PPF Telecom Group split the retail and infrastructure operations at its Telenor-branded mobile operations in Bulgaria, Hungary and Serbia, shifting network activities into a new company to increase efficiency across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

It said the newly established CETIN Group will consist of an existing unit in the Czech Republic, along with divisions from the three other nations. The group will manage PPF Telecom Group’s “telecommunication infrastructure backbone”, with a view to improving “voice, data, TV, video, IT, and cybersecurity services”.

The retail arm will focus on service propositions and customer management.

PPF Telecom Group expects the moves to deliver “greater opportunities across CEE”, citing a move in the Czech Republic in 2015 as an example.

Jan Kadanik, former head of Switzerland-based agribusiness company Ameropa, was appointed chairman of CETIN Group’s board, with the Czech unit’s chair Juraj Sedivy also appointed as a member.