Digital Landscape in the Czech Republic

PROSPECTS

5G launched in selected areas

Late 2020 saw active development of commercial 5G networks in the Czech Republic. O2, one of the major carriers operating in the country, has launched 5G service at 3.

Improving digital competitiveness position in the region

In 2020, the Czech Republic ranked 17th in the Digital Economy and Society Index which tracks the performance of EU member states in areas of connectivity, use of internet services and digital public services. The country’s position is at a higher level than all post-socialist states, with the exception of Estonia and Lithuania.

AI strategy aimed at making the country future-proof

The Czech government declared its intention to make the country ready for becoming one of the European leaders in technology. For this, the National AI Strategy was developed.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Ericsson to power 5G transformation in the country

In late 2020, CETIN, a telecommunications infrastructure company which powers networks of carriers such as T-Mobile and O2, and Ericsson have signed a contract based whereby Ericsson is set to upgrade more than 4,000 cellular network sites across the nation. Reportedly, 5G transformation in the Czech Republic will deliver net benefits of EUR3.

Regional cooperation to support the IT sector

Historically, Europe’s IT sector remained fragmented and was often losing out to competitors from big tech firms from the US and, more recently, China. In response to this, the EU is following a Digital Single Market strategy which should help European countries do better in IT entrepreneurship, innovation and connectivity.

Mobile plans among most expensive in EU

According to European Commission 2020 data, retail prices for mobile service baskets in the Czech Republic were exceeding the EU average by almost two times. On the other hand, fixed broadband price was lower than the EU average, thus supporting the use of Wi-Fi connections instead of LTE.

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.