Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Aleksandar Tsvetkov presented today, 18 June 2010, the newest service that will be offered by the railway stations in Bulgaria – free wi-fi zone. 

The busiest railway stations in five Bulgarian cities will be the first to offer their passengers and visitors access to free internet connection. Sofia central station and the stations in Bourgas, Varna, Plovdiv and Gorna Oryahovitsa will have fast and convenient internet connection provided by Vivacom and Telelink. 

The new service is part of the Ministry’s strategy for modernization of the railway transport in Bulgaria and the increase of its competitiveness, said during the event Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov.

 The service is free and can be used by all Wi-Fi-enabled portable devices regardless of the mobile network used. More than 37 000 passengers, which daily use the five busiest railway stations, will have the chance to use the service for free. As a comparison, in most European cities the internet access at stations and airports is charged at an average of 5 euros for half an hour. 

The cooperation between the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Vivacom and Telelink is an excellent example of the benefits of the public-private partnerships, added Minister Tsvetkov. In order the free internet access to be demonstrated, a live video connection was made with the head of Bourgas Central Railway Station. 

The event was attended by the director general of the National Railway Infrastructure Company Mr. Milcho Lambrev, the Governor of Bourgas District Mr. Konstantin Grebenarov, the Deputy Mayor of Bourgas Mr. Krasimir Stoychev, representatives of Vivacom and Telelink and others. 

For additional information:
Milan Martinov, Press Centre,
Ministry of Transport, Information Technology
and Communications
Phone: + 359 2 940 96 25
E-Mail: mmartinov@mtitc.government.bg