Telecommunications in Bulgaria

Blaw-Knox tower and two mast antennae, Vakarel radio transmitter

Telecommunications in Bulgaria include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Radio and television

• Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001).
• Radio broadcast hours: 525,511 (2003).

• Television broadcast stations: 39 (2001).
• Television broadcast hours: 498,091 (2003).

Telephones

• Main lines in use: 2.3 million (2007).
• Mobile cellular: 9.87 million lines, 110% penetration rate (2007).
• Telephone system:
  • General assessment: an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now exceeds the population
  • Domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay
  • International: country code – 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations – 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2007).

Internet

• Top-level domains: .bg^[1] and .бг (proposed, Cyrillic).
• Internet users:
  • 3.9 million users, 72nd in the world; 55.1% of the population, 74th in the world (2012);^[2][3]
  • 3.4 million users, 63rd in the world (2009);^[1]
  • 1.9 million users (2007).
• Fixed broadband: 1.2 million subscriptions, 52nd in the world; 17.6% of population, 53rd in the world (2012).^[2][4]
• Wireless broadband: 2.8 million, 55th in the world; 40.3% of the population, 41st in the world (2012).^[5]
• Internet hosts:
  • 976,277 hosts, 47th in the world (2012);^[1]
  • 513,470 (2008).
• IPv4: 4.2 million addresses allocated, 0.1% of the world total, 589.7 addresses per 1000 people, 51st in the world (2012).^[6][7]

See also

• Internet Society – Bulgaria
• List of internet service providers in Bulgaria
• Bulgaria

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.