20.10.2022
Dražen Srpak and Milan Meden
Hrvatski Telekom, the leader of Croatia’s digitalization, has started building fiber optic infrastructure in Mursko Središće and the municipalities of Gornji Mihaljevec, Nedelišće, Selnica, Strahoninec, Sveti Juraj na Bregu, Sveti Martin na Muri, Šenkovec, and Štrigova. This will provide more than 11,000 users in this area with fast (+40 Mbit/s) and ultra-fast (+100 Mbit/s symmetrical) broadband internet access. It is one of 13 projects under which Hrvatski Telekom will build a fiber optic network that provides speeds of at least 100 Mbit/s by the end of 2023 for almost 150 thousand new users in cities, municipalities, sub-urban, and rural parts of Croatia.
The project is implemented in accordance with the structural rules of the Framework National Program for the Development of Broadband Access Infrastructure in areas where there is insufficient commercial interest for investment. The total value of the infrastructure construction project in Mursko Središće and neighboring municipalities is almost HRK 60 million. Hrvatski Telekom will invest more than HRK 35 million in this project, while the remaining amount, slightly more than HRK 24 million, will be co-financed by the European Union from the European Fund for Regional Development within the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion.
This project will improve the use of digital services such as e-Citizens, e-schools, e-health, and high-speed and internet availability will contribute to the further development of entrepreneurship and the economy.
"Hrvatski Telekom, the largest private investor in the digitalization of Croatia, with average annual investments of more than one and a half billion kunas, continuously works to increase the availability of its services and connects everyone in Croatia with the opportunities offered by digitalization. By investing in this project, we provide residents of Mursko Središće and neighboring municipalities with fast and high-quality internet access, which will ultimately increase the quality of life of the local population. The economic effects of this investment cycle are extremely significant since the increase in internet speed in local government units in Croatia leads to the establishment of new companies, the creation of new jobs, and an increase in the efficiency of public and private services", said Milan Meden, Director of the Access Network Implementation and Operations Sector at Hrvatski.
The Next Generation Access - NGA network that Hrvatski Telekom will build as part of this project will be open, which means that all other operators and electronic communications service providers will have open access to the networks and, just like HT, will be able to offer their retail broadband services to end users in the area which the project includes.
Statement of the mayor of Mursko Središće, Mr. Dražen Srpak: "The project of introducing broadband internet is of great importance for northwestern Međimurje. We are proud that the Town of Mursko Središće is the applicant for this important project. The importance of fast internet is multifaceted, and it is difficult to summarize everything it brings to a community. First of all, we live in times of the greatest technological progress in human history, where the introduction of high-tech systems is no longer a matter of prestige, but a matter of necessity. The still ongoing coronavirus pandemic may have best presented the importance of high-speed internet availability. Working from home in many businesses would not be an option without the availability of high-speed internet. Numerous activities and companies cannot exist if the highest internet speed is not available to them, and in the end, this opens the door to the arrival of more technologically advanced businesses in Mursko Središće. There is also concrete data that the introduction of high-speed fiber optic internet reflects in concrete percentages and on the growth of the GDP of the area. This is another big and important project from which our citizens will benefit a lot."
The fact that municipalities, towns, and cities in these projects select Hrvatski Telekom is proof that the company is recognized as a reliable technological partner and the best contractor to realize such demanding projects. As part of this project, the next-generation network will come to parts of the country where it does not exist, thus enabling all residents in those areas to use modern technology to create a better future. Hrvatski Telekom remains committed to its investment plans because investments in the infrastructure we are building are key to a new cycle of economic growth and broader societal development, and the digitalization of all parts of Croatia is a fundamental part of Hrvatski Telekom's social purpose.
*Residents from the area covered by the Project interested in having a connection on their building can contact the e-mail address: Prikljucak-MurskoSredisce@t.ht.hr