site.btaBulgaria to Offer Balkan Corridor for 5G High-Speed Internet Infrastructure

Sofia, January 19 (BTA) - Bulgaria will propose the creation of a Balkan corridor for 5G high-speed Internet infrastructure which can be built hand-in-hand with the road connections being constructed between the countries in the region, Transport, IT and Communications Minister Ivailo Moskovski said Friday. He spoke during a meeting with Roberto Viola, Director General of the European Commission's Directorate General of Communication, Networks, Content and Technology, Moskovski's Ministry said in a press release.

Moskovski said that the designs for the construction of transport corridors 8 and 10 envisage the laying of optical infrastructure for super-fast Internet which is a significant prerequisite for the proposed digital corridor. He said that Bulgaria's ambition in respect of integrating the countries from the Western Balkans into the common European family also includes their inclusion in the 5G network.

Viola confirmed that the EC will actively aid the process, saying that digitalization and connectivity are two key topics to be discussed during a summit on the Western Balkans in Sofia in mid-May.

Viola said also that the Bulgarian EU Presidency may have the privilege of closing successfully one of the most important topics - the Electronic Communications Code.

The two officials expressed certainty that considerable progress will be made during the Bulgarian EU Presidency on the new European regulations on protection of the personal data of the members of the public.

Moskovski invited Viola to attend an informal meeting of European telecommunications ministers and EU Digital Economy and Society Commissioner Mariya Gabriel in Sofia in April. The meeting has been discussed in a phone call between Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his Luxembourgian counterpart Xavier Bettel.

Moskovski said that next week his Ministry and the EC will sign a memorandum on the conduct of the biggest event in the technology sector in Europe in 2018, the Digital Assembly, to take place on June 25 and 26 in Sofia.