United Group has completed its acquisition of the Bulgarian DTH satellite platform and broadband internet provider Bulsatcom.
Last week, the purchase received approval from Bulgaria’s competition authoroty, despite the intevention of former Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov who had suggested any approval of the transaction by Bulgaria’s Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) could harm competition in the sector.
Netherlands-based United Group said the transaction was part of a long-term strategy to expand and strengthen its market presence in the region and drive innovation for a digital, connected society.
“We are very happy with the completion of the acquisition of Bulsatcom,” said Victoriya Boklag, CEO of United Group. “This step will allow us to foster further growth in this important market and allow for acceleration of innovation in the region. This acquisition complements our portfolio and brings clear benefits to existing and future customers in Bulgaria.”
Nikolay Andreev, CEO of Vivacom and Bulsatcom added: “The successful closing of the acquisition of Bulsatcom is good news for consumers in a highly fragmented market like it is the case in Bulgaria. We will be able to significantly improve the quality of the TV service for Bulsatcom customers. This means more HD channels for them and access to over 30,000 titles in the video library of EON, the leading tv platform in Southeast-Europe. It will also significantly increase the quality of their internet service offered in terms of download and upload speeds.”
United Group entered the Bulgarian market in 2020 with the acquisition of Vivacom. United has developed the country’s largest 5G network and the launch of the first 10GIGA fibre network. United Group also provided Bulgarian consumers with the first 5G unlimited tariff plans and access to the award-winning EON TV platform.
