Bosnia and herzegovina Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in bosnia and herzegovina, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Telecommunications Industry
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Overview

Telecommunications Equipment and Services

Bosnia’s telecommunications sector was divided along ethnic lines following the 1992-1995 war. In the Federation, service is split between the Sarajevo-based BH Telecom in Bosniak-majority areas and Mostar-based HT Eronet in Croat-majority areas, while Banja Luka-based M:Tel covers the entire territory of the Republika Srpska.

All three telecommunication companies (telcos) have public ownership.  M:Tel was privatized in 2006 via a sale to Telekom Srbija, the dominant fixed-line and mobile telephone provider of Serbia, whose government owns a controlling interest in the parent company. The Federation government owns controlling shares in BH Telecom and HT Eronet. The Croatian Government is the largest minority shareholder of HT Eronet, via both Hrvatski Telecom and Hrvatska Posta. The country’s only private telco, United Group’s Telemach, is the leading cable television and broadband internet service provider and the largest alternative fixed line operator in BiH. BH Telecom announced the acquisition of Telemach’s BiH assets in 2025.

The mobile phone market currently is estimated to have around 98 percent market penetration. According to data published by the CRA, there were a total of 3.87 million mobile subscribers in the country at the end of 2024. BH Telecom remains the leader in mobile, accounting for 42.3 percent of the nation’s mobile subscribers, followed by M:Tel and HT Eronet with 36.2 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively.  

Total fixed line connections declined to 470,721 with the nation’s three dominant operators – BH Telecom, M:Tel, and HT Eronet – controlling 80 percent of market share. The number of Internet users in 2024 was 2.5 million users, with Internet penetration estimated at 77 percent.

A notable development is the appearance of broadband Internet service deployed via cable television.  In years to come, more providers will be able to offer a “triple package” of phone, Internet, and cable service. BiH Communications Regulatory Agency’s (CRA) awarded all three operators 4G licenses in April 2019.  The CRA is expected to issue its 5G license tender in 2026.

According to Business Monitor International’s (BMI) Bosnia-Herzegovina Telecommunications Report, BiH’s telecom market remains one of the least developed in Central and Eastern Europe and, as such, represents a significant growth opportunity for operators and telecom equipment vendors. BMI assesses higher value services, especially mobile data and postpaid subscriptions, will be major growth drivers as operators attempt to capitalize on the improved outlook for economic growth. 

Leading Sub-sectors

  • Telecommunications equipment and services for the expansion of existing networks including mobile, fixed line, and broadband.

Opportunities

The country’s three main telcos remain the best opportunity for marketing goods and services. Their near monopoly positions in mobile telephone services will continue to generate sufficient revenues to finance expansion and modernize their networks. 

The rapidly growing cable television sector also provides opportunities for investment. Satellite internet is available in Bosnia and Herzegovina through traditional VSAT (Very-Small-Aperture Terminal) services offered by companies like NTvsat and GlobalTT. While Starlink has expressed interest and obtained the necessary licenses, commercial service in the country is not yet active, though it is expected to launch in the future.  Starlink’s low-latency, high-speed satellite service is primarily aimed at areas with limited or no access to traditional internet infrastructure.

The pending 5G rollout is expected to create commercial opportunities for core network modernization and investments in cybersecurity. BiH’s plans for the rollout are also likely to include smart cities and cloud computing solutions, dependent on the adoption of relevant strategies and necessary interagency coordination.
The incumbent operators are required by law to conduct open public tendering procedures for the purchase of goods and services, though BH Telecom and HT Eronet are exempt from some provisions when procuring goods and services.  Procurement notices can be found on the companies’ websites listed below. The best way to access these opportunities is via some form of local presence, either direct or through agents and distributors.

Resources

Information about the sector’s regulatory framework and latest activities can be found on the BiH Communications Regulatory Agency’s (CRA) website.

  •  BH Telecom
  • Hrvatske Telekomunikacije (HT) Mostar/HT Eronet
  • M:Tel Telekom Srpske
     

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