Internet Access - How to get connected to the Internet in Bulgaria.

The Internet market in Bulgaria is not as well developed as in some oher European countries. Currently only about 10% of Bulgarians have access to the Internet in their homes. The main reasons for this being the poor quality of the telephone network and high equipment costs.

Internet Cafe

One very popular way of accessing the Internet in Bulgaria is by the use of Internet cafes. In every large town or city you won't have to look far to find one. These cafes are very popular with teenagers in Bulgaria who can be found most evenings playing online games.

With some of the Internet cafes you can just walk in off the street to use the computers and then pay on your way out. Others require you to join which is normally free, but be prepared to have your picture taken for their records and membership card. Most Internet cafes have a good Internet connection and often this can be faster then you could have at home.

Connecting to the Internet

The three main ways of connecting to the Internet in Bulgaria are by a Dial Up connection with a Modem, by using one of the local cable suppliers and just recently launched in Bulgaria ADSL. If you do have a choice between the three we would advise having your Internet connection supplied by one of the cable companies or ADSL supplied by BTC.

If you are a mobile user then either through Mtel or Globul you can connect to the Internet using your mobile phone, connected to your laptop or PC. We would call this a 'last resort' due to the very slow connection speeds, but if nothing else is available then it is something to think about.

Latest News. Mtel are now offering mobile internet access using GPRS which can give good performance much the same as a dial up connection.

Internet Service Providers

Listed below are some of the many companies offering connections to the Internet.

BTC - BULGARIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY (BTC) Plc is a state-owned public limited liability company set on 1st of January 1993, with its rights and obligations defined by a Decree of the Council of Ministers and a License issued by the Committee of Posts and Telecommunications. They offer the full range of telecomunications services.