Croatia's Digital Infrastructure Growth Hindered by High Fees, Planning Issues

Croatia's ambition to advance its digital infrastructure is being hampered by significant obstacles, including some of the highest infrastructure passage fees in Europe and complex spatial planning regulations. These issues are particularly affecting the expansion of mobile networks, according to Hrvatski Telekom (HT).

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Croatia is specific in that the fees for passing infrastructure through land are among the highest in Europe.

Siniša Đuranović, a member of HT's management board and chief corporate affairs director, highlighted that in certain parts of Croatia, building mobile infrastructure is practically impossible due to existing spatial plans. This situation contrasts sharply with the universal demand for reliable and widespread mobile signal coverage.

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We also need to solve the problem of spatial plans in certain parts of Croatia. Somewhere you cannot build mobile infrastructure at all, while everyone needs to have a good signal always and everywhere.

Đuranović estimates that between 300,000 and 400,000 households in Croatia are still underserved by digital infrastructure. Overcoming these regulatory and financial hurdles is essential for HT and other providers to bridge this digital divide and ensure that all citizens have access to modern communication services. The company is actively seeking solutions to these long-standing problems.

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They estimate that another 300,000 to 400,000 households in Croatia still need to be covered by digital infrastructure.