Makedonski Telekom is the dominant fixed and mobile line operator in the market of North Macedonia; it also operates as an Internet service provider, and as integrated telecommunications and entertainment services provider. Offering communication services and entertainment contents ensuring its future revenues, the company is also improving the competitiveness in North Macedonia, as well as growth in mobile and broadband services on national level.
Mobile line operator
The company has been active in the mobile telephone business since September 1996, when it was introduced as MobiMak when it was the first GSM mobile operator in the Republic of Macedonia. It was bought by Deutsche Telekom and in 2006 changed its name to Т-Mobile. In 2015 it changed its name to Makedonski Telekom, synchronising itself with other Deutsche Telekom group members.[3]
The network covers 99.9% of the population and over 98.5% of the territory of North Macedonia.
Telekom was the first telecommunications company in the country to introduce 4G LTE, GPRS, EDGE and various converged internet and mobile services.
Prefixes that Makedonski Telekom use are: 070 (+389 70); 071 (+389 71); 072 (+389 72).
On March 28, 2024, Makedonski Telekom announced through their social networks that by the end of April 2024, the 3G network will be shut down in order to use the potential for better connectivity, higher speeds, better quality service for users, and better energy efficiency. [4]
Fixed line operator
The company provides fixed line services through VoIP and has various plans.
All analog fixed equipment was shut down and transferred to ADSL-based VoIP, making North Macedonia among the first countries to transfer to a completely digital fixed phone system. Taking into consideration that fixed phones are going mostly unnoticed and unused, this allowed Telekom to reduce its maintenance costs for the old analog technology, and provide cheaper and calls through the old medium (most notably unlimited nationwide calls through most of their 2 play and 3 play offers, and some free international call allowances at the highest tiers)
Internet provider
Telekom offers a portfolio of Internet protocol-based services, data communications services, equipment sale and lease, and systems integration services. Makedonski Telekom endeavours to modernize its network and reach a high technological level. Modernization of the network infrastructure with the implementation of optical cables up to the end users, known as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) is one of the main focuses. By the end of 2012, 88.068 FTTH homes passed, and 12.333 were connected to optic in several major cities such as Skopje, Kumanovo, Stip, Strumica, Ohrid, Gostivar.[5] In November 2011, Makedonski Telekom started a project for modernization of the network through a new fully internet-based multimedia platform of the new generation. The IMS Platform is used for the provision of VoIP as part of the 2Play and 3Play services and as a base for the PSTN network migration towards the all-IP network. In less than nine months, as of November 2011 until June 2012, 100,000 Telekom users already used the new platform, i.e. were migrated on it. This platform replaces the existing digital telephone exchanges and is a preparation for the services of the new generation and the unlimited communication possibilities offered by the internet. In February 2014 Deutsche Telekom revealed that its subsidiary Makedonski Telekom had become the first European incumbent to convert its PSTN infrastructure to an all IP network. It took just over two years for all 290,000 fixed lines to be migrated onto the new platform.[6] The capital investment worth 14 million euros makes North Macedonia the first country in the South-East Europe whose network will be fully based on Internet protocol.
IP television
Telekom IPTV was launched in November 2008 branded as MaxTV as the first digital TV offer for customers in the Republic of Macedonia. MaxTV offers +150 (HD/SD) TV channels and interactive services via the IPTV platform. MaxTV is used by near 100,000 households.
