ostar’s regional telecoms company is moving towards privatisation
and a new era in which it hopes to expand its range of services.
The sale of the state’s 69 per cent interest in HPT
Mostar is scheduled to begin when the privatisation agency of the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina issues an international bid call
in February.
Before
that, the firm has to divide its telecoms and postal operations into
separate units. While the telecoms business is expected to go under
the hammer quickly, it appears that the state will retain control over
postal services for the foreseeable future.
“Money from privatising telecoms is badly needed by the state,
which would be used for the reconstruction of the road network and infrastructure
in general,” says HPT Mostar general manager Stipe Prlic. “The
number of reconstructed houses, schools, roads and so on depends on
the success of the telecoms sales.”
He
warns that the sector as a whole is overvalued, even though share prices
have fallen since a year ago.
“The state could be disappointed because it expects too much from
the telecoms sector,” he says. “But we have to do all we can
to earn as much money as possible and give it to the state, which should
then invest it in the development of the economy.
“Concerning the privatisation of the postal system, we will have
to wait some time for it to happen. The state does not see privatisation
revenues coming from there and all eyes are on telecoms.”
The
plan is to unite the postal services hived off from HPT Mostar with
those of the other Bosniak-Croat state-owned telecoms firm, Sarajevo-based
PTT BiH, so that one system covers the whole of the federation.
Mr Prlic sees opportunities for introducing new services, not least
to provide employment for those who might otherwise be made redundant.
“Nobody will be without a job,” he says. “The 1,975 employees
do not deserve to lose their jobs because of the separation of the two
sectors. They have worked hard and I accepted the position of general
manager here to make their lives better, not worse. I don’t want
to disappoint them.”
Mr Prlic says the telecoms business is likely to contribute to the financing
of the postal sector as a pre-condition of privatisation.
“I
am talking about a period of some five years,” he says. “I
hope that the postal sector will be able to stand on its own two feet
during that period and that it will not need any more help.”
Development of the telecoms side of the business will, he says, “be
entirely up to the private owners and they
will decide on the importance of introducing new technology”.
In particular, he sees room for expanding and improving mobile services.
He wants to bring Eronet, which was HPT Mostar’s mobile operation
before it was sold, back into the fold before privatisation goes ahead
because the company would be more valuable if it provided mobile services.
Mr
Prlic sees significant potential for boosting online services as well.
“The internet is at a low level of development here. I am going
to try to motivate primary and secondary schools and university faculties
to use these sort of services.
“We will give them computers and free internet connections, so
even young children can be familiar with using the technology. They
are going to be our subscribers in future.”
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