Telecommunications company Telia Lietuva received the permission from the Lithuanian Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) to provide commercial fifth-generation mobile networks services. 5G is immediately operational with 1,100 base stations in the 700 MHz band and 110 base stations in the 3.5 GHz band. Telia Lietuva 5G network reached more than half of the country's territory and 80 percent of its population.
Lithuania is one of the leaders in the European telecommunications market but until now the country did not have 5G diamond in its crown. However, the situation changes, as about 65 percent of Lithuania’s territory and 80 percent of the population will have Telia Lietuva 5G signal starting from today. The company activated this service immediately after receiving CRA's permission to use 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies that was acquired in two auctions for EUR 30 million for a twenty-year period.
"We were the first in Lithuania to launch all digital technologies - 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G. We have been preparing for this start for 4 years and have invested over EUR 100 million in the upgrade of our entire network. Although Lithuania is one of the last "pagans" in Europe in terms of the commercial 5G networks, we will show that we can become one of the leaders in the development of 5G roll-out. This is especially important for Lithuanian businesses, as 5G technology will provide enormous growth potential and level of competitiveness. I am convinced that more digital life is what the future’s world needs - smarter, more sustainable and I honestly believe, better,” said Dan Stomberg, CEO of Telia Lietuva.
Intensive development of 5G base stations is planned throughout 2023. The focus will be on the northeastern Lithuania, where all base stations are planned to be updated with Ericsson network equipment. By mid-summer 2023, Telia Lietuva 5G connection will cover 99 percent of Lithuania's territory.
5G devices and plans
Telia Lietuva customers can use the 5G networks without any additional fees - all they need is a “5G payment” plan and a device that supports 5G in Lithuania. Among the 5G-enabled smartphones, the most popular are those from Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and other smart devices. Detailed list of 5G supporting devices and 5G coverage map can be find at any time at Telia Lietuva website.
For the mobile device to connect to the 5G connection in the specified areas of its operation, it may be necessary to update the phone's operating system to the latest version. The device will then automatically connect to the network and the 5G icon will appear on the screen.
5G badge is the same, features are different
5G communication operating in Lithuania uses 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz frequencies. Devices in the 3.5 GHz frequency coverage area will be able to reach speeds of up to 2 gigabits per second (2 Gbps). Where 3.5 GHz can't reach, devices will automatically use the wide coverage 5G connection in the 700 MHz frequency band. Its speed will be like fast 4G, but it will have much more capacity and with much lower latency.
Telia Lietuva first will enable the fastest 5G network running on 3.5 GHz frequencies in densely populated areas where huge amounts of data are moving, where there is no fiber optic cable yet, where high speed is required.
Telia Lietuva was testing 5G technology in Lithuania since 2018 and has been providing commercial 5G services in Vilnius using 2100 MHz frequency band since January of 2022.