Vipnet Croatia (@vip.hr) was rebranded to A1 Hrvatska on October 1, 2018 as part of the A1 Telekom Austria Group’s one-brand strategy that unified all its Central and Eastern European subsidiaries under a single A1 identity. The Vip brand is retired in Croatia; the underlying subscribers, network, and consumer email service now operate under the A1 Hrvatska name. If you have a @vip.hr address and your mail client stopped working, or Vip webmail sign-in no longer loads, the reason is that the service moved to A1 infrastructure and Vip endpoints were retired. This guide covers what happened and how to migrate to A1, Gmail, or Outlook.
Vip.hr addresses use A1 Hrvatska servers (October 2018 rebrand)
The Vipnet Croatia mail service migrated to A1 Hrvatska infrastructure during the October 1, 2018 rebrand. Pre-existing @vip.hr mailboxes that were carried through are now hosted on A1’s mail servers. The settings below are what to configure in Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook desktop, or any IMAP or POP3 client to reach a @vip.hr (or the newer @a1.hr) mailbox.
| Protocol | Server | Port | Encryption |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAP (incoming) | mail.a1.hr | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| POP3 (incoming) | mail.a1.hr | 995 | SSL/TLS |
| SMTP (outgoing) | mail.a1.hr | 465 | SSL/TLS |
Username: full email address (@vip.hr if the alias was preserved through the migration, or the newer @a1.hr). Password: the A1 Hrvatska account password (the same one used for the A1 customer area at a1.hr). Confirm current hostnames and ports with A1 support since ISP mail settings are periodically updated.
Vip.hr is now A1 Hrvatska. The Vipnet brand was retired on October 1, 2018 after 19 years in the Croatian telecom market. Consumer email under @vip.hr was migrated to A1 Hrvatska infrastructure. Mail clients still configured against vip.hr hostnames will fail to connect because those hostnames no longer resolve to an active mail service.
What happened to Vip.hr
Vipnet started commercial operations in July 1999 as Croatia’s second GSM mobile network, ending Hrvatski Telekom’s monopoly. Owned by Mobilkom Austria (later A1 Telekom Austria Group) throughout its history, it grew into the country’s second-largest mobile operator, offering consumer email under @vip.hr alongside mobile and later fixed-line services. Vipnet expanded through acquisitions: B.net in 2011, Amis in 2015, Metronet in 2017.
In November 2017 the parent group Telekom Austria Group was renamed A1 Telekom Austria Group and announced a one-brand strategy across all its markets. Vipnet Croatia announced its own rebrand in June 2018, and the formal transition happened on October 1, 2018. Vipnet d.o.o. became A1 Hrvatska d.o.o.; all consumer-facing services (mobile, TV, broadband, consumer email) began operating under the A1 brand.
Consumer email under @vip.hr was migrated to A1 Hrvatska infrastructure during the transition. Users kept their addresses but the underlying servers and login endpoints changed. Any mail client configured for legacy vip.hr hostnames stopped connecting once the migration completed. In 2026 there is no independent Vip mail server responding on vip.hr.
Option 1: Migrate to A1 Hrvatska (official successor)
If your Vipnet subscription continued through the rebrand, your @vip.hr address should have been carried across to A1 infrastructure. Moj A1 is the current customer area.
1. Sign in to Moj A1
Go to a1.hr and sign in to Moj A1 with the credentials tied to your subscription. If the account originated at Vipnet, A1 carried it over during the 2018 rebrand. Use the reset flow if sign-in fails.
2. Confirm your email address
Your address may still be @vip.hr, or may have been converted to an @a1.hr alias. Both are managed through the Moj A1 interface.
3. Configure IMAP or POP3 in your mail client
Use current A1 Hrvatska settings. Confirm current hostnames and ports with A1 support if a client refuses to connect, since ISP settings do get updated over time.
Option 2: Migrate to Gmail (independent)
If you would rather have a provider-independent address that survives future ISP changes, Gmail is the standard destination. Create a Gmail account, enable forwarding on the A1-hosted mailbox if you still have access, and send a change-of-address notification. Include the old @vip.hr address so contacts can update.
Option 3: Migrate to Outlook.com
Outlook.com works the same as Gmail for the migration workflow. Best fit if you already use OneDrive, Office online, or a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Alternatives at a glance
Common issues after the Vipnet rebrand
Mail client returns connection refused for vip.hr servers
Legacy Vipnet mail hostnames were retired during the migration to A1 Hrvatska. Reconfigure with A1 settings if your account was migrated, or move to Gmail or Outlook.
Cannot sign in to Vipnet webmail
The Vipnet-branded webmail interface was retired. Sign in through Moj A1 at a1.hr instead. Credentials should have carried over during the rebrand.
@vip.hr address stopped receiving mail
Either the mailbox was migrated to A1 infrastructure (sign in to Moj A1 to verify) or the underlying subscription lapsed and the mailbox was closed. A1 support can help with legacy Vipnet account recovery.
Contacts still send to @vip.hr
Enable forwarding on the A1-hosted mailbox to catch these while contacts update their address books, and send a mass change-of-address from your new address.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly did Vipnet become A1?
October 1, 2018. Vipnet d.o.o. was formally renamed A1 Hrvatska d.o.o. on that date as part of the A1 Telekom Austria Group’s one-brand strategy, which had been announced by the parent group in November 2017.
Can I still use my @vip.hr address?
If your account was migrated to A1 during the rebrand and the underlying subscription is still active, yes, but the mailbox is hosted on A1 Hrvatska infrastructure. Sign in to Moj A1 at a1.hr to confirm the mailbox is present and note the current server hostnames.
What are the correct SMTP or IMAP settings now?
Use current A1 Hrvatska settings, not the legacy vip.hr values. Confirm current hostnames and ports with A1 support since ISP mail settings do get updated periodically.
Is A1 Hrvatska email free?
Consumer email is bundled with an active A1 mobile, TV, or broadband subscription. If you cancel the underlying service, the mailbox eventually goes with it, which is why many former Vipnet customers prefer a provider-independent option like Gmail or Outlook.
Did Vip in other countries also rebrand to A1?
Yes. A1 Slovenia and A1 Bulgaria were rebranded earlier in 2018; A1 Hrvatska followed on October 1, 2018; A1 Srbija completed the group-wide unification in 2019.
Where to go next
- Vip.rs to A1 Srbija migration guide
- T-com.hr email settings (Hrvatski Telekom)
- Gmail POP3, IMAP, and SMTP settings
- Outlook.com POP3, IMAP, and SMTP settings
Historical timeline of Vipnet Croatia
- October 1, 2018: Vipnet d.o.o. formally renamed A1 Hrvatska d.o.o. Consumer services including email migrated to A1 branding and infrastructure.
- June 2018: Vipnet announced the transition to the A1 brand following the parent group’s one-brand strategy.
- November 14, 2017: Parent group Telekom Austria Group renamed to A1 Telekom Austria Group; one-brand strategy launched across all seven markets.
- 2017: Vipnet merged with Metronet Telekomunikacije, expanding into business services.
- 2015: Vipnet acquired Amis, adding fixed-line subscribers.
- 2011: Vipnet acquired B.net, the largest Croatian cable operator at the time.
- July 1999: Vipnet started commercial operations as Croatia’s first private mobile operator, ending Hrvatski Telekom’s monopoly.
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About the Author
Alaa · LinkedIn
Email infrastructure specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience in SMTP, deliverability, and email verification. I’ve configured and troubleshot mail systems across Postfix, Exchange, and cloud relays, managed IP reputation and warmup campaigns, and built verification pipelines processing millions of addresses. My work spans DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), bounce handling, blocklist monitoring, and compliance frameworks including CAN-SPAM and GDPR. I write every article on SMTPedia to give email professionals, developers, and marketers the accurate, RFC-grounded reference they need.
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