Orbitel

Orbitel, Inc

Type	limited liability company
Industry	telecommunications
Founded	1997
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Key people	Teodor Zahov, Spectrum Net CEO
Products	Internet services, Virtual private networks, ADSL, fixed telephony, carrier selection, web hosting, corporative e-mail
Revenue	€9.85 million (2008)
Employees	126 (December, 2008)
Website	http://www.orbitel.bg

Orbitel (Bulgarian: Орбител) is Bulgarian wireline telecommunications and Internet service provider with national licenses for voice and data. Through its national packet-switched network Orbitel provides convergent telecommunication solutions for telephony, high speed Internet and VPNs throughout Bulgaria. Orbitel also provides services such as web site hosting, domain registration, corporate e-mail and professional consultations.

Orbitel was founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs Victor Francess and Nikolai Gorchilov, who served as board members and CEOs until 2007.^[1]

Investors

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

In 2001 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development chose Orbitel to make the first foreign investment in the Bulgarian IT sector.^[2] The company becomes one of the biggest Bulgarian Internet service providers.^{[citation needed]}

Magyar Telekom

On February 2006 Orbitel became part of the leading Hungarian operator Magyar Telekom. On November 2009, Magyar Telekom decided to exit the Bulgarian alternative retail telecommunication business and focus its operations on businesses where it sees more lucrative prospects.^[3]

Spectrum Net

On November 2009 Spectrum Net, part of Alfa Finance Holding[2], decided to purchase the shares from Magyar Telekom. [3]

Network

Orbitel introduced the first next generation telecommunication platform in Southeastern Europe.^[4]The company introduced the softswitch based technology for convergent voice, data and video, proven by operators such as France Telecom, Telefonica, FastWeb and Tiscali.^{[citation needed]}

Orbitel's network backbone is based on MPLS technology and covers more than 35 cities, among which are all the district centers in Bulgaria and the European telecommunication center London.^{[citation needed]}. Till the end of 2009 Orbitel used own national fiber network built on DWDM technology, part of long-term strategy of the company for development as a key broadband operator in Bulgaria.^[5] The backbone network of Orbitel has capacity of 10 Gbit/second and covers 23 cities in the country (90% of the population).^[6]

Innovations

Orbitel transforms progress into new communication opportunities. More than 50 achievements of the Bulgarian Internet and telecom industries belong to Orbitel. Among them are:

• January 1998: Internet access with guaranteed capacity (CIR)
• February 1998: 24-hour technical support centre
• January 1999: VoIP technology implementation
• May 1999: On-line audio and video Internet broadcast
• September 2000: Virtual private networks (VPN)
• November 2001: VoIP services for the Bulgarian market
• July 2003: Licensed competitor on the liberalized telecom market
• October 2003: Next generation telecommunication platform
• April 2004: The first Interconnect between a competitive fixed and a mobile telecom operator
• January 2005: The first Interconnect between a next generation telecom and the incumbent
• February 2005: The first service for free dial-up access
• March 2005: The first operational competitive fixed telecom operator
• April 2005: The first new generation telecom service
• April 2005: Launch of the business model of unlimited calls in the telecom sector
• June 2005: The first national carrier selection service for private users
• June 2005: Launch of the low-cost model in the telecom sector
• June 2006: Bulgarian phone lines redirected to an international phone number for Bulgarians living abroad.
• June 2008: First alternative ADSL provider in Bulgaria.

References

1. ^ "Bulgarian Telco Orbitel Changes CEO". SeeNews. April 24, 2007. http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/bulgariantelcoorbitelchangesceo-410504. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
2. ^ "PPF - Bulgarian Post Privatisation Fund - framework". ERBD Website. December 16, 1997. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20080528234744/http://www.ebrd.com/projects/psd/psd1997/2939.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ "PR Newswire". France Telecom S.A.. October 10, 2003. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-3202606_ITM. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
5. ^ "Orbitel invests EUR 12 m in a national fiber network". Invest Bulgaria Agency. March 28, 2008. http://investbg.government.bg/?sid=24&ssid=121&c=709. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
6. ^ "Orbitel Network Map" (JPG). Orbitel. http://www.orbitel.bg/uploads/adminfckfiles/file/map_big_en_x.jpg. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 

External links

• Official website (Bulgarian)
• Official website (English)