Last year mobile internet users spent an average of 42 GB a month on the internet. This is is 18% more when compared with 2021. On the other hand, the length of phone calls and number of text messages exchanged went down, according to results of electronic communication service providers’ operations in 2022 compiled by the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK).
How have the sector’s indexes and communication users’ habits changed over the course of all this time? Remote work and education options still have a major effect on the industry, which only increases active use of internet services. Consumption of mobile internet services is on a rise, whereas the length of users’ phone conversations is down. This can be explained by the growing popularity of various communication apps to communicate with colleagues and friends without using mobile network calls.
“The role of voice services in fixed networks continues going down when compared with mobile network voice services. It is positive, however, that fixed internet users are gradually provided with higher connection speeds,” explains SPRK Electronic Communications and Postal Department Director Ivars Tauniņš.
The total electronic communication operators’ revenue has gone up by 5.3%, reaching EUR 562 million. The biggest operators in Latvia – LMT LLC, Tele2 LLC, Bite Latvija LLC and Tet LLC – account for 81% of the market.
The number of electronic communication operators in Latvia continues going down,
and the number of active registered businesses in this sector was 220 last year.
Considering the growing tariffs for electronic communication services, the revenue from mobile internet services in 2022 increased by 9.2%, from fixed internet services – by 5.6%, from voice communication services in the mobile network – by 11.5%. For example,
operators’ revenue from text message services has increased by 26.6%.
Part of this revenue comes from various promotional text messages.
Users pick mobile internet more and more often – compiled data indicates that last year there were 3 million mobile internet connections in Latvia. 2.2 million of them were mobile internet connections users used on their phone, computer or tablet PC.
The number of fixed internet connections has gone down by 0.2%. Compared with 2021, there has been an increase of the number of users (by 1.6%) that use mobile internet on their phones. The number of connections when internet services are used on a computer or tablet PC through a mobile internet router was 400 045 in 2022. 71% of them are private persons’ or household connections.
Mobile internet services used by users on their phones or personal computer are provided by three operators in Latvia – LMT, Tele2 and Bite Latvija.
SPRK notes that users use mobile internet on their computer or tablet PC more than on their phone. This can be explained with the choice to watch video content on online platforms. The volume of internet consumed using mobile internet on computer has gone up by 23%, whereas the volume of internet consumed using phones has gone up by 8%.
More and more often users pick optical internet connections that offer faster internet speeds – last year they accounted for 78% of all connections. In the household segment optical internet is used by 71% of users. Last year the number of connections with connection speeds above 100 Mbit/sec went up by 2.4%. 38% of all internet connections with a speed of above 300 Mbit/sec.
With the number of users that watch TV online on their personal computer, tablet PC, smartphone is also on a rise the number of users that pick cable television, interactive IP television, or satellite television is down.
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