RIGA, Sept 23 (LETA) - Information and communication technology services provider Bite Latvija will invest EUR 5 million the development of its network in the Vidzeme region this year, the company informed LETA.

Aleksandrs Belajevs, head of the radio network department at Bite Latvija, said that the funds are being allocated for the construction of new base stations and the modernization of existing infrastructure to ensure coverage and services throughout the region.

Since 2025, Bite has installed 173 base stations in the Vidzeme planning region, which includes the municipalities of Aluksne, Cesis, Gulbene, Limbazi, Madona, Ogre, Valka and Valmiera, and 12 more stations have been added this year, thereby expanding the network's coverage and providing access to a fast and stable 5G internet, Belajevs said. The company plans to install four more base stations in Vidzeme by the end of the year. Of all the Bite base stations in Vidzeme, 98 have already been equipped with the 5G technology, and 25 will be upgraded by the end of the year.

Bite Latvija's total investment in the Vidzeme region over the last 20 years will reach EUR 37.5 million.

This year, one of the most important strategic directions is to provide Bite with a next-generation network infrastructure capable of adapting to the rapid growth in data consumption, Belajevs said, adding that the population of the Vidzeme planning region consumes more than 5.6 million gigabytes of data per month and this volume has increased 2.2 times in the last five years.

Bite Latvija plans to install 60 new 5G base stations in previously unserved areas across Latvia and upgrade 210 existing stations with the latest technologies from Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson, extending 5G coverage to all Latvian A-class roads. By the end of the year, the company's network will include 1,160 base stations, more than 800 of which will be equipped with 5G technology.

The company has invested more than EUR 200 million in the development of its network across Latvia over the past two decades.

As reported, Bite Latvija reported a turnover of EUR 183.75 million last year, an increase of 12.5 percent compared to 2023, while its profit rose 1 percent to EUR 33.712 million.

Bite Latvija was registered in 2005 and has a share capital of EUR 44 million. Bite Latvija is wholly owned by the Lithuanian Bite group.