Mobile Operator Vivacom are Expecting 5G Auctions in Bulgaria Next Year

It is expected that the auctions for the 5G frequencies in Bulgaria will be held next year, Radoslav Zlatkov, Chief Technical Officer of the Telecommunications Company Vivacom, told reporters.

"There is a change, the dialogue we have with the regulator and with the ministry is really good," he said. Asked when the necessary frequencies are expected to be released, Zlatkov said that this will happen next year. "Then there will be frequencies and possibly 5G networks."

In some countries in Europe next generation networking is already under way, and some of the auctions for some frequencies have been carried out.

"In Bulgaria, we are lagging behind the frequencies, especially in the low bands that are suitable for coverage, for example, 700 mHz, still used by the military, but the 3.5GHz spectrum is available, the price is to be adjusted and synchronized with best practices in the EU so that it is accessible to operators and consumers, "Zlatkov said.

In his words, there is another problem for operators. "There should be more facilities with increasing frequencies and their spectrum, and the licensing regime for base stations must be lightened, as the construction takes between a year and two at the moment."

The operator also boasted that their 4G network already covers 99.25% of the population. Over the past five years, Vivacom has invested about $ 1 billion. According to a survey conducted in the third quarter of last year, their network is the fastest one in Bulgaria.