Bulgarian 3G to go

September 25, 2005 - source: BWCS

Mobitel, the largest mobile operator in Bulgaria says it is ready to launch 3G services only six months after winning a licence to do so. The Telekom Austria owned company paid BLV 78 million (US$51.5 million) for its 3G franchise in March of this year.

Under the terms of its 20 year licence, the operator must start offering UMTS services within two years. So far, Mobitel has restricted its network roll out to the capital, Sofia. Earlier this year the company pledged to spend up to euros 100 million on its next generation mobile phone service, depending n the level of interest.

In addition to Mobitel's licence, rival operators GloBul and BTC were each granted a 20-year Class B licence, which will allow them to offer similar services, but with lower transmission capacity. According to the country's telecoms authority, the Communications Regulation Commission, only around 10% of the country's mobile users will migrate to 3G services.