A1 Bulgaria, previously known as Mtel or Mobiltel, is a telecommunications company operating in Bulgaria. It was founded in March 1994 and launched commercially in September 1995 under the brand name Citron. The company saw significant growth after the introduction of prepayment sim cards in 2001, increasing its customer base dramatically. In July 2005, A1 Telekom Austria Group acquired the company, marking one of the largest foreign investments in Austria. The company has been a pioneer in the Bulgarian telecommunications sector, being the first to offer services such as EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSPA+ and second to offer LTE services. Rebranding took place in 2012, where Mtel became the official brand name. Further expansion occurred in 2015 when Mtel acquired cable TV and internet service provider Blizoo. In 2018, the company started operating under the A1 brand.
3G Network
The company launched its 3G network in March 2006 over the B1 (2100 MHz) band. The network was upgraded to HSPA+ in September 2009 and to DC-HSPA+ in March 2011.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
|
Active
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3G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
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Launch of 3G Network
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Launch
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4G Network
The company launched its 4G LTE service in April 2016 over a 15 MHz channel in the B3 (1800 MHz) band. LTE-A began in April 2016 with the investigation of 4X4 MIMO to boost peak DL rates to 260 Mbps over the single 15 MHz B3 carrier. LTE-A 2C was implemented December 2017, aggregating a new B1 (2100 MHz) LTE carrier with its existing B3 (1800 MHz) service.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
15
|
Active
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
|
|
5
|
Active
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4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 4G Network
|
Launch
|
5G Network
A first for Bulgaria, Mtel demonstrated 5G in February 2018, achieving peak data rates of 2.2 Gbps. The company launched its 5G network in November 2020 using n78 (3500 MHz) and later n20 (800 MHz). The network was upgraded to Standalone (SA) in October 2022.
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
10
|
Active
|
|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 5G Network
|
Launch
|