Bite Latvija Has Built 45 New Base Stations This Year, 11 of Them in Vidzeme
Mobile operator Bite Latvija built 45 new base stations across Latvia in the first nine months of 2026, 11 of them in the Vidzeme region, including Madona municipality. The construction cost 7 million euros.
Telecommunications and ICT provider Bite Latvija built 45 new mobile base stations, or cell towers, across Latvia in the first nine months of 2026. Eleven were erected in the Vidzeme region, in the municipalities of Aluksne, Cesis, Gulbene, Ogre, Valka and Madona. The company invested 7 million euros in building the new stations, and two thirds of them were set up outside the Riga region.
Stations by region
So far, 14 new stations have been built in the Riga region, 11 in Vidzeme, 10 in Kurzeme, and four each in Latgale and Zemgale. Stations have also appeared in the Saldus, Kuldiga, Dobele, Ludza, Tukums and Valmiera municipalities, as well as in Riga, Daugavpils, Jelgava, Jurmala and Liepaja. By the end of the year, the operator's total of newly built towers is expected to reach 80.
Modernisation and plans
For 2026 as a whole, the company has planned to invest 20 million euros in its network: new stations, upgrades to existing ones, 5G expansion, optical infrastructure and technical equipment. In nine months, a further 125 existing stations were upgraded with Ericsson technology and 5G; the plan is to upgrade 170 by year-end. Full network modernisation is due to finish at the end of the first quarter of 2027.
This year the company also completed the shutdown of 3G. The freed-up frequencies were used to expand the 4G network and to activate 5G in the 900 MHz band, which provides wider coverage and better signal inside buildings.
Measurements and partnership
In the latest measurements by the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK), Bite Latvija recorded the highest average mobile internet download speed in the country. Aleksandrs Beljajevs, head of the company's Radio Network Department, said the resumption of SPRK measurements had long been awaited by the industry and that the data will help plan investments more precisely.
Further development will be supported by a strategic partnership between the Bite group and infrastructure investment company Stonepeak, under which more than 1,200 additional base stations are planned in the Baltics.
