United Group already has 1.6 million devices connected to its Eon next generation platform across South East Europe, according to Zeljko Batitic, the company’s VP of technology.
However, speaking to Capital, he added that it also has 200 developers working on Eon and constantly upgrading the service. In Bulgaria, 200,000 devices are already connected to Eon six months after its launch and almost 90% of new subscribers are covered by United Group’s GPON and XSGPON networks, offering internet access of over 500 Mbps.
Batitic said that United Group’s total investment in infrastructure in Bulgaria will be around €500 million euros over the next five years, with that for its fixed network amounting to €300 million. Right now between 1.1 and 1.2 million households can access giga speeds and that should rise to 1.7 million over the next five years.
Batitic also said that given Bulgaria has some of the lowest internet prices in the EU and more than 600 competing providers, the market dynamics have not been very attractive for investment in next generation networks. That is why it has decided to invest a lot in 10 Gbps networks. Furthermore, given the difficulties in integrating very small companies, 2022 will probably be the last year for the consolidation United Group has planned for the Bulgarian market.
