Mtel - Bulgaria

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Carrier
Mtel
Country
Bulgaria Flag of Bulgaria View country details


Mtel (Bulgaria) uses 2 GSM bands and 1 UMTS band. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Mtel (Bulgaria). See the tables below for details.

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Carrier website: http://www.mtel.bg/

Mtel Bulgaria, now operating under the A1 brand, is a major telecommunications company in Bulgaria. Here are some key points about its mobile network:

  1. Ownership and History:

    • Mtel was founded in March 1994 and launched commercially in September 1995 as Citron.
    • It was acquired by Telekom Austria Group in July 2005 for up to €1.6 billion.

  2. Network Services:

    • Mtel was the first Bulgarian operator to offer GSM, GPRS, HSPA, HSPA+, and LTE services.
    • It also introduced EDGE and UMTS services early on.
    • The company has been at the forefront of technological advancements, including video telephony services starting in Sofia in March 2006 and throughout the Bulgarian Black Sea resorts by mid-July 2006.

  3. Market Share and Customer Base:

    • As of 2004, Mtel had a market share of about 58% and 3,000,000 clients.
    • By 2006, it had 4,400,000 subscribers and a market share of 51.1%, with 1.7 million contract customers.
    • Despite economic challenges, Mtel maintained a stable customer base of 5.3 million by 2011, with a market share of 49.3%.

  4. Prepaid Services:

    • Mtel introduced prepaid SIM cards in 2001, which significantly increased its customer base.
    • It also launched the Bob service in 2011, offering cheap calls, SMS, and mobile internet.

  5. Roaming and Partnerships:

    • Mtel signed a national roaming contract with Max in 2015, marking the first network-sharing agreement in the Bulgarian telecom market.
    • It acquired Blizoo, a cable TV and internet service provider, in 2015.

  6. Sports Sponsorship:

    • Mtel became the official sponsor of CSKA Sofia football club in 2016 and launched its own pay television sports pack, MAX Sport.

  7. Technological Innovations:

    • Mtel developed the M-Tel NETAGENT, a multi-mode connection manager for mobile broadband internet, in collaboration with mquadr.at.

  8. Coverage:

    • Mtel’s coverage includes 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, with detailed coverage maps available.

Mtel Bulgaria, now A1 Bulgaria, has been a significant player in the Bulgarian telecommunications market, known for its early adoption of advanced technologies and strong market presence.

Frequency Bands

GSM

Name Interface Description
900 MHz (E-GSM) GSM

Mtel Bulgaria uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band. This band is used for GSM services and is part of the extended GSM 900 MHz band, which ranges from 880 MHz to 960 MHz. The uplink frequency range is from 880 MHz to 915 MHz, and the downlink range is from 925 MHz to 960 MHz. The GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) band is utilized for providing GSM services in Bulgaria.
1800 MHz (DCS) GSM

Mtel Bulgaria uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band. This band operates within the 1.8 GHz frequency range and offers reduced signal interference and greater channel availability compared to the more crowded 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands used by GSM. The frequency ranges for GSM 1800 are:

  • Uplink: 1710–1785 MHz
  • Downlink: 1805–1880 MHz

This band provides services such as voice communication, text messaging (SMS), and basic data communications. It is known for its efficient use of the 1.8 GHz band through modulation schemes like Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).

UMTS

Name Interface Description
B1 (2100 MHz) UMTS

Mtel Bulgaria uses the UMTS B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band is widely used for 3G services and supports various networks and devices. The deployment of UMTS B1 (2100 MHz) began with the launch of FOMA by NTT DoCoMo in 2001, marking the first commercial deployment of UMTS networks.

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