Latvia’s Bite has deployed a further six 5G base stations in Riga to expand its coverage in the capital.
The new installations will allow Bite to offer 5G services in the Kipsala, Krastmala and Old Riga districts. The six new sites bring Bite’s total in the city to seven; since launching 5G in June 2019, it has operated a single 5G base station.
Any subscribers with 5G-compatible devices can now use the service with no additional charge, although Bite has not yet implemented a full commercial launch, citing the need for more widespread availability of 5G smartphones.
As reported by CommsUpdate, Bite invested more than EUR10 million (US$12.1 million) in 5G infrastructure across 2020, and it has stated its goal of matching this total during 2021. However, it has cautioned that a wider deployment of 5G is not planned until 2023.
Speaking on the investment, Bite Latvia boss Kaspar Buls said: “Although the opportunities provided by the 4G technology generation are enough for the everyday communication user, network development is one of our strategic priorities, so this year we have also worked very purposefully on 5G development.”
“We see that 5G technology can have a significant impact on the future development of the Latvian economy”, added Buls. “In addition, it is not only about its opportunities in the daily life of the population, but mainly in business, industrial solutions in education, traffic, science, health, urban environment, innovation, investment attraction, etc.”