The Montenegro Network Operators Group (NOG4ME) was formed within the framework of the international scientific and professional conference on Information Technology held in Žabljak, as announced by the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (EKIP).
“Montenegro was one of the few countries in Europe that did not have a formed NOG, and a group of experts from the University of Montenegro, the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services, and electronic communication network operators decided, with the help of colleagues from RIPE NCC (the Coordination Center for European IP Networks), to form NOG4ME,” the statement said.
According to EKIP, Network Operators Groups (NOG) are informal groups for individual countries or regional groups formed to provide forums for experts in electronic communication networks to discuss issues of common interest, usually through a combination of email lists and annual conferences.
“Although these groups do not have formal power, their members are usually experts whose decisions influence the processes that ensure the improvement of the quality, performance, stability, and security of electronic communication networks and services,” the statement said.
These groups also enable network professionals and other members of the research and technical community to inform each other about their work, exchange best practices, share information about new technologies or protocols, learn from each other, connect with other community members, and discuss current issues and challenges related to electronic communication networks.
During a special session at the Information Technology conference, which took place from February 21 to 24, the inaugural session of this organization was held.
During this session, the Statute of NOG4ME was considered and adopted, containing the purpose and objectives related to improving the quality, efficiency, stability, and security of communication networks and services, exchanging ideas, knowledge, and best practices among experts, providing a forum for technical discussions, as well as membership, activities, work, organizational structure, and financing, including sponsorships, donations, and conference fees.
Within the same session, the experience of forming and operating the Slovenian NOG (SINOG) was presented, which was formed more than ten years ago and currently has over 200 active members. In addition to regular email communication, they organize one or two conferences each year.
Also presented were examples of successful SINOG actions in certain situations that could have had a negative impact on the functioning and development of electronic communication networks, especially the Internet.
The executive director of EKIP, Darko Grgurović, presented the state of development of electronic communication networks in Montenegro, which is above the European Union average in some segments.
The key indicators of this development include the availability of fixed NGN (Next Generation Networks) broadband access at 82%, the percentage of households covered by fixed speeds greater than 100Mb/s at 79.2%, the percentage of inhabited territory covered by mobile networks with speeds greater than 10Mb/s at 97.6%, and the percentage of inhabited territory covered by 5G mobile networks at 85.3%.
EKIP stated that the total Internet traffic generated by users in fixed electronic communication networks last year amounted to 709.6 PB, which is 36.9% higher than in 2022.
The average Internet traffic generated by subscribers in fixed electronic communication networks on a monthly basis was 291.5 GB, an increase of 32.4% compared to 2022.
“The total Internet traffic generated by users via mobile networks last year was 151.6 PB, which is 45.8% higher than in 2022,” the statement said.
On a monthly basis, the average user via mobile electronic communication network generated 17.6 GB of Internet traffic, which is 29.8% higher than in 2022.
As concluded, EKIP has been actively participating in and supporting the process of forming NOG for Montenegro, as a platform that will further contribute to the development and improvement of the quality, performance, stability, and security of electronic communication networks and services.
