Four projects with Bulgarian participants will be funded by the Connecting Europe Facility with a total of 12 million euros. "For the team of the Ministry of Transport and Communications as the national coordinator of the digital sector of the Mechanism, it is important that all four projects with which our organizations applied won funding," said Minister Krasimira Stoyanova.
"Vivacom Bulgaria EAD, Burgas Municipality, Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov University Burgas and Southeast Digital Innovation Hub will upgrade and build 5G infrastructure in 34 remote settlements in Burgas region, where there are no pediatricians. The 5GEDGE4HEALTH project has won European funding of €3.2 million. A connection will be made with the Telemedicine Coordination and Consultative Center, located in the newly built "Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment of Children's Diseases "St. Anastasia" in Burgas. In 10 of the localities envisaged in the project there will be fixed health care centres. In the remaining 24 towns and villages, remote paediatric consultations, periodic check-ups and emergency medical care will be provided through specialised 5G "connected" ambulances. The future infrastructure will enable high-speed computing, rapid processing and real-time analysis of patient data, which will support medical professionals to make faster and more informed decisions.
The 5G TRACKS project with Bulgarian participants Vivacom Bulgaria EAD and the Road Infrastructure Agency was funded under the "5G Coverage on Transport Corridors" competition. They receive EU funding of €4.5 million. The aim is to provide uninterrupted 5G coverage for connected and automated mobility along the Orient/Eastern Mediterranean corridor in the route between Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.
The 5G SAMITEA project with Bulgarian participants A1 Bulgaria EAD and Sofia Airport is funded with EUR 3.9 million. A 5G private and public mobile network will be built at Sofia Airport to provide communication, mobility, security and safety services. In critical situations, Sofia Airport's mobile private network will provide sufficient capacity and access to Bulgarian public authorities such as police, fire, ambulance, counter-terrorism units, etc. The project BDGS - Balkans Digital Gateway Study was funded under the Digital Gateway Backbone Connectivity Feasibility Study competition with Vestitel AD as a participant. The company receives funding of EUR 340 940. A study will be made for a high capacity Balkan digital gateway connecting Athens, Sofia, Skopje and Bucharest in one network. Opportunities will be sought to ensure cross-border connectivity. The aim is to develop a strategy to improve access to backbone connectivity in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania; reduce prices by increasing the supply of services, including through submarine cables in the Black Sea; improve connectivity, etc.