Kosovo Telecom

A cyber-attack on Kosovo Telecom on Tuesday was only the latest in a wave of cyber-attacks on Kosovo institutions, and in the region in general.

A multi-million-euro bill received by Kosovo Telecom on Tuesday added salt to the wounds of the struggling public company, after it lost another arbitration case.

The London-based International Chamber of Commerce ruled that Kosovo Telecom has to pay 13 million euros to privately-owned claimant, Dardafon, for a contract terminated in July 2019.

Impatient with its poor results, growing debts and reputation for corruption, Albin Kurti's new government axed the whole board of Kosovo Telecom on Wednesday.

At a meeting, the cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss the board of directors of the public enterprise, the country's largest telecommunications provider.

Workers at the state-owned Kosovo Telecom company have started a new 24-hour strike in protest against the reported signing on Monday of a new contract with the private mobile network provider Z Mobile. The first contract was signed in 2009 and is about to expire.

Minister of Economic Development Valdrin Luka commented on the decision of the Kosovo government to prepare procedures for the privatization of the company, said that this is a decision aimed at the recovery of this public enterprise, Kosovo24Hours is reporting.

Four international companies have submitted requests to Kosovo's Ministry of Economic Development about the privatisation of  Kosovo Telecom - although the bidding process has yet to start.

"Several international companies have shown interest in the privatisation of Telecom: A1 Telekom Austria, Orange, Rockaway Capital I PFF Group and Artiller One," the ministry told BIRN.

The union representing workers at Kosovo Telecom, formerly Post and Telecommunications of Kosovo, PTK, has warned of strikes if their salaries are cut - after Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said a pay cut of 20 per cent might be needed to save the company from bankruptcy.