Overview

Both Latvia and Estonia have seen phenomenal success and growth in the past two years in the field of telecommunications. In 1992, Nokia, a Finnish telecommunications and cable group, signed a contract to link Tallinn and Helsinki by way of an underwater optical cable. This gave Estonia access to the international optical-cable network. Estonian Telecom agreed to pay for half of the costs of the venture. Also in 1992, Nokia bought 40% interest in a Finnish- Swedish-Estonian joint venture called Estonian Mobile Telephone. By August 1994 it had registered over 10,000 subscribers which translates to 7 mobile phones per 1,000 people in Estonia. This is more than in any other former Soviet republic.
 

According to the Telecommunications law, Lattelekom is the exclusive provider of the fixed (wire) public telecommunications services – international, long distance, and national until the year 2013. Negotiations are going on (Privatization Agency with strategic investor Sonera) about shortening monopoly status (until 2002-2003).
Telecommunications operators and their shareholders.

There are more than 30 data transmission (TCP/IP) and Internet service providers. They include:

• APOLLO – branch of Lattelekom ;
• LATNET – Academic Network provider (Ministry of Education and Science) ;
• Parks – private company ;
• Viking – Telia (9).

There are roughly 60 Cable TV providers, mostly small local ones. The major ones include:

• Baltcom TV – ownership of Alina (private company)
• Telia
• JL Balt – private company.

Telecommunication Equipment (inh=inhabitants)

		End 1996	End 1997	End 1998
Telephone sets	Installed base	761,000	764,000	768,000
	Penetration rate (units per 100 inh)	30.8	31.2	31.9
Public pay phones	Installed base	3,300	3,500	3,800
	Penetration rate (units per 100 inh)	1.3	1.4	1.6
Fax machines	Installed base	n/a	n/a	120,000
	Penetration rate (units per 100 inh)	n/a	n/a	49
Modems	Installed base	n/a	n/a	14,000
	Penetration rate (units per 100 inh)	n/a	n/a	5.8
Pagers	Installed base	n/a	25,000	26,000
	Penetration rate (units per 100 inh)	n/a	10.2	11

Source: Central Statistical Bureau (7)

The Use of Public Network (inh=inhabitants)
Voice

	End 1996	End 1997	End 1998
Number of call per inh	6.1 (without local)	6.4 (without local)	6.6 (without local)
Number of minutes called per inh	13 (without local)	15 (without local)	16 (without local)
Total number of minutes of national communication (million)	36.0 (long distance)	41.0 (long distance)	43.0 (long distance)
Total number of minutes of international communications (million)	13.0	17.0	23.0
Total number of minutes (million)	49.0 (without local)	58.0 (without local)	66.0 (without local)

Source: Central Statistical Bureau (7)

Data

	End 1997	End 1998
Switched (tera octets)	-	-
IP (tera octets)	11	18
18X25 (tera octets)	.05	.05
Frame Relay (tera octets)	0.0	.03
ATM (tera octets)	.01	.01
Total Traffice (tera octets)	11.1	18.1

Source: Latvian GIX statistics (8)

• Telephones: 660,000 (1993 est.).
• 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 traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch, through the new Ericsson digital telephone exchange in Riga, and through the Finnish cellularnet; Sprint data network carries electronic mail Radio broadcast stations: 25 (unknown type)Radios: 1.4 million (1993 est.) Television broadcast stations: 30 Televisions: 1.1 million (1993 est.) (6).

Back to American University's
Information Technology Landscape in Nations page.