Author: Dina Tsybulskaya, CEO at Crnogorski Telekom

Global digital growth is unstoppable – the world continues to embrace the internet and social media, and with a million new people around the world coming online every day, 45% of the world’s population are now social media users (as many as 3.5 billion people) – despite controversies over privacy, fake news and other negative aspects of online life.

It is widely known that Montenegro has huge mobile phone penetration, and the official data show record SIM cards penetration – of 175%! The number of smartphone users in Montenegro is also significant – around 60%. 

Research we have recently conducted, as well as official statistics, has shown that Montenegro is highly connected market, but beside the most basic use of smartphones, other applications and e-services are still in pioneering stage. Besides the fact that a large number of people worldwide buy goods online, in Montenegro only about 15% of people use this advantage of the global market. At the same time, half of the citizens admit that they only use basic smartphone functions, i.e. they use their smartphones mainly for social media.

Our research suggests that people are afraid they won’t be able to understand new technology or know how to use it. “Before the digital age, things were much simpler”, one could say. It is true – things were simpler, but that does not mean they were better. We now know that the majority of Montenegrin citizens strongly believe that digitalization and new technologies open up new opportunities! However, often we are not aware of how little effort it takes to make our daily lives much easier.

Technology is omnipresent, it transforms everything we do, and the pace of change is only gathering speed. At the same time, it is easier to use it and it is more affordable than ever. It makes no difference what the continent or country you live in, how big your city or town is, what your level of income is, how busy you are during the day – easy access to the Internet opens the world of new opportunities whenever and wherever you need it. Our job is to connect you to the world of new opportunities right now – we have nothing to wait for. 

This is our contribution to the opportunities of now for each person we serve:

Liberating experience

Internet access for a long time now is not just about an entertainment, social networks, sharing photos with family and friends – today both your work and life quality depend on the speed and quality of the network. By investing in network development, we have provided customers with a superior experience of modern communications in a network that accounts for more than half of 4G traffic in the country.

With the 4G, we have covered almost the entire populated territory of Montenegro, with fiber almost the entire urban territory, and will continue to expand in suburban areas through aerial fiber infrastructure.

As applications and content take the most important place in our daily lives, network speed and reliability have become the key to a superior customer experience. Telekom is therefore committed to connecting customers not only with each other, but also with the opportunities of the digital world.

Society without a digital divide

At Telekom, we believe that a just society is one in which no one is left behind.  We aim to make an opportunity for everyone to make the most of the digital possibilities. The Internet coverage for us is not just a technical term but describes social inclusion. 

By investing in coverage and network development, we are building a bridge across digital and social divide, because bridging that divide often goes along with level of income people have. We believe that affordable and reliable internet access is one of the keys to equality in society.

Moreover, inclusion should start from the earliest years. That is why we made an agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide 150 suburban and rural schools with free high-speed 4G mobile internet. We have already provided over 200 pre-schools, elementary and secondary schools in Montenegro with internet coverage, and our more than a decade long initiative helped them to engage in the digitization process. Speed and reliability of our 4G mobile network allow us to offer them equal opportunities, so that no one – no child, no school – is left behind. 

To the same end, we support projects such as Small Programmers and the 3D Classroom, mark International Girls in ICT Day, and introduce students to the safe and competent use of digital media through the TeachToday initiative.

Through the Za svako dobro competition, as in the previous five years, we will continue to support community development, and education, environmental protection and digital inclusion will remain main areas for our socially responsible initiatives.

Digital Montenegro

It is important for everyone – citizens, companies, the government – to be involved in the process of digitalization. That is why we offer to our partners smart and digital solutions tailored to their needs, in order to transform their businesses and provide better services to citizens. 

By introducing smart solutions, we continue to promote „Green economy” and sustainable development of the country, because new digital economy requires a zero-waste strategy, minimization of resource use, and a completely new approach to business operations. Digitalization allows companies to collect and analyze data in new ways, resulting in more sustainable business decisions.

Digitalization is the beginning of modern business and we are ready to respond to any initiative.

The driving force

In order to lead the digitalization process, we transform ourselves.

We introduce new technologies into the business, we learn and exchange experiences with partners from Deutsche Telekom Group, we devise new solutions to respond to your needs faster and more efficiently, and we train future professionals who will plan and develop architecture for the network and services of the future.

We believe that it is necessary to provide conditions for educated and talented young people to bind their careers and lives to Montenegro.

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The future? You can be optimistic.

We connect you to the world of new opportunities.