Broadband internet penetration in Bulgaria has been the lowest in Europe to date, and the most recent push to extend broadband internet access in the country seems unlikely to change that ranking.

On February 27, the State Agency for Information Technology and Communications (DAITS) announced a decision by the Coordinating Council for Information Society (CCIS) that Bulgaria would push to achieve 100 per cent broadband internet access in populated areas, covering a total of 75 per cent of the population, and to create an additional 4000 telecentres in remote areas that would provide broadband internet access.

The announcement came about a month after the European Commission said that it would earmark one billion euro to achieve 100 per cent high-speed internet coverage for all European residents by 2010 as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan.

The state IT agency said that, by 2011, it intended to have 100 per cent of the educational institutions in Bulgaria connected to broadband internet.

According to estimates from DAITS, by 2011 five per cent of the population was expected to work from home and another 15 per cent would combine remote work with the occasional day at the office.

The agency said that it would achieve its goals by creating an optic infrastructure among regional and major cities, and, by 2015, integrating the Bulgaria's network with European optical infrastructures. The necessary funds for the project were to be provided by the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, as well via public-private initiatives.

If carried out, the plans would leave 15 per cent of the Bulgarian population – that in the most remote areas – without broadband internet access.