VIVACOM, the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria, was initially a state-owned incumbent operator known as the Bulgarian Telecommunication Company (BTC). The company's history traces back to its time as the primary fixed-line operator in Bulgaria, undergoing a significant transition during the privatisation procedure in 2004 when the Bulgarian government sold 65% of the share capital. In 2005, BTC was granted a license for the development of third-generation mobile telecommunication systems under the UMTS standard, launching its mobile services under the "Vivatel" brand later that year. In 2009, BTC and Vivatel united under the new brand, VIVACOM. The company underwent a series of ownership changes in the following years. In 2012, VTB Capital, the investment arm of Russia's second-largest bank, led a consortium to buy a controlling stake in BTC. The consortium included a local partner, Tzvetan Vassilev, and the transaction received approval from the European Commission and other regulatory authorities. However, in 2015, the Belgian investor Pierre Louvrier cancelled his acquisition of the Vivacom group. The company was eventually acquired by United Group, a leading telecoms and media business operating in South-Eastern Europe, in 2020.
3G Network
Vivacom provided 2G GSM services over the 900 MHz band and in November 2005 the company launched its 3G UMTS mobile services over the B1 (2100 MHz) band, and in June 2010 extended coverage through a B8 (900 MHz) 3G rollout.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
|
Active
|
|
|
Active
|
3G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 3G Network
|
Launch
|
4G Network
4G LTE was launched in May 2016 over the B3 (1800 MHz) band, which has been upgraded following further spectrum acquisitions to provide data rates in excess of 100 Mbps. In April 2018 the company launched LTE-A with 2C aggregation of its existing B3 (1800 MHz) service with a new B1 (2100 MHz) network, and advertising peak DL rates of 150 Mbps. The network received several upgrades over following years with the addition of B7, B8, B20, and B28 carriers.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status | Known EARFCNs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
15
|
Active
|
525
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
1800
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
3150
|
|
|
15
|
Active
|
3516
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
6300
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
9360
|
4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 4G Network
|
Launch
|
5G Network
The company launched its 5G network in September 2020 initially using a DSS carrier in its n3 (1800 MHz) band, shared with its 4G service. The network was enhanced with the addition of a mid-band n78 (3500 MHz) carrier in August 2021. A DSS n20 carrier was also launched.
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
20
|
Active
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 5G Network
|
Launch
|