January 20 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC), operating under the brand name Vivacom, booked the world's highest rate of annual revenue growth from satellite services to business clients in 2022, the Netherlands-based parent company United Group said, citing a report published by the World Teleport Association (WTA).
Vivacom also made it for the first time into the WTA's top 20 companies worldwide in terms of revenue from all customised communications sources, including operators of teleports and satellite fleets, United Group said in a press release earlier this week.
Over the last decade, Vivacom invested more than 10 million euro ($10.8 million) to develop its satellite services for business clients, growing its ties with some of the world’s biggest satellite operators and content providers, according to the statement. Last month, it was announced that the Bulgarian telecoms operator will build a local satellite network portal to expand connectivity and coverage for UK-based company OneWeb's constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
"Via our cutting-edge earth station, we offer services across Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, broadcasting over 500 TV channels to millions of households worldwide. On top, we provide connectivity to some of the most hard-to-reach places globally, including Antarctica," Vivacom CEO Nikolai Andreev said.
WTA's annual Top Teleport Operators report ranks independent operators, satellite carriers, fibre carriers and technology providers excluding businesses that operate teleports mainly for their own use, such as broadcasters. Vivacom came in at number 19 in the global top 20 list, which was headed by US Intelsat. Slovenia's STN was the only other entrant from Southeast Europe in that group, ranking 17th, WTA's website shows.
SEE-focused United Group, which also owns Nova Broadcasting Group in Bulgaria, is backed by UK-based private equity firm BC Partners. The group acquired Vivacom in 2020 for a reported 1.2 billion euro (USD 1.3bn).
($ = 0.9228 euro).