Zhivko Kovachev, Director of “Convergent Network and Services”, A1 Bulgaria, stated: “We are proud to be an active participant in the 5G SEAGUL project, and through the achievements of our mobile network and technological expertise, we contribute to bringing the future of automation, safer transport and logistics closer.”
What we are demonstrating today – the results achieved in the Kulata – Promahon border crossing area with 5G coverage in the 3.6 GHz spectrum provides greater capacity and a better experience for users in areas where a large number of users are expected to be concentrated of mobile services, especially during holiday periods. We plan to use both 5G non-standalone (NSA) and 5G standalone (SA) architecture in the project. A1 covers most of the stretch with 5G in the 700 MHz spectrum, which provides better highway coverage and very low latency, which are vital for autonomous cars. At the moment, our 5G ULTRA network is available to A1 subscribers in all settlements with a population of over 3,000 people and the main resorts and road arteries in Bulgaria.”
“The construction of 5G coverage on the highways that connect Bulgaria and Greece is important both for mobility and for improving digital services for the small municipalities located along this corridor. The Ministry of Transport and Communications welcomes the benefits that the implementation of the project will bring to the 173-kilometer Bulgarian road section. The services that will be available are continuous voice and video calls, autonomous driving, sharing data on the current passenger situation in real time, traffic information, improving transportation safety, and last but not least, convenience. Quality 5G connectivity has the potential to improve digital services, playing a key role in the long-term economic development and social cohesion of regions.” said Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov at the demonstration of the results of the first phase of the cross-border 5G SEAGUL project.
Ivan Dimitrov, chairman of the Communications Regulation Commission, commented: “The networks of the fifth generation are already more and more seriously developing their potential for the development of the industry. I congratulate the project participants on this achievement. Continuous data and voice services between commercial mobile networks of the two telecoms A1 and COSMOTE will create conditions for automation of transport and safer transport.
Once completed in 2025, the 5G SEAGUL project will provide uninterrupted 5G services for 450 km from Sofia to Velestino, enabling the future realization of connected and automated mobility (CAM) or autonomous cars. Connected and automated mobility will be a catalyst for improving road safety, improving traffic and reducing carbon emissions, which will overall contribute to the industrial competitiveness of Europe’s transport and mobility sectors.
In addition, the area around the Kulata-Promahon border crossing will have uninterrupted roaming, which means that users and connected cars will be able to cross the border between the two countries without any interruption to mobile services. By building the Bulgarian part of the 5G SEAGUL project, A1 will provide the benefits of uninterrupted connectivity and low latency, which will contribute to the development of rural areas around the cross-border transport corridor.
5G SEAGUL is implemented by three partners – WINGS ICT Solutions and COSMOTE from the Greek side and A1 from the Bulgarian side, and will accelerate the construction of uninterrupted 5G coverage along 450 km of the Sofia-Thessaloniki-Athens corridor, including the border area. A1 will work on the section between Sofia and the Kulata border crossing, which is 173 km long, while COSMOTE Greece will build 5G coverage for about 300 km from the Promakhon border crossing to Velestino. The project started in 2023 and is due to be completed in 2025. It is financed under the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union under grant agreement No. 101094584.
Connecting Europe Facility – Digital (CEF-Digital) is supported and implemented by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).
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