[naewoeilbo내외일보]Lee Su Han 이수한 기자=On July 19, the 5G communication network was officially launched by the President of Latvia, Egils Levits. Since September 2018, when the first 5G Tech Forum (5G Techritory) was held in Latvia, the 5G network has been in “test mode”. It is now available to anyone with a device supporting 5G technology. The Latvian mobile operators “Latvian Mobile Telephone” (LMT) and TELE2 offer full access to the 5G network, while the third mobile operator – the BITE 5G network – remains in test mode for the time being.

On July 19, the President of Latvia, Egils Levits said: “I am proud that thanks to LMT's activities and cooperation with global companies such as NOKIA and INTEL, Latvia has positioned itself in the world's avant-garde of the 5G communication network. I would like to see Latvia in the first row in many areas."

At the same time, the President of Latvia acknowledged that in a “time of artificial intelligence and Big Data, ranking among the first countries that can implement 5G means that Latvia has qualified to be in the forefront of “Formula 1” racers at the cutting edge of what technology can provide. This is a signal to companies and researchers around the world."

On 19 July, the first 5G router produced by the Latvian company MikroTik was also presented. The router has been developed through active cooperation of LMT with the largest producer of routers and ISP systems in Latvia, MikroTik, a company with products well-known not only in Europe but also in Asia and North America.

Latvia is open to cooperation with Korea on the implementation and modernisation of 5G technologies. On 27-29 November 2019, the second 5G Tech Forum (5G Techritory) will be held in Latvia, bringing together more than a thousand guests including those representing the world's leading 5G technology companies.