A1 participates in the project for uninterrupted 5G and roaming services 5G SEAGUL together with WINGS ICT Solutions and COSMOTE Greece. The results of the first phase of the project were demonstrated today in the area of the Kulata-Promahon border crossing by representatives of the partners.
In the presence of officials from the European Commission, Bulgarian and Greek institutions and media, the three companies demonstrated live different scenarios of uninterrupted 5G and roaming connectivity that will contribute to increasing the safety of transport, automation and logistics.
A1 is the first telecommunications company in Bulgaria, which, as a participant in an EU-funded project, demonstrates uninterrupted roaming and 5G connectivity.
Practical examples of the use of fifth generation networks in border areas included VoLTE voice calls and video calls via Viber and video streaming conducted from a car moving from Greek to Bulgarian territory and vice versa. Another of the demos showed live the applications of uninterrupted connectivity when moving from COSMOTE’s 5G network to A1’s 5G ULTRA network, which will allow smart on-board units (OBU) devices to send telemetry data such as temperature, humidity and other important parameters during transport of goods across the border. This application of the technology will greatly contribute to the field of transportation of fast-moving non-durable goods, food and other cargo sensitive to differences in temperature and humidity.
“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,” said Zivko Kovachev, Director of “Convergent Network and Services” at A1 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. High-quality 5G connectivity has the potential to improve digital services, playing a key role in the long-term economic development and social cohesion of the 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.
“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”, revealed Ivan Dimitrov, Chairman of the Communications Regulation Commission.
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).
