In 2025, 10 Bulgarian organisations won €12.8 million to implement five projects in the digital sector under the Connecting Europe Facility. This is a significant achievement for Bulgarian companies, which managed to establish themselves and demonstrate a high level of activity, expertise, and innovation in an extremely competitive European environment. For the team at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as the national coordinator of the digital sector under the Connecting Europe Facility, it is important that all five projects that were submitted won funding.
The funded projects are in the following areas:
5G coverage along transport corridors
Project MULTIMODAL-5G: Enabling Seamless Multimodal Transport and Logistics with 5G SA connectivity aims to demonstrate the transformative potential of standalone 5G networks (SA) for the integration of multimodal transport and logistics. The main focus is on the land, rail, and sea corridor between Greece and Bulgaria, covering the route Crete – Piraeus – Athens – Thessaloniki – Simitli. The project will develop 5G infrastructure along the transport corridor with a focus on improved connectivity, low latency, and reliability, and will optimise multimodal transport through automated real-time monitoring and management, etc. Bulgarian participant in the project is A1 Bulgaria EAD.
By promoting 5G autonomous connectivity in maritime, rail, and urban transport systems, Multimodal-5G will improve the passenger experience, increase the safety and efficiency of multimodal transport, and improve the sustainability of cross-border transport.
Project WAVEO: 5G Coverage along Eastern Balkans and Black Sea Corridors aims to provide continuous 5G coverage along the main transport corridors between Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. The project will improve connectivity in sparsely populated and hard-to-reach areas by providing modern digital services in the fields of mobility, logistics, safety, and healthcare, which will benefit end users. Bulgarian participants in the project are A1 Bulgaria EAD and A1 Towers Bulgaria EOOD.
Backbone connectivity
Project BDGW: Balkans Digital Gateway Works aims to provide high-performance backbone infrastructure between Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, which will contribute to improving the quality of connectivity in Southeast Europe. Fibre optic cables will be installed along the Burgas-Alexandroupolis, Ofrynio-Serres, Sofia-Thessaloniki and Ruse-Bucharest routes to accelerate the development of modern digital services. The project will facilitate the future integration of submarine connectivity in the Black and Aegean Seas and extend connectivity to the Caucasus, the Middle East, Africa, and Italy, providing a stable and secure digital infrastructure. Bulgarian participant is Vestitel BG AD.
Quantum communication infrastructure
Project SEEWQCI: South-East Europe to Western Europe Quantum Communication Infrastructure aims to build a secure infrastructure connecting the national quantum communication infrastructures (NatQCI) of Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and the Netherlands. A 1,100 km terrestrial quantum network will be deployed from Greece to Bulgaria, and five optical ground stations will be built in Greece, Cyprus, and the Netherlands. By connecting more than 30 nodes and testing 29 secure communication scenarios, the project will strengthen Europe's leadership in quantum technologies and ensure a sustainable digital infrastructure. Bulgarian participants in the project are Enterprise Communications Group EOOD, Correct Consulting Group OOD, and the Institute of Robotics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Project SBIQCI: Sofia (BG) to Bucharest (RO) Interconnection of Quantum Communications Infrastructure cross-border connectivity proposal represents an important step towards the development of a pan-European quantum communication infrastructure (EuroQCI) and contributes to the integration of national quantum networks in the region. It will connect the national quantum communication infrastructures (NatQCI) of Bulgaria and Romania via a secure, high-speed terrestrial quantum link and create a reliable communication channel between the two capitals, ensuring secure quantum communication. Bulgarian participants in the project are Enterprise Communications Group EOOD, Correct Consulting Group OOD, and the Institute of Robotics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.