Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Three important sections of the optical network for high-speed Internet in remote areas of the country are being tested before obtaining construction documentation, said the Deputy minister of transport, Information Technology and Communications Valery Borissov at a round table on the selection of operators to maintain and exploit the already build state infrastructure. The sections with the greatest progress in the construction works are: Plovdiv-Rakovski-Brezovo with the total length of 40 km, Pernik-Kovatchevtsi – 28 km, and Razgrad-Samuil – 20 km.

Valery Borissov said that optical networks within the broadband access project will be used both by the state and the business. They will be provided to telecommunication operators following a tender procedure. The selected operator could lease the networks to local Internet providers. The operator will be strictly monitored not to violate the rules of the telecommunication market and it will be obliged to maintain the infrastructure and aid the local Internet providers.

“The project will provide the opportunity for 29 municipal centers and 24 scarcely populated areas in 14 regions of the country to stand equal to larger cities when it comes to high-speed Internet access. Its successful implementation will provide for the connectivity of all state institutions from the target regions to the common information resource (cloud) of the state administration towards development of e-government and increase of the competitiveness of local economy”, pointed out the Deputy Minister. He added that experts are examining the possibility for the provision of additional funds to build a broadband infrastructure to cover the territory of Bulgaria in compliance with the National Next-generation Broadband Access Plan 2014-2020, the e-Government Strategy 2014-2020 and the European Guidelines to the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The round table was attended by Denitsa Nikolova, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Andreana Atanasova, Deputy Chair of the Communications Regulation Commission, Krassimir Simonski, Executive Director of EA "Electronic Communication Networks and Information Systems"; Anton Slavinski, President of the Managing board of the Telecommunications Association, Dimitar Radev, President of the Managing board of the Bulgarian Cable and communication operators Association, as well as other representatives of the telecommunication business.

The project “Development of high-speed broadband access in Bulgaria through the construction of a critical, protected, safe and secure public ICT infrastructure” is at the total value of 39 million Levs. It is being implemented with the financial aid of OP “Regional Development”, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.