site.btaFour Bulgarian Projects to Receive EUR 12 Mln under Connecting Europe Facility

A total of four projects with Bulgarian participants will receive EUR 12 million under the Connecting Europe Facility, the Transport Ministry said.

Vivacom Bulgaria, Burgas Municipality, the Asen Zlatarov University and Southeast Digital Innovation Hub will upgrade and build 5G infrastructure in 34 remote settlements in Burgas region, where there are no pediatricians. The 5GEDGE4HEALTH project won European funding of EUR 3.2 million. A link will be built with the Telemedicine Coordination and Consultative Centre, located in the newly built Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment of Children's Diseases St. Anastasia in Burgas. In 10 of the localities foreseen in the project there will be in-patient healthcare centres. In the remaining 24 towns and villages, remote paediatric consultations, periodic check-ups and emergency medical care will be provided through specialised 5G "connected" ambulances. The future infrastructure is expected to enable high-speed computing, rapid processing and real-time analysis of patient data to help medical professionals make faster and more informed decisions.

The 5G TRACKS project implemented by Vivacom Bulgaria and the Road Infrastructure Agency was funded under the 5G Coverage on Transport Corridors competition. It has received European funding of EUR 4.5 million. The aim is to provide uninterrupted 5G coverage for connected and automated mobility along the Orient/East Mediterranean corridor in the route between Greece, Bulgaria and Turkiye.

The 5G SAMITEA project of A1 Bulgaria and Sofia Airport is funded with EUR 3.9 million. A 5G private and public mobile network will be built at Sofia Airport to provide communication, mobility, security and safety services. In critical situations, Sofia Airport's mobile private network will provide sufficient capacity and access to Bulgarian public authorities such as police, fire, ambulance, counter-terrorism units, etc.

The BDGS - Balkans Digital Gateway Study project was funded under the Digital Gateway Backbone Connectivity Study competition with Vestitel AD as the participant. The company received funding of EUR 340,940. A study will be carried out for a high capacity Balkan Digital Gateway connecting Athens, Sofia, Skopje and Bucharest in one network. Opportunities will be explored to ensure cross-border connectivity. The aim is to draw up a strategy to improve access to backbone connectivity in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania; reduce prices by increasing the supply of services, including through submarine cables in the Black Sea; improve connectivity.

The European Commission has selected 134 projects, including six with Bulgarian participation, which will receive over seven billion euros in EU grants under the Connecting Europe Facility, the EU's instrument for strategic investment in infrastructure.