CETIN Bulgaria, part of PPF Group, is a wholesale network and infrastructure services provider, owning and operating one of the largest electronic communications networks in Bulgaria. CETIN Bulgaria was founded in 2020 after a spin-off from Telenor Bulgaria. Thanks to its communications infrastructure, highly skilled employees, and user-centric approach, CETIN Bulgaria aims to provide its customers with an exceptional experience and results by managing the sustainable development of technology and anticipating today the needs of tomorrow. Plamen Vichev, Business Development, and Transformation Director, talks about the changes in the world of telecommunications and the long-term plans of CETIN Bulgaria, the company that operates a telecommunications network in Bulgaria with four consecutive Best in Test certificates. 
 
Mr. Vichev, what was the first year of CETIN Bulgaria? 

Like any young company in the field of high technology, the first year of CETIN Bulgaria's development passed somewhat quickly, under the sign of the interesting projects and successes we achieved. First of all, for the fourth time in a row, the network that CETIN Bulgaria manages and supports received the Best in Test certificate, which is issued by the international independent network quality and user experience assessment organisation umlaut.  This is recognition not only for the CETIN Bulgaria network that we provide to our partners at Telenor Bulgaria but above all for the people in both companies who are constantly developing and improving it. 
 
Our focus continues to be on the quality of services and the network that is used by millions of Bulgarians. We built on our achievements with the launch of a commercial 5G network in June, which provided the opportunity to develop next-generation technology solutions. In the summer of this year, we made an important step in our development with the acquisition of 100% of the capital of two technology companies - Sofia Communications EAD and Rakcom AD. With this step, our company has expanded the scope of our services in Sofia with access to most of the business buildings in the city. With the acquisition, we have been joined by an experienced team with whose help we will develop our portfolio in the field of fixed connectivity services. 
 
What is next and what will CETIN Bulgaria focus on? 
 
As a network infrastructure provider, our top priority remains delivering connectivity to everyone, everywhere. CETIN Bulgaria will continue to be at the heart of the digital transformation of our society, providing fast and, above all, secure data and information transfer. It is for this reason that a key priority for our business is cyber security, which is becoming increasingly important in the era of 5G and the concept of connectivity at all times. In this regard, we will continue to develop various initiatives whose main objective is to maintain high-security standards. 
 
We also expect growth in IoT services, where we are seeing momentum globally after the initial COVID-19 shock. The number of connected devices in every household is forecast to grow several-fold in the next few years. Various business segments such as agriculture, utilities, and transportation are also expected to see an increasingly rapid uptake of IoT solutions that will improve the efficiency and quality of manufactured output. CETIN Bulgaria has the necessary network infrastructure to support this growth, working with its partners to develop complete solutions to meet their needs. As part of our long-term strategy, we aim to identify technology needs and explore how best to exploit opportunities in relation to private networks, smart cities, and edge computing. 
 
As an infrastructure company, we also offer first-class colocation opportunities in our data centers in Sofia and Plovdiv. In addition, we continue to develop our own cloud migration systems to build on our portfolio of services for customers. 
 
What is the main reason for the existence of companies like CETIN? 
 
Our main task at CETIN Bulgaria is to connect consumers and businesses in Bulgaria with the global world through intelligent and especially quality technological solutions. This is possible thanks to CETIN Bulgaria's motivated and cohesive team of over 200 people, experienced and skilled in working with the latest generation IT and telecom technologies, and thanks to our fixed and mobile network covering the entire country. We strive to understand, anticipate, and meet the needs of not only our customers but also their end users. Translated into plain language, this means creating technology solutions that allow them to be more flexible, more affordable, and ultimately more successful. It remains our mission and top priority to create sustainable technology solutions today that enable our customers to meet their needs tomorrow. In this sense, we can truly say that CETIN Bulgaria is the digital backbone of our society.