Practical action needed to introduce 5G service - Nordic Council of Ministers

  • 2019-11-28
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Practical action must follow to start the Baltic-Nordic cross-border integration for the launch of 5G services, Paula Lehtomaki, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, said at the Baltic Sea Region 5G Ecosystem Forum on Thursday.

She said that it is necessary to keep working hard to start the cross-border integration and launch 5G services in Europe in the next coming years.

We still have several challenges that are slowing work on starting cross-border integration, Lehtomaki said, adding that adapting each European country's regulation to a single standard is the most complicated task.

There are plenty of ideas and perspectives, but I expect us to devote more time to practical and concrete actions in the future, Lehtomaki said.

Latvian Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Puce (For Development/For) said at the 5G forum that the most important conclusions after a meeting of the Nordic and Baltic ministers in charge of technology were about a three-year digital development plan and Latvia's role in introducing the 5G service.

"I believe that the 5G technology will be a significant contribution not only to mobile communications operators but also other industries, such as agriculture and logistics. It is essential for Latvia to take this step ahead in development, which is why we want the mobile operators to keep investing in technology and solutions, so that 5G was made meaningful for the country as a whole," the minister said.

Juris Binde, President of Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT) mobile operator, emphasized the necessity to prevent a divide between technological development and the public. "Technological development is inevitable and fast, but we, mobile operators, must be the ones to reduce the information divide between technology and people by educating and informing them about development opportunities," he said.

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity) said at the forum that the Baltic states have to be leaders in the 5G era by introducing the necessary technologies and solutions.

Speaking of 5G, the Latvian premier said that the technology is something "new and unfamiliar which we nevertheless want".

The question about leadership in this area remains open, he noted, stressing that the Baltic states should take the leadership role in the 5G era. "We have technologies, capabilities, entrepreneurs and creative ideas. We are technologically very able and creative, always finding new solutions," Karins said, voicing confidence that the Baltic states will continue to be the best in Europe if not in the world. 

5G Techritory, the Baltic Sea Region 5G Ecosystem Forum, is taking place in Riga on November 28 and 29.