subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13.91 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 2,565,392
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 36.43 (2019 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 8,134,581
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116.02 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 8,453,887
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120.06 (2019 est.)
Internet country code
.bg
.rs
Internet users
total: 4,571,851
percent of population: 64.78% (July 2018 est.)
total: 5,192,501
percent of population: 73.36% (July 2018 est.)
Telecommunication systems
general assessment:
Bulgaria's telecoms sector benefited from adaptation of EU regulatory measures and privatization; population is moving to fiber over DSL for broadband connection; investment towards rural areas; migration from fixed-line voice to mobile and VoIP; private networks pursuing upgrades and development of services based on 5G; broadband market in Bulgaria enjoys cross-platform competition; operators deploy NB-IoT platform in several cities and released smart platform for utilities; government launched e-learning platform to help students continue their studies during lockdown (2021)
(2020)
domestic: fixed-line 14 per 100 persons, mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple service providers, is over 116 telephones per 100 persons (2019)
international: country code - 359; Caucasus Cable System via submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine, Georgia 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) (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
general assessment:
Serbia's integration with the EU helped regulator reforms and promotion of telecom; EU development loans for broadband to rural areas; pandemic spurred use of mobile data and other services; wireless service is available through multiple providers; national coverage is growing rapidly; best telecom services are centered in urban centers; 4G/LTE mobile network launched; 5G tests ongoing with Ericsson and Huawei (2021)
(2020)
domestic: fixed-line 29 per 100 and mobile-cellular 96 per 100 persons (2019)
international: country code - 381
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 2,014,772
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28.74 (2019 est.)
total: 1,623,790
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23.06 (2019 est.)
