Telecommunications in Lithuania

Telecommunications in Lithuania include internet, radio, television, and telephony.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania (RRT) functions as the independent regulator for the country's electronic communications industry. Established under the Law on Telecommunications and the provisions with European Union Directives, its role is to facilitate a competitive environment within the industry.[1]

The European Commission’s 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) report evaluates Lithuania's digital progress among 27 EU nations. Ranking 23rd in overall connectivity, Lithuania stands out with Fixed Very High Capacity Network (VHCN) and Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) coverage. In human capital, Lithuania ranks 20th, with a strength in digital skills. Notably, in the integration of digital technologies, Lithuania performs 13th, with advancements in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and e-commerce. Digital public services earn the 10th rank, with aspirations for 100% online key public services by 2026. Additionally, the country has focused on enhancing broadband infrastructure, particularly in less urban areas. Efforts in cybersecurity and the development of smart city solutions are also highlighted.[2][3]

## Internet and digital progress

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### Users and skills

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In 2022, internet usage among individuals in Lithuania reached 87%, just below the EU average of 89%. The country has made progress in enhancing digital skills but still encounters hurdles in achieving the Digital Decade targets set for 2030. As of 2022, 49% of the population had attained at least basic digital skills, slightly under the EU average of 54%, and the proportion of individuals with above-basic digital skills was 23%, marginally lower than the EU benchmark of 26%.[4][5]

### Fixed broadband

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In Lithuania, the uptake of broadband services with speeds of at least 100 Mbps was 52% in 2022, marginally below the European Union (EU) average of 55%. Coverage of Fixed Very High Capacity Network (VHCN) and Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) was at 78%, surpassing the EU averages of 73% and 56%, respectively. The "Development of Next Generation Access Infrastructure" project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the period 2018–2023, facilitated the installation of 1,235 kilometers of fiber-optic lines and initiated the construction of telecommunication towers. Additionally, as part of the revised National Broadband Plan, the "Development of gigabit broadband infrastructure for digitally sensitive users" project, supported by EUR 49 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), is designed to extend connectivity to 5,000 users across private companies, non-governmental and governmental organizations, municipalities, and municipal companies.[4]

### Mobile broadband

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Lithuania's adoption of mobile broadband demonstrated growth, increasing from 74% in 2018 to 85% in 2021, marginally below the EU average of 87%. The expansion of 5G coverage in the country was notably rapid, commencing from 0% in 2020 to 33% in 2021, and subsequently increasing to 90% in 2022, thereby surpassing the EU average of 81%. Moreover, Lithuania's advancement in the allocation of 5G spectrum experienced a marked rise, advancing from 5% in 2021 to 47% in 2023, catching up to the EU average of 68%.[4]

### Ultra-fast broadband goals

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The European Commission's "Broadband in Lithuania" report from September 2022 outlines Lithuania's plan, initiated in October 2021, to implement ultra-fast broadband. This plan aims to provide internet speeds of at least 100 Mbit/s (megabits per second) to households and public institutions in both urban and rural areas by 2027. Such speeds are suitable for various online activities. Aligned with the Lithuanian Information Society Development Programme and the Digital Agenda of the Republic of Lithuania, the initiative is designed for nationwide broadband infrastructure expansion.[6]

In terms of infrastructure, Lithuania has committed €75 million to construct communication towers and install fiber optic lines, striving for 95% of households to have access to these high-speed Internet services by 2025. Additionally, the Ministry of Transport and Communications is guiding the country's 5G advancements. Guidelines established in 2020 focus on rolling out next-generation mobile networks, including uninterrupted 5G services along major transport routes by 2025.[6]

### Digital public services

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In 2022, Lithuania's usage of e-government services by internet users reached 83%, exceeding the EU average of 74%. The nation's digital public services for citizens and businesses scored 84 and 94 out of 100, respectively, surpassing the EU averages of 77 and 84. Mobile friendliness in Lithuania was rated at 97 out of 100. Additionally, Lithuania's access to e-health records scored 92 out of 100, exceeding the EU average of 72. The country is implementing a digital public and administrative services reform with a budget of EUR 115 million, aiming for completion by 2026. This includes modernizing the State Information Resources Interoperability Platform (Electronic Government Gateway).[4]

## Radio and television

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This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2024)

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### Radio

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See also: List of radio stations in Lithuania

* Three radio networks operated by the public broadcaster (2007).[7]
* Many privately owned commercial broadcasters, many with repeater stations in various regions throughout the country (2007).[7]
* Radios: 1.9 million (1997).[needs update]

### Television

[edit]

See also: Television in Lithuania

* Three channels operated by the public broadcaster, with the third, a satellite channel, introduced in 2014.[7]
* Various privately owned commercial TV broadcasters operate national and multiple regional channels (2007).[7]
* Many privately owned local TV stations (2007).[7]
* Multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available (2007).[7]
* Televisions: 1.7 million (1997).[needs update]

## Telephony

[edit]

See also: Telephone numbers in Lithuania

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2024)

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* Main lines: 667,300 lines in use (2012), 89th in the world;[7] 819,147 lines (2004).
* Mobile cellular: 5 million lines, 110th in the world (2012).[7]
* Telephone system: adequate, but is being modernised to provide an improved international capability and better residential access (2010).[7]
* Domestic: national fibre-optic cable interurban trunk system; rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of fixed-line connections; mobile-cellular teledensity stands at about 140 per 100 persons (2010).[7]
* International: major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland (2010).[7]
* Country calling code: 370.[7]

## Internet censorship

[edit]

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without appropriate legal authority. Individuals and groups generally engage in the free expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail, but authorities prosecute people for openly posting material on the Internet that authorities considered to be inciting hatred.[8]

The constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote these freedoms. However, the constitutional definition of freedom of expression does not protect certain acts, such as incitement to national, racial, religious, or social hatred, violence and discrimination, or slander, and disinformation. It is a crime to deny or "grossly trivialise" Soviet or Nazi German crimes against Lithuania or its citizens, or to deny genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes. In the first 11 months of 2012 authorities initiated investigations into 259 allegations of incitement of hatred and six of incitement of discrimination, most of them over the Internet. Authorities forwarded 69 of those allegations to the courts for trial, closed 68, and suspended 113 for lack of evidence; the others remained under investigation. Most allegations of incitement of hatred involved racist or anti-Semitic expression, or hostility based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or nationality.[8]

It is a crime to disseminate information that is both untrue and damaging to an individual's honour and dignity. Libel is punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, or up to two years for libellous material disseminated through the mass media. While it is illegal to publish material "detrimental to minors’ bodies" or thought processes, information promoting the sexual abuse and harassment of minors, promoting sexual relations among minors, or "sexual relations", the law is not often invoked and there are no indications that it adversely affects freedom of the media.[8]

The constitution prohibits arbitrary interference in an individual's personal correspondence or private and family life, but there were reports that the government did not respect these prohibitions in practice. The law requires authorities to obtain judicial authorisation before searching an individual's premises and prohibits the indiscriminate monitoring by government or other parties of citizens’ correspondence or communications. However, domestic human rights groups allege that the government does not properly enforce the law.[8]

## See also

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* Media of Lithuania
* LITNET, an academic and research network in Lithuania
* Ministry of Transport and Communications (Lithuania)
* Lithuania portal

## References

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* This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.
* This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.

1. ^ "About RRT". Lietuvos Respublikos Ryšių reguliavimo tarnyba. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
2. ^ "Lithuania in the Digital Economy and Society Index | Shaping Europe's digital future". digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
3. ^ "Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022 Lithuania". European Commission.
4. ^ a b c d "Digital Decade Country Report 2023 - Lithuania". European Commission. 2023.
5. ^ "Country reports - Digital Decade report 2023 | Shaping Europe's digital future". digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
6. ^ a b "Broadband in Lithuania | Shaping Europe's digital future". digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Communications", Lithuania, World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 6 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
8. ^ a b c d "Lithuania", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.

## External links

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* .lt domain registrar, Kaunas University of Technology.

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Telecommunications in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union

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Telecommunications

History|

* Beacon
* Broadcasting
* Cable protection system
* Cable TV
* Communications satellite
* Computer network
* Data compression
* audio
* DCT
* image
* video
* Digital media
* Internet video
* online video platform
* social media
* streaming
* Drums
* Edholm's law
* Electrical telegraph
* Fax
* Heliographs
* Hydraulic telegraph
* Information Age
* Information revolution
* Internet
* Mass media
* Mobile phone
* Smartphone
* Optical telecommunication
* Optical telegraphy
* Pager
* Photophone
* Prepaid mobile phone
* Radio
* Radiotelephone
* Satellite communications
* Semaphore
* Phryctoria
* Semiconductor
* device
* MOSFET
* transistor
* Smoke signals
* Telecommunications history
* Telautograph
* Telegraphy
* Teleprinter (teletype)
* Telephone
* The Telephone Cases
* Television
* digital
* streaming
* Undersea telegraph line
* Videotelephony
* Whistled language
* Wireless revolution

Pioneers|

* Nasir Ahmed
* Edwin Howard Armstrong
* Mohamed M. Atalla
* John Logie Baird
* Paul Baran
* John Bardeen
* Alexander Graham Bell
* Emile Berliner
* Tim Berners-Lee
* Francis Blake
* Jagadish Chandra Bose
* Charles Bourseul
* Walter Houser Brattain
* Vint Cerf
* Claude Chappe
* Yogen Dalal
* Donald Davies
* Daniel Davis Jr.
* Amos Dolbear
* Thomas Edison
* Philo Farnsworth
* Reginald Fessenden
* Lee de Forest
* Elisha Gray
* Oliver Heaviside
* Robert Hooke
* Erna Schneider Hoover
* Harold Hopkins
* Gardiner Greene Hubbard
* Bob Kahn
* Dawon Kahng
* Charles K. Kao
* Narinder Singh Kapany
* Hedy Lamarr
* Roberto Landell
* Innocenzo Manzetti
* Guglielmo Marconi
* Robert Metcalfe
* Antonio Meucci
* Samuel Morse
* Jun-ichi Nishizawa
* Charles Grafton Page
* Radia Perlman
* Alexander Stepanovich Popov
* Tivadar Puskás
* Johann Philipp Reis
* Claude Shannon
* Almon Brown Strowger
* Henry Sutton
* Charles Sumner Tainter
* Nikola Tesla
* Camille Tissot
* Alfred Vail
* Thomas A. Watson
* Charles Wheatstone
* Vladimir K. Zworykin
* Internet pioneers

Transmission
media|

* Coaxial cable
* Fiber-optic communication
* optical fiber
* Free-space optical communication
* Molecular communication
* Radio waves
* wireless
* Transmission line
* telecommunication circuit

Network topology
and switching|

* Bandwidth
* Links
* Network switching
* circuit
* packet
* Nodes
* terminal
* Telephone exchange

Multiplexing|

* Space-division
* Frequency-division
* Time-division
* Polarization-division
* Orbital angular-momentum
* Code-division

Concepts|

* Communication protocol
* Computer network
* Data transmission
* Store and forward
* Telecommunications equipment

Types of network|

* Cellular network
* Ethernet
* ISDN
* LAN
* Mobile
* NGN
* Public Switched Telephone
* Radio
* Television
* Telex
* UUCP
* WAN
* Wireless network

Notable networks|

* ARPANET
* BITNET
* CYCLADES
* FidoNet
* Internet
* Internet2
* JANET
* NPL network
* TANet
* Toasternet
* Usenet

Locations|

* Africa
* Americas
* North
* South
* Antarctica
* Asia
* Europe
* Oceania
* Global telecommunications regulation bodies

* Telecommunication portal
* Category
* Outline
* Commons

* v
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Internet censorship and surveillance by country

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Congo DR
* Congo RO
* Egypt
* Eritrea
* Ethiopia
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mauritania
* Morocco (Western Sahara)
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* Sudan
* Swaziland
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Americas|

* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Greenland
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Puerto Rico
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Cambodia
* China
* East Timor
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Malaysia
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* North Korea
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestinian territories
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany (YouTube video blocking)
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea

* v
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Lithuania articles

History|

| Early|

* Balts
* Lithuania proper
* Lithuania Minor
* Land Confederation
* Grand Duchy
* 1219–1295
* Duchy
* Kingdom
* Christianization
* Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
* Lithuanian Crusade

|

Revival and
independence|

* Press ban
* National Revival
* Great Seimas of Vilnius
* Amber Declaration
* Act of Independence
* Wars of Independence
* Lithuanian–Soviet War
* Polish–Lithuanian War
* 1919 Polish coup d'état attempt
* 1926 coup d'état

WWII and
occupations|

* Occupation of the Baltic states
* by the Soviet Union (1940)
* by Nazi Germany
* by the Soviet Union (1944)
* State continuity
* Holocaust
* Resistance
* Second Soviet republic
* Guerrilla war
* Lithuanian partisans
* Baltic states under Soviet rule (1944–1991)
* Government-in-exile

Restoration|

* Reform Movement (Sąjūdis)
* Singing Revolution
* Baltic Way
* Act of Re-Establishment
* Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania
* January Events
* 2003 Lithuanian European Union membership referendum
* EU accession

Geography|

* Cities
* capital
* Towns
* Climate
* Extreme points
* Protected areas
* Fauna
* Flora
* Forests
* Lakes
* Rivers
* National parks
* Regional parks
* Suwałki Gap

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* counties
* municipalities
* elderships
* Constitution
* Constitutional Court
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Prime Minister
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Political parties
* President
* Seimas parliament
* Speaker

Military|

* Land Force
* Navy
* Air Force
* Special Operations Force

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banks
* Central bank
* e-Residency
* Energy
* Euro
* Telecommunications
* Transport
* airports
* rail
* roads
* seaport
* Tourism

Society|

* Demographics
* Education
* universities
* Ethnic minorities
* Ethnographic regions
* Health
* Language
* Lithuanians
* Religion

Culture|

* Calendar
* Cinema
* Cuisine
* Cultural history
* Cultural regions
* Design
* Ethnographic Lithuania
* Literature
* Music
* Monuments of Culture
* Mythology
* Name
* Lithuanian names
* Public holidays
* Sport
* Symbols
* anthem
* coat of arms
* flag

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

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