Latvia’s third GSM mobile operator Bitë Latvia has announced measures to improve its network quality and coverage. Bitë says it is extensively improving indoor coverage in Riga by increasing the density of its base stations and has extended its GSM infrastructure to five new towns – Bauska, Cesis, Preili, Livani and Kegums – taking its total number of covered regions to 16.
Lithuanian mobile group Bitë GSM, which is owned by Danish telecoms operator TDC, won the auction for Latvia’s third GSM/UMTS mobile telecoms licence with a bid of LVL6.707 million (EUR9.639 million) in April 2005. It launched as Bitë Latvia in September 2005 and its business plan centres on quickly rolling out EDGE-based services to allow it to focus on the corporate segment. Under the terms of the award, the cellco must guarantee a minimum investment of EUR150 million.