Prishtina, 05 May 2015 – Information Technology and Innovations are the basis for sustainable economic development of a given country, as all other sectors, including energy, mining, etc. are directly related with and dependent on these sectors, said the Minister of Economic Development Blerand Stavileci.

Head of MED made these comments during his visit to IPKO company, where he discussed with the senior management of this company on priorities of the Ministry of Economic Development and telecommunications sector in Kosovo, with special emphasis on information technology, and on the main challenges IPKO faces in the Kosovo market.

Minister Stavileci said that the main objective of strategic guidelines followed by MED is to entice economic growth and change the rhythm of Kosovo economy, contributing to eradication of poverty, unemployment and provision of new employment generation possibilities, but also to the development of new economic sectors that affect employment and stimulate competition with regional markets.

He added that although MED’s main priorities are the energy and mining sectors, information technology holds a special place in its focus, as it is directly interconnected with other projects and fields under the ministry’s mandate. Hence IT will remain a MED priority.

Robert Erzin, Director of IPKO, said that the company plays a special role in Kosovo’s economy. This because, other than investing 270 million Euro and employing hundreds of Kosovars, the company held all profits in the country, and funded the establishment of a modern infrastructure which provides opportunities for private sector development.

Erzin also presented the high internet penetration and utilization in Kosovo, and the infrastructure of IPKO’s mobile network, saying that within weeks IPKO will deploy the 4G network in all main Kosovo centers, accompanied by further expansion of the general infrastructure.

The meeting was used to address main challenges that IPKO faces in the Kosovo market, including lack of mobile telephony frequency resources. To this end, equal treatment of all mobile operators in Kosovo was requested.