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{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company |
company_name = VIVACOM |
|name = Vivacom
|logo = [[File:Logo vivakom.jpg|250px]]
company_logo = [[File:Logo vivakom.jpg|250px]] |
|type = [[Joint Stock Company]]
company_type = [[Joint Stock Company]] |
company_slogan = "Everything that connects you" |
|slogan = [[United communications]]
|foundation = 1992
foundation = 1992 |
|location = [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
location = [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]] |
|key_people = [[Atanas Dobrev]], CEO
key_people = [[Atanas Dobrev]], CEO|
|num_employees = 5 905
num_employees = 3,406 |
|revenue = {{decrease}} €411.5 million; BGN 802.4 million (2015)<ref>https://vivacom.bg/Content/files/ir/reports/report_56_en.pdf</ref>
revenue = {{increase}} €515.7 million (2006)[http://www.btc.bg/files/ir/reports/report_32_en.pdf] |
|industry = [[telecommunications]]
industry = [[telecommunications]] |
|products = [[Satellite television]], [[IPTV]], [[fixed phone|Fixed line]], [[Mobile telephony|Mobile]] [[telephony]], [[Internet service provider]]
products = [[fixed phone|fixed line]] [[telephony]], [[Internet service provider|Internet services]], [[Mobile phone|mobile telephony]] (as [[Vivatel]])|
owner = [[Corporate Commercial Bank]]<br>[[VTB Capital]]
|homepage = [http://www.vivacom.bg vivacom.bg]
| homepage = [http://www.vivacom.bg vivacom.bg]
}}
}}


'''VIVACOM''' ({{lang-bg|Виваком}}), is a [[brand]] name of ''Bulgarian Telecommunications company'' (BTC) is the largest [[telecommunications]] company in [[Bulgaria]] and a former state-owned [[monopoly]]. Founded as a [[joint stock company]] in the end of 1992 as part of the separation of Bulgaria's post and telecommunication services into separate companies, it serves 2.6 million [[fixed phone]] lines and employs about 10,000 people.
'''Vivacom''' (Bulgarian: Виваком) is the brand name of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company EAD (BTC), the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned monopoly. It was founded as a joint stock company in 1992 as part of the split of Bulgaria's post and telecommunication services into separate companies. Currently, VIVACOM is leading the market in providing various telecommunication services, including fixed-line, mobile, Internet, radio and TV broadcasting, and data transmission services. The company is headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, employs around 6,000 people (5905 in 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vivacom.bg/Content/files/ir/reports/report_56_en.pdf|title=Домашен & мобилен телефон, високоскоростен интернет от VIVACOM|author=Studio X Creative|publisher=}}</ref>), and owns a mature distribution network with over 240 retail outlets. VIVACOM’s customer base includes both business and residential subscribers. It serves 1.4 million fixed phones and provides broadband Internet access to 1 000,000 households and free Internet access at more than 4,000 public locations in Bulgaria. VIVACOM’s 3G [[network coverage]] expands to 99.99% of the population and 99.65% of the territory of Bulgaria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vivacom.bg/Content/files/ir/reports/report_56_en.pdf|title=Домашен & мобилен телефон, високоскоростен интернет от VIVACOM|author=Studio X Creative|publisher=}}</ref>


In June 2004, 65% of the BTC were sold to Viva Ventures, owned by [[Advent International]], for [[Euro|€]]280 million (about 380 million U.S. dollars). As part of the deal, BTC was provided a [[GSM]] operator license and launched [[Vivatel]], Bulgaria's third GSM operator, in 2005. An [[UMTS]] license was additionally purchased in May 2005. In May 2007, the company was sold again. [[American International Group|AIG]] Investments purchased both BTC and the third Bulgarian mobile operator, [[Vivatel]] for total price of [[Euro|€]]1,661 billion.[http://money.ibox.bg/news/id_1502933922]. When AIG ran into financial trouble, it sold its asset management business to [[Pacific Century Group]].<ref>[http://sofiaecho.com/2009/12/14/830317_bulgarian-regulator-approves-sale-of-vivacom-to-bridge-partners Bulgarian regulator approves sale of Vivacom to Bridge Partners]</ref>
== History ==
The Bulgarian Telecommunications Company was established in 1992 as part of the separation of the state-owned enterprise Bulgarian Posts and Telecommunications into different companies.<ref>[http://www.bgpost.bg/?cid=125 Historical summary] – Bulgarian Posts website</ref>


Besides serving the vast majority of fixed telephone lines in the country, BTC is also the biggest Bulgarian [[ADSL]] [[Internet service provider]] with 100,000 customers.
In June 2004, the Bulgarian government sold 65 percent of BTC’s capital to Viva Ventures Holding, a subsidiary of the US private equity fund Advent International, for €280 million. In January 2005, the Bulgarian state made a public offering of the remaining shares and offered 34.78 percent of the company's capital (2,869,573 shares) on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange – Sofia.
In May 2005, the BTC was granted a license for the development of third-generation mobile telecommunication systems under the UMTS standard, class B (2x5+5&nbsp;MHz). The permit is valid for a period of 20 years and the license fee is BGN 42 million.


Icelandic-led [[Novator Partners|Novator]] acquired a 65% stake for an undisclosed sum. In 2007, the stake was sold for £855m (about 1.2 billion U.S. Dollars).<ref name="thisismoney">{{cite web | url=http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=455221&in_page_id=2 | title=Icelandic billionaire's face the crunch | publisher=This Is Money | date=2008-10-12 }}</ref><ref name="whoisbjorgolfsson">{{cite web | url=http://www.invgr.com/bjorgolfur_thor_bjorgolfsson.htm | title=Who is Thor Bjorgolfsson, Iceland's lone billionaire? | publisher=Invest in Greece | date=2006-01-20 }}</ref>
In November 2005, the company launched its mobile services under the ‘Vivatel’ brand, Bulgaria's third mobile operator. It later became the fastest growing mobile operator in the country.<ref>[https://www.vivacom.bg/en/residential/about_us/company_information Official website] (English)</ref>
In August 2007, the company was sold again. AIG Investments, through its subsidiary AIG Capital Partners Inc., acquired a majority stake in BTC for a total price of €1,080 million (BGN 2,112 million).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vivacom.bg/en/residential/investors/news/2007/50|title=Who are we|author=Studio X Creative|publisher=}}</ref>
In January 2009, the BTC announced a merger with its subsidiary BTC Mobile (Vivatel). The aim of the consolidation was to improve management efficiency, optimize costs, secure sustainable growth, and introduce a single brand.


In July 2013, former [[CFO]] Atanas Dobrev succeeded Bernard Moscheni as the new [[CEO]] of the company.<ref>[http://vivacom.bg/en/residential/about_us/press_releases/2013/atanas_dobrev_is_the_new_ceo_of_vivacom Atanas Dobrev is the new CEO of VIVACOM], Retrieved 22 July 2013</ref>
In September 2009, BTC and Vivatel united under a new brand - VIVACOM.


== Satellite TV ==
In late 2012, VTB Capital, the investment arm of Russia’s second-largest bank, has led a consortium (Viva Telecom Bulgaria EAD) to buy a controlling stake in BTC. The consortium included a local partner, Mr. [[Tzvetan Vassilev]]. In November 2012, Viva Telecom Bulgaria EAD acquired a 93.99 percent stake in the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company. The transaction became a fact as a result of the approval of a comprehensive scheme for the sale and restructuring of the company. The deal received approval from the European Commission and other regulatory authorities.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/06/vivacom-restructuring-idUSL6E8K6D6R20120906 Bulgaria's Vivacom gets court approval for restructuring] Reuters</ref> Local experts state that the purchase of VIVACOM was among the most complicated deals in Bulgaria.<ref>[http://boyanov.com/en/news/3964/ “Probably the Most Complicated Deal in Bulgaria Ever”] Boyanov & Co.</ref>
{{Advert|section|date=October 2010}}


Vivacom provides satellite television service called Vivacom TV, throughout the country. The service has three basic packages with different program lineups. The Start package costs BGN 9.8 per month and includes 40 TV channels and 10 radio stations. In addition to the three main stations, the Bulgarian National TV (BNT), bTV and Nova Televizia, the package includes bTV Cinema, bTV Action, bTV Comedy, [[Fox Life]], Diema, [[CNN]], [[Euronews]], DW; the sports channels Eurosport and RING.bg; Fiesta TV, [[Animal Planet]]; the musical channels MAD, City TV, T rock, Planeta Folk, Fen TV, Balkanika; and the children's channels Е-KIDS and Super 7, among others.
In 2013, Vivacom shareholders, including Tzvetan Vassilev, were issued a EUR150mn credit. Vassilev failed to make timely payments on the loan, due to the problems with Corporate Commercial Bank, where he was a majority shareholder. Soon after, Vassilev fled the country. Since Vassilev could not meet his financial obligations, the loan’s collateral, 100% shares of Vivacom’s holding company, was sold at an open competitive auction. The auction was conducted by Ernst&Young with the participation of major international bidders, including US companies. After 20 rounds of bidding, a consortium of financial investors led by Spas Roussev was declared the winner and new owner of Vivacom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forbes.ru/news/306347-vtb-prodal-bolgarskogo-operatora-svyazi-vivacom-za-330-mln|title=ВТБ продал болгарского оператора связи Vivacom за €330 млн|website=www.forbes.ru|access-date=2016-07-08}}</ref>


The biggest package, Extra, includes over 70 channels for the price of BGN 17.80 per month.
In June 2016, over 87% of bondholders for BTC’s EUR400mn Eurobond issue granted their consent for change of control over the company, as disclosed on the Irish Stock Exchange, further supporting the auction’s legitimacy. The acquisition also received merger control clearance from the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition and the European Commission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ise.ie/app/announcementDetails.aspx?ID=12850346|title=Market News|website=www.ise.ie|access-date=2016-07-08}}</ref>


Vivacom TV is available without long-term contracts, but one- and two-year contracts offer discounts of 50% for the first three or six months.
Empreno has filed a lawsuit against VTB Capital in the High Court of London, the litigation is still pending. Dmitry Kosarev, owner of Empreno, has not been able to substantiate his claims that he rightfully owns Vivacom’s shares to VTB Capital or any international regulator.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3006900|title=ВТБ на проводе|last=Балашова|first=Анна|date=2016-07-06|last2=Балашова|first2=Анна|newspaper=Газета "Коммерсантъ"|issue=99|pages=7|last3=Хвостик|first3=Евгений|last4=Хвостик|first4=Евгений|access-date=2016-07-08}}</ref>


Vivacom TV also offers an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) one week ahead and [[parent control]] tools.
==Services==
* [[fixed phone|Fixed]]/[[Mobile telephony|Mobile]] [[telephony]]
* [[DVB-S]]
* [[IPTV]]
* [[Broadband Internet]]


Vivacom TV will air via the largest satellite operator Intelsat – a 15-year partner of the company. Vivacom plans to introduce in the very near future HD programs to its basic digital packages.
== Supervisory board ==
- Svetoslav Dimitrov


== Internet services ==
- Vladimir Penkov


VIVACOM offers an ADSL broadband Internet service through its traditional copper telephone line and a FTH optical internet connection in Sofia. It is currently the largest ISP in Bulgaria. The company also owns the majority of the optical infrastructure, which is limited to major cities.
- Michael Tannenbaum


VIVACOM's 3G network offers the best mobile broadband coverage in Bulgaria due to the extensive use of [[UMTS_frequency_bands#UMTS-FDD|UMTS900]] since June 2010 while its competitors run their 3G network mainly on 2100 MHz (UMTS2100) which, due to the higher frequency, has lower coverage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://peecee.dk/upload/download/302096 |title=UMTS900 Global Status |date=1 March 2011 |work=report |publisher=Global mobile Suppliers Association |accessdate=6 September 2012}}</ref>
- Georgi Velchev


== Mobile and fixed phone services ==
- Stefano Zuppet


Fixed services are available through both the conventional copper line and the GSM network.
== Management Board ==
VIVACOM (then Vivatel) started offering mobile services in 2004, purchasing an additional UMTS license in 2005. HSDPA is also available as of 2009.
- Atanas Dobrev
Clients should be aware that 30 days notice are required to terminate contracts which are due to expire or the contract will be renewed, though Vivacom company policy states that contracts are not automatically renewed.


Mobile numbers on the Vivacom network use the code 087. <ref>This code had been used by [[M-Tel]] until 2003 but, as [[Vivatel]] was not launched until 2005, the two did not overlap.</ref>
- Alexander Grancharov


- Rusin Yordanov


;Public telephones
- Asen Velikov
[[Image:Bulgarian Telecommunications Company logo.jpg|right|thumb|BTC 1990s logo]]

Vivacom also runs the national [[payphone|public telephone]] network, however this is largely redundant since the early 2010s. Many of the booths are out of service and most shops do not sell the phonecards for them. <ref>[http://www.capital.bg/politika_i_ikonomika/obshtestvo/2010/03/05/868646_alo_minaloto_li_e/ Hello, is that the past?], [[Capital (newspaper)|Kapital]], 5 Mar 2010. Retrieved Mar 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.capital.bg/biznes/kompanii/2007/07/27/363258_bavnata_smurt_na_ulichnite_telefoni/ The slow death of the public payphone], [[Capital (newspaper)|Kapital]], 27 Jul 2007. Retrieved Mar 2013.</ref><ref>[http://radiosofia.bnr.bg/Audio.aspx?lang=1026#http://radiosofia.bnr.bg/Audio.aspx?lang=1026 What is the fate of streetphones in Sofia?], [[Bulgarian National Radio|BNR]], 7 Mar 2012. Retrieved Mar 2013.</ref> In the early 1990s, BTC sold its payphone network to two companies – [[Mobikom|Mobika]] and [[Globul#Founding|Bulfon]], but bought it back in 2005. <ref>[http://www.dnevnik.bg/biznes/2006/06/30/440158_sistema_kupi_intrakom_telekom/ "Sistema" is buying "Intracom"] (''in Bulgarian'' – "Intracom" was OTE's subsidiary in Bulgaria), [[Dnevnik (Bulgaria)|Dnevnik]], 30 Jun 2006. Retrieved Mar 2013.</ref><ref>The two companies' cards were incompatible with one another, and their phones were differentiated by their colours – ''Mobika'' had blue phones and ''BulFon'' had orange phones. These colours still remain on the non-functioning phones as of 2013, although within red-lined booths (as red was BTC's brand colour at the time it bought them) – [http://dariknews.bg/uploads/news_images/201207/photo_verybig_936230.jpg image].</ref>
== VIVACOM Fund ==
Until the 1990s, public payphones did not take coins or cards, but only took special grooved tokens from BTC that had to be specially bought. <ref>Payphone images – [http://postimage.org/image/999stcaeb/ bubble booth], [http://eko-exo.com/WordPress_2.9.1/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Post_222_1.jpg metal telephone] (note that while the lettering has clearly been etched later, the phone itself is genuine), [http://auction.bg/item.php?id=292668 BTC metal token images].</ref>
Every year VIVACOM supports numerous projects related to significant causes in social life. In 2012 VIVACOM Fund distributed BGN 1.7 million to support [[sports]], [[culture]], [[education]], [[health]], and social projects.<ref>[https://vivacom.bg/en/business/about_us/vivacom_fund VIVACOM Fund], official website of VIVACOM</ref>

===Culture===
VIVACOM Art Scena is one of VIVACOM Fund's leading social projects in the field of culture. In 2010 the telecom supported the project of the Sofia Municipality and the Camera OOD producer company for a free summer open-air stage offering the citizens and visitors of Sofia a varied cultural program. During the same year, thanks to the support from VIVACOM, a unique Christmas [[tram]] could be seen in the streets of Sofia. It offered numerous surprises to children and their parents. It has become a tradition for VIVACOM to support the Museum and Gallery Night Project in the city of [[Plovdiv]].

===Education and Health===
VIVACOM was a partner of the ''Teach for Bulgaria'' Foundation in the 2012 campaign for raising funds for a summer school for over 200 children.

At the end of June 2010, the first VIVACOM Institute for Children’s Mental Health and Development was open. A team of [[Speech-language pathology|speech therapists]], [[psychologists]], and [[Neurology|neurologists]] will take care of children with [[dyslexia]] and [[autism]].

In September 2010, the company supported the participation of seven Bulgarian students in the ''[[Laser Physics]] and Applications'' XVI International School on Quantum Electronics. VIVACOM also gave students from the Technical University in Sofia the opportunity to attend courses led by VIVACOM professionals.

===Sports===
In 2010, the company organized the Fourth State [[Streetball]] Championship – over 3 000 participants took part in the contest. VIVACOM traditionally supports [[golf]] and athletic tournaments and also invests in the Bulgarian automobile sports. In 2015, the company became majority shareholder of the popular Bulgarian football club [[PFC Levski Sofia|Levski Sofia]], acquiring approximately 27% of the club shares.

===Social Campaigns===
The charity initiative ''Zhalti Stotinki'' is a traditional initiative of VIVACOM for accumulating funds for the building of family type centers for the accommodation of children deprived of parental care. Employees of VIVACOM also help with renovation of orphanages for children at risk as part of the VIVACOM Cares initiative. VIVACOM also supported the exhibition of the [[photographer]] Mitko Momchev and the raised funds were donated for a complicated surgery of a famous Bulgarian [[astronomer]].


==References==
==References==
Line 91: Line 66:


{{Mobile network operators in Bulgaria}}
{{Mobile network operators in Bulgaria}}
{{Television in Bulgaria}}
{{CATV Europe}}


[[Category:Telecommunications companies of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Telecommunications companies of Bulgaria]]

Revision as of 16:11, 23 August 2016

VIVACOM
Company typeJoint Stock Company
Industrytelecommunications
Founded1992
HeadquartersSofia, Bulgaria
Key people
Atanas Dobrev, CEO
Productsfixed line telephony, Internet services, mobile telephony (as Vivatel)
RevenueIncrease €515.7 million (2006)[1]
65,300,000 Euro (2018) Edit this on Wikidata
OwnerCorporate Commercial Bank
VTB Capital
Number of employees
3,406
Websitevivacom.bg

VIVACOM (Template:Lang-bg), is a brand name of Bulgarian Telecommunications company (BTC) is the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned monopoly. Founded as a joint stock company in the end of 1992 as part of the separation of Bulgaria's post and telecommunication services into separate companies, it serves 2.6 million fixed phone lines and employs about 10,000 people.

In June 2004, 65% of the BTC were sold to Viva Ventures, owned by Advent International, for €280 million (about 380 million U.S. dollars). As part of the deal, BTC was provided a GSM operator license and launched Vivatel, Bulgaria's third GSM operator, in 2005. An UMTS license was additionally purchased in May 2005. In May 2007, the company was sold again. AIG Investments purchased both BTC and the third Bulgarian mobile operator, Vivatel for total price of €1,661 billion.[2]. When AIG ran into financial trouble, it sold its asset management business to Pacific Century Group.[1]

Besides serving the vast majority of fixed telephone lines in the country, BTC is also the biggest Bulgarian ADSL Internet service provider with 100,000 customers.

Icelandic-led Novator acquired a 65% stake for an undisclosed sum. In 2007, the stake was sold for £855m (about 1.2 billion U.S. Dollars).[2][3]

In July 2013, former CFO Atanas Dobrev succeeded Bernard Moscheni as the new CEO of the company.[4]

Satellite TV

Vivacom provides satellite television service called Vivacom TV, throughout the country. The service has three basic packages with different program lineups. The Start package costs BGN 9.8 per month and includes 40 TV channels and 10 radio stations. In addition to the three main stations, the Bulgarian National TV (BNT), bTV and Nova Televizia, the package includes bTV Cinema, bTV Action, bTV Comedy, Fox Life, Diema, CNN, Euronews, DW; the sports channels Eurosport and RING.bg; Fiesta TV, Animal Planet; the musical channels MAD, City TV, T rock, Planeta Folk, Fen TV, Balkanika; and the children's channels Е-KIDS and Super 7, among others.

The biggest package, Extra, includes over 70 channels for the price of BGN 17.80 per month.

Vivacom TV is available without long-term contracts, but one- and two-year contracts offer discounts of 50% for the first three or six months.

Vivacom TV also offers an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) one week ahead and parent control tools.

Vivacom TV will air via the largest satellite operator Intelsat – a 15-year partner of the company. Vivacom plans to introduce in the very near future HD programs to its basic digital packages.

Internet services

VIVACOM offers an ADSL broadband Internet service through its traditional copper telephone line and a FTH optical internet connection in Sofia. It is currently the largest ISP in Bulgaria. The company also owns the majority of the optical infrastructure, which is limited to major cities.

VIVACOM's 3G network offers the best mobile broadband coverage in Bulgaria due to the extensive use of UMTS900 since June 2010 while its competitors run their 3G network mainly on 2100 MHz (UMTS2100) which, due to the higher frequency, has lower coverage.[5]

Mobile and fixed phone services

Fixed services are available through both the conventional copper line and the GSM network. VIVACOM (then Vivatel) started offering mobile services in 2004, purchasing an additional UMTS license in 2005. HSDPA is also available as of 2009. Clients should be aware that 30 days notice are required to terminate contracts which are due to expire or the contract will be renewed, though Vivacom company policy states that contracts are not automatically renewed.

Mobile numbers on the Vivacom network use the code 087. [6]


Public telephones
File:Bulgarian Telecommunications Company logo.jpg
BTC 1990s logo

Vivacom also runs the national public telephone network, however this is largely redundant since the early 2010s. Many of the booths are out of service and most shops do not sell the phonecards for them. [7][8][9] In the early 1990s, BTC sold its payphone network to two companies – Mobika and Bulfon, but bought it back in 2005. [10][11] Until the 1990s, public payphones did not take coins or cards, but only took special grooved tokens from BTC that had to be specially bought. [12]

References

  1. ^ Bulgarian regulator approves sale of Vivacom to Bridge Partners
  2. ^ "Icelandic billionaire's face the crunch". This Is Money. 2008-10-12.
  3. ^ "Who is Thor Bjorgolfsson, Iceland's lone billionaire?". Invest in Greece. 2006-01-20.
  4. ^ Atanas Dobrev is the new CEO of VIVACOM, Retrieved 22 July 2013
  5. ^ "UMTS900 Global Status". report. Global mobile Suppliers Association. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ^ This code had been used by M-Tel until 2003 but, as Vivatel was not launched until 2005, the two did not overlap.
  7. ^ Hello, is that the past?, Kapital, 5 Mar 2010. Retrieved Mar 2013.
  8. ^ The slow death of the public payphone, Kapital, 27 Jul 2007. Retrieved Mar 2013.
  9. ^ What is the fate of streetphones in Sofia?, BNR, 7 Mar 2012. Retrieved Mar 2013.
  10. ^ "Sistema" is buying "Intracom" (in Bulgarian – "Intracom" was OTE's subsidiary in Bulgaria), Dnevnik, 30 Jun 2006. Retrieved Mar 2013.
  11. ^ The two companies' cards were incompatible with one another, and their phones were differentiated by their colours – Mobika had blue phones and BulFon had orange phones. These colours still remain on the non-functioning phones as of 2013, although within red-lined booths (as red was BTC's brand colour at the time it bought them) – image.
  12. ^ Payphone images – bubble booth, metal telephone (note that while the lettering has clearly been etched later, the phone itself is genuine), BTC metal token images.
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