Telecommunication systems: general assessment:
recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed-line phones is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands; EU regulatory policies, and framework provide guidelines for growth; government adopted measures to build a national fiber broadband network, partially funded by European Commission; new competition in mobile markets with extensive LTE-A technologies and 5G service growth; developing sophisticated digital economy with e-commerce and e-government widely available; operator working on cable to Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East (2021)
(2020)domestic: fixed-line 12 per 100 and mobile-cellular 109 per 100 subscriptions (2019)
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber-optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Definition: This entry includes a brief general assessment of a country's telecommunications system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Source: CIA World Factbook - This page was last updated on Saturday, September 18, 2021
