RIGA, Feb 11 (LETA) - Mobile phone operator Bite has installed its first 5G base stations in the regions - Jelgava and Valmiera, Bite spokeswoman Una Ahuna-Ozola informed LETA.

Currently, the operator has nine 5G base stations, six of which provide a continuous 5G network with an area of 22 square kilometers in Riga - around Old Riga, Krastmala and Kipsala. In total, 875 Bite base stations equipped with 4G technology have been installed throughout Latvia.

According to the company's representative, the need to strengthen network capacity and Internet speed among businesses and individuals has been driven by both growing data consumption and changing technology usage patterns, as well as the ongoing acceleration of digitalization. In addition, this trend can be observed not only in the capital, but also in the regions of Latvia.

Data from the Bite network show that last year the consumption of mobile internet in Latvia as a whole has increased by 83 percent. Video streaming accounts for the majority or 45 percent of Internet consumption. In turn, searching for information on the web accounts for 35 percent of total data consumption. The number of devices using the network and mobile Internet has also grown rapidly.

Kaspars Buls, the head of Bite in Latvia, points out that in preparation for the wider introduction of 5G in Latvia in 2023, the company will continue to develop the network this year, both by building new 4G and 5G base stations and increasing network capacity with 4G+ technology.

"We see that 5G technology can have a significant impact on the future development of the Latvian economy. That is why our task as a mobile operator is to work on the gradual development of the network, so that during this transformation the technology experience can only become more versatile," explained Buls.

The company also plans to invest about 10 percent of its turnover in development each year.

Bite Latvija was registered in 2005, its share capital is EUR 99.085 million. The company belongs to Bite Lietuva UAB, whose owner is Providence Equity Partners.

In 2019, Bite Latvija generated EUR 115.377 million in turnover, up 15.4 percent from a year ago, while the company's profit increased 82.8 percent to EUR 27.35 million.