The telecommunications network of Max Telecom covered 2.5 million Bulgarians, or around 30 per cent of the population, Max Telecom announced.

Before the end of 2008, the company's network was planned to cover 90 per cent of the population, Dnevnik daily said.

The company was extending its WiMax wireless network in the ski resorts Bansko, Pamporovo and Bankya in December 2007. It already operated networks in Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Bourgas, Doupnitsa, Pazardjik, Pernik, Petrich, Plovdiv, Sandanski and Sliven.

The current network would allow for transfer speeds of up to two megabyte per second, which the company said it would increase to five megabyte before the end of February.

Max telecom started its WiMax network officially in October 2007. Investments until the end of 2007 have been around 15 million euro, the company announced it would invest another 15 million euro in 2008.