Telenor Serbia’s owner PPF Group has issued a strong response against accusations it is working with Telekom Srbija to undermine United Group’s operations in the country.
Ladislav Bartonicek, PPF Group shareholder responsible for the group’s telecommunications assets, said: “After another inaccurate and speculative N1 report which once again broadcasted distorted information, my only conclusion is that United Group’s interest is to ignite and fuel a trade war in Serbia. This is in no one’s best interests, most notably the Serbian customer. We categorically deny all of N1 allegations which have been aired since January 25th”.
He added: “We believe the central motive behind this series of false allegations lies in the fact that Serbia is an enormously important region for the United Group, anything that could lead to a loss of stability or loss of financial predictability would naturally be very concerning”.
Telenor Serbia says the reports by N1, which is part of United Group, are “nothing more than a competitors attack”. It also argues that Serbia Broadband (SBB), also part of United Group, has “politicised and demonised a very standard business agreement between Telenor Serbia and Telekom Srbija”.
Broadband TV News notes that United Group accuses Telenor and Telekom Srbija of entering into a network access agreement designed to effectively end its presence the country. It has backed this up by publishing documentation between the two parties.