Telekom Srbija secures financing from U.S. EXIM bank to speed up 5G network development
Belgrade, 8 May 2026 — The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) granted its final approval for financing that will support continued development of Telekom Srbija’s 5G network.
The financing backed by the EXIM bank will help the company procure equipment for the 5G telecommunications network and the relevant services in Serbia, provided by U.S. technological companies. This marks a significant milestone in Telekom Srbija’s long-term investment program and further strengthens the company’s relationships with leading U.S. financial and technological institutions.
Telekom Srbija commercially launched 5G services in Serbia in December 2025 and continues to expand its network coverage throughout the country. The company is planning to provide 5G coverage in all the cities across Serbia until 2026, while complete national coverage is planned until the end of 2027.
The financing follows the preliminary support approved by EXIM in December 2024 for the preparation and development of Telekom Srbija’s 5G network and marks the next step in Telekom Srbija’s cooperation with U.S. institutions and technology partners.
The Telekom Srbija Group CEO, Vladimir Lučić, said: “This is a historical approval for Telekom Srbija and for the development of new generation digital infrastructure in the Western Balkans. Our cooperation with the EXIM Bank and leading U.S. technology partners confirms the leading international institutions’ trust in the strategy, financial power and long-term growth of Telekom Srbija. This allows us access to competitive financing and speeds up the development of the 5G network, to the benefit of our customers, the industry and the overall economy of Serbia”.
The approval comes at the time of growing international trust in the financial and strategic development of Telekom Srbija. The group recently achieved the best financial results in its history, with revenues for the entire 2025 totaling 2.3 billion euros, which is a 28.1 percent growth compared to the previous year, while the adjusted EBITDA equaled 1.3 billion euros, with a growth of 51.3 percent. The company also recently received updated credit ratings from the agencies Fitch Ratings, Moody’s and S&P Global, and recorded the strongest credit profile so far.
Meanwhile, Telekom Srbija returned to the international capital market with a new issue of bonds, after the historical first issue of Eurobonds worth 900 million U.S. dollars. The previous issue was the first corporate issue of Eurobonds from the Western Balkans and won the recognition “Europe Telecom Deal of the Year for Financing” at the TMT Finance Awards EMEA 2026.
The development of Telekom Srbija’s 5G network is expected to allow faster mobile connectivity, improved digital services, new business applications and a wider use of advanced technologies throughout Serbia. It will also play an important role in preparations for Expo 2027 in Belgrade where digital infrastructure, innovations and connectivity will be the key elements of Serbia’s international positioning.
