site.btaParliamentary Communications Committee to Seek Report from Watchdog on Causes behind Mobile Operator's Outage

Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Transport and Communications Kiril Dobrev, quoted by the Bulgarian Socialist Party press service, said here on Friday that the Committee will request a formal report from the Communications Regulation Commission after it conducts an inquiry into the case of access difficulties to Vivacom services. The parties involved will also have to discuss measures to improve prevention and response mechanisms to disruptions in the country's critical communications infrastructure.

Dobrev stated: "Events such as today's clearly demonstrate the importance of having effective controls, timely communication with the public and a high degree of accountability from operators. Citizens deserve fast answers, security and protection of their right to connectivity," after Vivacom subscribers complained from struggling to use mobile voice communication services and mobile internet for at least two hours.

The MP reported that this outage directly affects hundreds of thousands of consumers, companies, healthcare facilities and emergency services across the country. He added: "In today's digital society, mobile connectivity is not a privilege but a basic right and a vital necessity."

Dobrev insisted that the mobile operator should announce the reasons for the outage, the expected recovery time, and the measures being taken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.