Only a few weeks after the country’s 3.6GHz spectrum auction finally took place, operator Telenor Bulgaria has announced that it has scheduled the commercial nationwide launch of its 5G service for 10 June.
The plan is that by this summer the Telenor Bulgaria 5G network will cover all the major cities in Bulgaria. It will also be available in the country’s main seaside resorts, presumably in the hope that visitors from elsewhere in the country will be able to holiday there by that time.
The company says it aims to continue to widen its coverage and add new locations. In fact, according to a statement quoted on the SeeNews website, Telenor’s goal is to become a market leader in terms of 5G coverage and network experience by the middle of 2022.
The speed of this rollout is impressive considering that it was only in early April that, after an auction, the Bulgaria's Communication Regulation Commission (CRC) awarded 20-year 5G frequency licences with national coverage to the three main telecommunication companies operating in the country.
As we reported at the time the 5G spectrum auction started and finished in a single day, raising some US$8.1 million for the state. It included seven rounds and saw all three operators – Vivacom, A1 and and Telenor Bulgaria – secure frequency spectrum in the 3.6GHz band.
This followed a challenge by Vivacom to the regulator’s original plan to award 5G spectrum without an auction.
