Editing Telecommunications in Latvia (section)

== Internet and digital progress ==

=== Users and skills ===
In Latvia, the digital engagement and proficiency of the population closely align with European Union (EU) averages. In 2022, [[internet]] usage among individuals reached 90%, marginally above the EU average of 89%. When it comes to digital skills, 51% of Latvians aged 16 to 74 have at least basic digital skills, slightly below the EU average of 54%. Additionally, 24% of the population have above basic digital skills, narrowly under the EU's 26%. Latvia demonstrates promising progress in [[digital content creation]], with 64% of its population possessing basic skills in this area, nearing the EU average of 66%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-27 |title=Country reports - Digital Decade report 2023 {{!}} Shaping Europe's digital future |url=https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/country-reports-digital-decade-report-2023 |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Digital Decade Country Report 2023 - Latvia |url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/98625 |website=European Commission}}</ref>

=== Fixed broadband ===
As of 2022, Latvia has achieved 92% household coverage with Fixed Very High Capacity Network (VHCN), surpassing the EU average of 73%, and 91% coverage with [[Fibre to the premises|Fibre to the Premises]] (FTTP), well above the EU's 56%. The uptake of [[broadband]] services at speeds of at least 100 Mbps in Latvia is 62%, slightly above the EU average of 55%. However, the adoption of 1 Gbps broadband is notably low at less than 0.1%, compared to the EU average of 13.8%. In efforts to further improve its fixed broadband infrastructure, Latvia has made strategic investments, including a EUR 4 million investment from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) aimed at 'last-mile' VHCN development, and an additional EUR 8.7 million from the [[European Regional Development Fund]] (ERDF). These investments are directed towards enhancing high-speed internet access across the country.<ref name=":0" />

=== Mobile broadband ===
In Latvia, [[mobile broadband]] adoption was at 86% among individuals in 2021, just below the EU average of 87%. By mid-2022, [[5G]] coverage in Latvia had reached 42% of populated areas, which is considerably lower than the EU average of 81%. The allocation of 5G spectrum in Latvia stood at 63% of the total harmonized 5G spectrum by 2023, approaching the EU average of 68%. To further develop its 5G infrastructure, Latvia has allocated nearly EUR 8.3 million from the [[European Regional Development Fund]] (ERDF) for constructing passive infrastructure along the [[Rail Baltica]], which is part of the country's efforts to expand 5G coverage.<ref name=":0" />

=== Digital public services ===
In 2022, 77% of internet users in Latvia utilized [[e-government]] services, higher than the EU average of 74%. The country achieved scores of 87 out of 100 for digital public services for citizens and 86 out of 100 for businesses, exceeding the EU averages of 77 and 84, respectively. Additionally, Latvia's access to [[e-health]] records scored 79 out of 100, outperforming the EU average of 72. Latvia participates in the 'GovTech4all' consortia to advance public sector innovation. Despite high e-government service usage, additional efforts are underway to enhance the appeal of these services. The country has taken regulatory steps to improve online [[public service]] accessibility and is expanding the State and Municipal Unified Customer Service Centres (CSCs) network, aiming for 592 CSCs by 2026.<ref name=":0" />