekom Austria Group is a corporation that attaches great importance to the exchange of experiences among its eight operating companies. This requires mutual understanding and respect, while at the same time improving collaboration among the single subsidiaries. In order to maintain its position as innovative and strong player in the CEE area, the Telekom Austria Group focuses on cross-border know-how transfer in a great number of business areas as one of its most valuable strengths against its competitors.
For this purpose, the Telekom Austria Group has set up an in-house process that supports the cross-border exchange of employees within the Group on a project basis. This international initiative known under the name ‘x.change’ offers Telekom Austria Group’s employees the opportunity to work in another country for a period of up to three months and, thus, to gather new ideas and receive fresh impetus for their scope of activities. As a result, employees learn to deal with a second corporate culture and a new organizational structure, while establishing international relations and enlarging their professional horizon. Since 2010, between Austria and Croatia alone, a total of 50 employees have taken advantage of this special vocational training opportunity.