The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 1992 to 2024 Europe
Telecommunication systems Latvia, in 33 editions.
The entry for Latvia published Telecommunication systems in 33 editions of 34, from 1992 to 2024. The text changed in 26 editions. Each is shown as published. Telecommunication systems in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 26
- the first edition with it
- 1992
- the latest edition with it
- 2024
Published as “Telecommunications” (1992 to 1994), “Telephone system” (1995 to 2019) and “Telecommunication systems” (2020 to 2024).
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.
2024 edition
Changed since 2023Published as “Telecommunications”
broadcast stations - NA; international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and the Finnish cellular net
broadcast stations - NA; international traffic carried by leased connection
to the Moscow international gateway switch and the Finnish cellular net
Published as “Telecommunications”
- NMT-450 analog cellular network is operational covering Riga, Ventspils, Daugavpils, Rezekne, and Valmiera;
- broadcast stations - NA;
- international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and through new independent international automatic telephone exchange in Riga and the Finnish cellular net
NMT-450 analog cellular network is operational covering Riga, Ventspils,
Daugavpils, Rezekne, and Valmiera; broadcast stations - NA; international
traffic carried by leased connection
switch and through new independent international automatic telephone
exchange in Riga and the Finnish cellular net
Published as “Telecommunications”
- Latvia is better provided with telephone service than most of the other former Soviet republics;
- subscriber circuits 660,000;
- subscriber density 240 per 1,000 persons (1993);
- an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population;
- international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and through the new Ericsson AXE local/transit digital telephone exchange in Riga and through the Finnish cellular net;
- electronic mail capability by Sprint data network;
- broadcasting services NA
Rewritten: too little of the 1993 text remains to mark the changes.
Latvia is better provided with telephone service than most of the
other former Soviet republics; subscriber circuits 660,000; subscriber
density 240 per 1,000 persons (1993); an NMT-450 analog cellular
telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population; international
traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international
gateway switch and through the new Ericsson AXE local/transit digital
telephone exchange in Riga and through the Finnish cellular net;
electronic mail capability by Sprint data network; broadcasting
services NA
Published as “Telephone system”
- 660,000 telephones;
- 240 telephones/1,000 persons (1993);
- Latvia is better provided with telephone service than most of the other former Soviet republics;
- an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- NA
- international:
- international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and through the new Ericsson AXE local/transit digital telephone exchange in Riga and through the Finnish cellular net;
- electronic mail capability by Sprint data network
660,000 telephones; 240 telephones/1,000 persons
(1993); Latvia is better provided with telephone service than most of the
the other former Soviet republics; subscriber circuits 660,000; subscriber an NMT-450 analog cellular
density 240 per 1,000 persons (1993);
telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population; international population
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: international traffic carried by leased connection to
the Moscow international
AXE local/transit digital
Finnish cellular net;network; broadcastingservices NA network
Published as “Telephone system”
service is better than in most of the other former Soviet republics
- domestic:
- an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population
- international:
- international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch, through the new Ericsson digital telephone exchange in Riga, and through the Finnish cellular net;
- Sprint data network carries electronic mail
660,000 telephones; 240 telephones/1,000 persons service is better
(1993); Latviaprovided with telephone service than in most of
former Soviet republics; republics
domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular
Latvia's populationlocal: NAinternational: international traffic carried by leased connection to
intercity: NA
the Moscow international gateway switch and switch, through the new EricssonAXE local/transit digital telephone exchange in Riga Riga, and through the
net; electronic mail capability by Sprint data
The same text in 1997 and 1998.
Published as “Telephone system”
service is better than in most of the other former Soviet republics
- domestic:
- an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population
- international:
- international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch, through the new Ericsson digital telephone exchange in Riga, and through the Finnish cellular net;
- Sprint data network carries electronic mail
service is better than in most of the other
Soviet republics
domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of
Latvia's population
international: international traffic carried by leased connection to
the Moscow international gateway switch, through the new Ericsson
digital telephone exchange in Riga, and through the Finnish cellular
net; Sprint data network carries electronic mail
Published as “Telephone system”
- Lattelekom is 51% state owned, plans to privatize in 2000 to satisfy EU concerns;
- 50,000 people are on the waiting list to receive telephone service;
- Internet service is available throughout Latvia
- domestic:
- local--two cellular service providers;
- NMT-450 and GSM standards provide service nationwide;
- over 75% of population covered;
- intercity--two synchronous digital hierarchy fiber-optic rings form the national backbone;
- 11 digital switching centers, 3 service centers
- international:
- Latvia has international fiber-optic connectivity to Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, and an undersea fiber-optic cable to Sweden
Rewritten: too little of the 1998 text remains to mark the changes.
Lattelekom is 51% state owned, plans to
privatize in 2000 to satisfy EU concerns; 50,000 people are on the
waiting list to receive telephone service; Internet service is
available throughout Latvia
domestic: local--two cellular service providers; NMT-450 and GSM
standards provide service nationwide; over 75% of population
covered; intercity--two synchronous digital hierarchy fiber-optic
rings form the national backbone; 11 digital switching centers, 3
service centers
international: Latvia has international fiber-optic connectivity to
Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, and an undersea fiber-optic cable to
Sweden
Published as “Telephone system”
- inadequate but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch;
- more facilities are being installed for individual use
- domestic:
- expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
- international:
- international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Rewritten: too little of the 1999 text remains to mark the changes.
inadequate but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
international: international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch;
- more facilities are being installed for individual use domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems;
- still many unsatisfied subscriber applications international: international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
inadequate general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
The same text in 2002 and 2003.
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch;
- more facilities are being installed for individual use
- domestic:
- expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
- international:
- international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
international: international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
The same text in 2004 and 2005.
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch;
- more facilities are being installed for individual use
- domestic:
- expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
- international:
- country code - 371; international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications
international: country code - 371; international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
- domestic:
- two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
Rewritten: too little of the 2005 text remains to mark the changes.
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the incumbent monopoly fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2007)
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony telephone service expands
domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2007)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 125 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
general assessment:
recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands
domestic:
number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly exceeds 125 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2007) (2008)
The same text in 2010 and 2011.
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 125 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
general assessment:
recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless mobile-cellular telephone service expands
domestic:
number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 125 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
The same text in 3 editions, 2012 to 2014.
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
general assessment:
recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
domestic:
number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 125 roughly 150 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)
general assessment:
domestic:
international:
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2015)
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008) (2015)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
- domestic:
- number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2016)
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands
domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2015) (2016)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands;
- EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth;
- govt. adopted measures to build a national fibre broadband network, part-funded by European Commission;
- commercial 5G services in 2019 (2017)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular 127 per 100 subscriptions (2017)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2016)
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands expands; EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth; govt. adopted measures to
domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market openedcompetition build a national fibre broadband network, part-funded by European Commission; commercial 5G services in 2003; combined 2019 (2017)
domestic: fixed-line 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 127 per 100 persons subscriptions (2017)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2016)
Published as “Telephone system”
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands;
- EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth;
- govt. adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, part-funded by European Commission;
- commercial 5G services coming in 2019 (2018)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular 127 per 100 subscriptions (2018)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands; EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth; govt. adopted measures to build a national fibre fiber broadband network, part-funded by European Commission; commercial 5G services coming in 2019 (2017) (2018)
domestic: fixed-line 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular 127 per 100 subscriptions (2017) (2018)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2016)
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed-line is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands;
- EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth;
- govt. adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, part-funded by European Commission;
- new competition in mobile markets with extensive LTE-A technologies and 5G service growth (2020)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 12 per 100 and mobile-cellular 109 per 100 subscriptions (2019)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines fixed-line is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands; EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth; govt. adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, part-funded by European Commission; commercial 5G services coming new competition in 2019 (2018) mobile markets with extensive LTE-A technologies and 5G service growth (2020)
domestic: fixed-line 18 12 per 100 and mobile-cellular 127 109 per 100 subscriptions (2018) (2019)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated
- general assessment:
- recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
- the number of fixed-line phones is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands;
- EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth;
- government adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, partially funded by European Commission;
- new competition in mobile markets with extensive LTE-A technologies and 5G service growth;
- developing sophisticated digital economy with e-commerce and e-government widely available;
- operator working on cable to Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East (2020)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 12 per 100 and mobile-cellular 109 per 100 subscriptions (2019)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed-line phones is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands; EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth; govt. government adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, part-funded partially funded by European Commission; new competition in mobile markets with extensive LTE-A technologies and 5G service growth growth; developing sophisticated digital economy with e-commerce and e-government widely available; operator working on cable to Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East (2020)
domestic: fixed-line 12 per 100 and mobile-cellular 109 per 100 subscriptions (2019)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect consequent restriction on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable services as a tool for work and satellite - has moderated school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
- general assessment:
- the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber based infrastructure;
- there is effective competition in the mobile market, with extensive services based on LTE-A technologies to boost data speeds;
- a large scale 5G deployment is not expected until 2023;
- in the fixed-line broadband sector, the country is ranked second highest in Europe (after Iceland) for fiber coverage and take-up, closely followed by Lithuania;
- with this infrastructure in place, the country has also developed a sophisticated digital economy, with e-commerce and e-government services widely available (2021)
- domestic:
- fixed-line roughly 11 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 109 per 100 subscriptions (2020)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed-line phones is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands; EU regulatory policies, telecom market continues to benefit from investment and framework provide guidelines for growth; government adopted from regulatory measures to build a national aimed at developing 5G and fiber broadband network, partially funded by European Commission; new based infrastructure; there is effective competition in the mobile markets market, with extensive services based on LTE-A technologies and to boost data speeds; a large scale 5G service growth; developing deployment is not expected until 2023; in the fixed-line broadband sector, the country is ranked second highest in Europe (after Iceland) for fiber coverage and take-up, closely followed by Lithuania; with this infrastructure in place, the country has also developed a sophisticated digital economy economy, with e-commerce and e-government services widely available; operator working on cable to Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East (2020) available (2021)
domestic: fixed-line 12 roughly 11 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 109 per 100 subscriptions (2019) (2020)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards toward 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and has increased due to the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became is still evident, and received some support from governments the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services
- general assessment:
- the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber-based infrastructure;
- there is effective competition in the mobile market;
- these multi-service operators have focused investment on fiber networks and on expanding the reach of 5G (2023)
- domestic:
- fixed-line roughly 10 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 115 per 100 subscriptions (2021)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
Rewritten: too little of the 2022 text remains to mark the changes.
general assessment: the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber-based infrastructure; there is effective competition in the mobile market; these multi-service operators have focused investment on fiber networks and on expanding the reach of 5G (2023)
domestic: fixed-line roughly 10 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 115 per 100 subscriptions (2021)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
- general assessment:
- the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber-based infrastructure;
- the mobile market is dominated by three operators and there is effective competition between them, with the smallest among them having almost a quarter of the market by subscribers;
- these multi-service operators have focused investment on fiber networks and on expanding the reach of 5G;
- mobile network capacity has been improved since 2022 following the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz and 1.5GHz bands;
- operators have entered into agreements with neighboring Estonia and Lithuania to coordinate the use of spectrum for 5G in border areas, improving coverage to end-users without interference;
- in the fixed-line broadband sector, the country is ranked among the highest in Europe for fiber coverage;
- it has the second highest rural FttP coverage after Denmark;
- with this infrastructure in place, the country has also developed a sophisticated digital economy, with e-commerce and e-government services widely available (2024)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 117 per 100 subscriptions (2022)
- international:
- country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
general assessment: the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber-based infrastructure; the mobile market is dominated by three operators and there is effective competition in between them, with the mobile market; smallest among them having almost a quarter of the market by subscribers; these multi-service operators have focused investment on fiber networks and on expanding the reach of 5G; mobile network capacity has been improved since 2022 following the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz and 1.5GHz bands; operators have entered into agreements with neighboring Estonia and Lithuania to coordinate the use of spectrum for 5G (2023) in border areas, improving coverage to end-users without interference; in the fixed-line broadband sector, the country is ranked among the highest in Europe for fiber coverage; it has the second highest rural FttP coverage after Denmark; with this infrastructure in place, the country has also developed a sophisticated digital economy, with e-commerce and e-government services widely available (2024)
domestic: fixed-line roughly 10 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 115 117 per 100 subscriptions (2021) (2022)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Latvia: Telecommunication systems.” The World Factbook, 1992–2024 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/latvia/telecommunication-systems.