LMT demonstrates 5G in Latvia for the first time

For the first time in Latvia, Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT), in cooperation with Nokia and Intel, demonstrated the first live test of a 5G network.

Nokia provided a 5G solution comprising of a Nokia AirScale Base Station and a radio access cloud core running on AirFrame hardware. Intel provided the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform as an end device to help ensure that the 5G-compliant specifications for spectrum, band, capacity and handover solutions are met.

Juris Binde, LMT CEO (from left) together with Roberto Viola, Director General of DG CONNECT (Directorate General of Communication, Networks, Content and Technology) at the European Commission and Artis Grinbergs, Advisor for Economics to the Prime Minister of Latvia.

Together LMT, Nokia and Intel demonstrated live 5G ultra-high bandwidth data streams. The demonstration took place at the Baltic Sea Region's “5G Techritory” forum, an event that has brought together the region's 5G ecosystem. Forum attendees have the opportunity to experience first-hand the benefits of the introduction of 5G technology.

At the “5G Techritory” forum, LMT introduced the Baltic digital road initiative - a cooperative intelligent transport system corridor aiming to support development of connected vehicles and cooperative driving. Additionally, LMT also showcased its other technological innovations such as drones equipped with Computer Vision and Computer Hearing, developed in collaboration with Riga Technical University.

Ingmar Pukis, Vice President of LMT, said “LMT’s network is currently amongst the most efficient mobile data networks in the world. The era of 2G and 3G networks made Latvian users the most talkative country in Europe. With 4G they ranked second in the world for mobile internet consumption. Now we will aspire to bring the best of 5G to our industrial, governmental and academic partners. We believe the future will be mobile only.”

Markus Borchert, Senior Vice President for Europe at Nokia, said “Nokia has supported LMT’s services evolution in 2G, 3G and through to delivering world class 4G services today. We remain a committed innovation partner to LMT and will continue to work on enabling the ecosystem in Latvia and bringing innovation to 5G end to end networks and new business.”

“5G will bring whole new ways of doing business and enjoying life—from immersive digital and media experiences for mobile consumers, to machine-to-machine use cases and ultra-reliable communications for mission-critical applications,” said Jonathan Wood, senior director for 5G market development, Intel. “Intel has been working closely with Nokia and LMT to showcase these new 5G use case and experiences.”

LMT has offered mobile services since 1992 and is the leading mobile network operator in the country. As the innovation leader in the market, LMT offers a full spectrum of highest quality telecommunication services. LMT is 5G ready – the network operator is actively working on developing technologies that could be advanced by 5G technology such as a smart cities, mobility and connected cars, drone technologies, public safety and even innovations in space exploration, etc.