Page 23 - bne_Tech_09_2019

NIBs
September 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 23
As analysed by bne IntelliNews in detail, the rivalry between Mail.ru and Yandex intensified also in the battle of the voice assistants. Alisa of Yandex already has over 30mn users, while Mail.ru is beta-testing its very own Marusya.
Huawei also recently closed a deal with MTS mobile operator on the or pilot launch of 5G networks in Russia in 2019-2020.
Albania’s AKEP calls tender for allocation of 800 MHz frequency band
Albania’s telecom regulatory agency has called a tender to grant the rights to or the use of the 800 MHz band.
The tender will grant two rights of use in the 792- 862 MHz unallocated spectrum, the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) said in a notice earlier this month.
The minimum eligible price for the bidders in order to obtain one right of use for 1 x 10 MHz paired is set at minimum €7.44mn.
Bids should be sent by September 9. The price is the only evaluation criteria in the tender.
Bulgarian online retailer Ozone.bg gets go ahead for takeover of bricks & mortar chain Pulsar
Bulgaria’s Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has given the green light to online retailer Ozone Enterprises to acquire Pulsar, a local video game retailer.
The deal gives Ozone.bg a presence on the Bulgarian bricks and mortar electronics retail market.
According to the CPC, there are no major barriers to entry for new players in the consumer electronics market in Bulgaria.
Ozone.bg has been present on the Bulgarian market for six years. Its initial focus on computer games and related accessories has since expanded to multimedia and entertainment products and hardware.
Investor.bg reports that Ozone had revenues of BGN15.7mn in 2018, while Pulsar’s revenues were just under BGN10mn.
Chinese company to start building €300mn industrial park in Belgrade in 2020
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)
will start the construction of a Serbian-Chinese industrial park in Serbia’s capital Belgrade at the beginning of 2020, an investment worth €300mn, the Serbian government announced.
China is one of the biggest investors in Serbia and its companies are involved in various construction projects in the country.
The industrial park will cover an area of 330 hectares and will be built in three stages, the government said in the statement on August 17.
The project is expected to create 10,000 jobs in the park directly and another 15,000 indirectly, Minister Without Portfolio Nenad Popovic said.
Popovic underlined that the preparation of the master plan for the project is underway and that the industrial park in Belgrade will be designed based on models of the best and most modern industrial parks in China and the world.
Belgrade's industrial park will be the centre of innovation development in this part of Europe, with numerous innovation companies, faculties, state-of-the-art R&D labs, especially in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics, said the statement.