Basics[]
There are 3 mobile networks in Latvia:
- LMT
- Tele2
- Bite
2G/GSM is on 900 and 1800 MHz. Bite uses EGSM 900 (operating only on the edges of the 900 MHz band, so some old phones might not be able to cover it). 3G is on 900 and 2100 MHz with all operators. 4G/LTE is on 800 MHz (B20), 1800 MHz (B3) and 2600 MHz (B7).
In 2019 Tele2 and Bite signed a network sharing agreement for Latvia and Lithuania. The two operators’ networks will be merged, forming a joint shared network. This joint network will be built out gradually starting 2021, with the full network scheduled for completion by December 2023. Each party will hold 50% ownership in the joint venture.
The networks offer prepaid voice and data plans under different brand names like Bites Karte, LMT Karte, and Zelta Zivtiņa (on Tele2 network). Network coverage and speeds are best with LMT and Tele2, but Bite is only slightly behind and all are generally on a good level. LMT started 4G/LTE in 2011 on 1800 and 2600 MHz and covers already more than 90% of the population, 70% by LTE-A. Tele2 and Bite started in 2014 with LTE and are only slightly behind. Bite For rural areas all providers use 800 MHz now too. Amigo was the only MVNO in the country on the LMT network, but ceased own operations in 2019. Like other Baltic states, Latvia offers low prices for data and cheap unlimited data packages compared to the rest of Europe. The mobile data usage of Latvian SIM cards was 42.2 GB per capita and month in 2021, behind only Finland and Taiwan, and on par with Saudi Arabia.
Starter SIM card packs and recharges are available at their shops, newsstands, kiosks like the ubiquitous Narvesen convenience stores, filling stations, supermarkets and other places. You don't need to show an ID or do any registration to get a Latvian SIM card.
LMT (LMT Karte)[]
LMT stands for Latvijas Mobilais Telefons and is owned by Telia and the state of Latvia. Its network has the best 3G and 4G coverage, while its 4G/LTE reaches more than 90% of population in 2016, 70% on LTE-A: 2-4G coverage map
Availability[]
Their prepaid SIM is dubbed LMT Karte. It's available from LMT service centres (locator), service stations, newspaper kiosks, post offices and some supermarkets. The starter kit costs between €1.50 and €3, although LMT service centres deny the existence of the €1.50 starter kit, which can mostly be found in supermarkets, sometimes old stock, but with a long expiry date by which it must be activated.
To activate the SIM call 29202010 and follow the instructions. You will be given an option to change language into Latvian, Russian or English.
Physical LMT SIM cards (even prepaid-cards) can be converted into an eSIM without costs at any LMT service center or station. eSIM starter packs are available online at the LMT e-store directy, in which the QR code will be send to the e-mail address used upon sign up.
Recharging[]
Refill vouchers are available for €1.42, €2, €3.50, €5, €10 and €20 all over the country. You can recharge online using international credit card (Visa or MasterCard) online through this page. Most EU credit cards are accepted.
Account validity time varies and depends on last recharge amount. When your credits lifetime has expired, you can only receive calls and SMS messages but not make or send them. After some more time (as grace period) if not recharged, your number will be terminated without any way to restore it.
| Recharge
amount |
Credit
validity |
Number lifetime
(grace period) |
|---|---|---|
| €1 | 10 days | 70 days |
| €2-€4 | 30 days | 90 days |
| €5-€9 | 60 days | 120 days |
| €10-€19 | 120 days | 180 days |
| > €20 | 240 days | 300 days |
You can check your account balance and expiry date by dialing *120*# (for free).
LMT is also offering an ongoing "daily bonus" event- any top-up made over €3 will result in either unlimited domestic calling, unlimited domestic SMS, or unlimited data until midnight the following day (the bonus is different each day). These bonuses can only be used in Latvia, not in roaming.
Data feature packages[]
Standard rate is 6.05 cents per MB.
LMT sells these daily, weekly, and monthly data packages for their LMT Karte:
| Data | Voice | SMS | EU cap | Validity | Price | Activation | Deactivation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unlimited | none | none | 459 MB | 1 day | €0.50 | ID | ID- |
| 300 MB | unlimited | unlimited | no cap | 7 days | €3.00 | NSA | NSA- |
| 1 GB | 30 mins | unlimited | 1 GB | 7 days | €2.00 | NIA | NIA- |
| unlimited | 30 mins | unlimited | 3.2 GB | 7 days | €3.50 | NIPA | NIPA- |
| unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | no cap | 7 days | €4.50 | NED | NED- |
| unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | 22.4 GB | 1 month | €24.89 | MV | MV- |
Only for data plan which costs €0.50: The service enters into force upon receipt of the confirmation message and is valid until 23.59 of the same day (if activated by 19.00) or of the next day (if activated after 19.00).
For activation text SMS with code to 1626. You can buy another weekly pack anytime. All packages auto-renew after one week if not cancelled. To check data balance, text the letter 'i' to 1626. Overuse will be charged on the standard rate.
Note that all SMS for activation and checks are charged at €0.0213 and EU roaming at domestic rates is capped according to table above. The EU cap is the max. share of domestic data volume to be given out without surcharges.
Mobile Broadband SIM[]
Their data-only SIM is called "Priekšapmaksas mobilā interneta SIM karte" = prepaid mobile internet card. It's sold at their agencies or at Statoil or some Narvesen outlets:
- SIM-only valid for 120 days, pre-loaded with a weekly package (max. 10 GB / EU cap: 2.03 GB): €5.65
You can activate these two packages on this SIM:
- daily (for 24 hours): 1 GB domestic data (EU roaming cap: 661 MB): €1.40
- weekly (for 168 hours): 10 GB domestic data (EU roaming cap: 2.61 GB): €5.65
To activate, text DI for daily or NED for weekly to 29202010. SIM is for data only and not for calls. After having used up volume, speed will be reduced to 64/16 Kbit/s. New packages can be booked ahead of time up to 1 GB per day or 10 GB per week.
EU roaming[]
LMT has chosen not to opt-out from EU roaming rules, but to use a rigid FUP cap on all plans where only a small share is given out at domestic rates for roaming in the EU. This data volume is specified above for every package. All volumes outside these limits are charged by the standard roaming rate of 6.05c per MB. One further monthly package is offered for roaming data in the EU:
- 1 GB for 30 days: €4.22 , for activation: text 'ICE' to 1688
There is also a pass available for the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, Switzerland, and Turkey, as well as certain other countries further afield:
- 1 GB for 15 days: €12.99, for activation: text 'PAS1' to 1688
More info[]
- APN for LMT Karte: okarte.lmt.lv
- APN for Mobile Broadband: internet.lmt.lv
- Website in Latvian, Russian and English: http://www.lmt.lv
Zelta Zivtiņa (ZZ, by Tele2)[]
Tele2 is mostly on par with LMT on 2G and 3G covering 95% with 3G and 90% on 4G/LTE open for prepaid. They don't sell prepaid SIM cards under their own brand Tele2 but through the brand Zelta Zivtiņa better known as ZZ meaning goldfish. For a 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE coverage map click on: šeit
Availability[]
Zelta Zivtiņa - prepaid brand of Tele2
Zelta Zivtiņa SIM cards are available in their stores (shop locator) , newsstands, kiosks like Narvesen, petrol stations like Statoil or Lukoil and others for between €1.49 and €3.99. The SIM has a default rate of €0.36 per day for 30 MB and additional use at €0.01 per MB, which applies in EU roaming as well as in Latvia. eSIM Starter Packs are available online and the QR code for activation will be send via e-mail.
To check account balance and expiration date, dial *245#.
You can use online management website Mana ZZ (available only in Latvian and Russian) to check your account and modify packages.
The default plan is MAKSA PAR VIENĪBĀM, which translates to per unit. This plan costs €0.05 per day and is the only plan that allows data roaming in Europe. To select this plan from other plans the activation code is MV.
They sell three different 'unlimited' plans:
| Unlimited | Data | Voice | SMS | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet | unlimited | 10 mins | unlimited | 7 days | €2.49 | BI |
| For all | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | 7 days | €4.49 | BV |
| Calls | - | unlimited | unlimited | 30 days | €4.99 | BS |
All packages work in Latvia only. For activation text code to 1616. If your credit it not enough for auto-renew, €0.49 for the Internet, €0.89 for the For all and €0.25 for the Calls plan are charged by day. To disable automatic renewal of plans go online to your personal account or text 'STOPATA' to 1616. To return to the per use plan text MV to 1616.
Data feature packages[]
You can add these packages to each plan:
| Package | Data | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| daily | unlimited | 1 day | €0.49 | DD |
| S | 500 MB | 30 days | €2.99 | S |
| M | 1 GB | 30 days | €3.99 | M |
| L | 2 GB | 30 days | €5.99 | L |
For activation, text code to 1616. Speed is up to 100 Mbit/s on 4G/LTE. Packages can be used at full volume in the EU except of the daily plan that can be used up to 250 MB.
ZZ Data SIM[]
Furthermore, they sell a data SIM starter pack for €4.99 with 5 GB included valid for 10 days, which is on 4G/LTE too. The starter pack including an USB modem is for €11.99 , which doesn't support Windows 10. Data volume can be checked by texting T to 1616 or in Mana ZZ selfcare or their ZZ app. The following data packages can be added via refill bought in any kiosk or petrol station:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 5 GB | 2 days | €1.50 |
| 5 GB | 7 days | €3 |
| unlimited | 7 days | €5 |
| unlimited | 14 days | €10 |
| unlimited | 30 days | €20 |
This data SIM only works in Latvia and doesn't offer international roaming.
EU Roaming []
EU roaming is only possible if the charge per unit (no plan at all) at the default rates mentioned above as well as a daily fee of €0.05 is active. To activate text MV to 1616. The fata feature packages can be add and used, except that for the daily plan a cap is set on 250 MB per day.
More info[]
- APN for voice and data SIM: internet.tele2.lv
- APN for data-only SIM: data.tele2.lv
- Website in Latvian, Russian and English: http://www.zeltazivtina.lv
Bite (Bites karte)[]
new logo
Bite is the smallest network in Latvia, but has good coverage and speeds in 3G on 900 MHz which is not so common worldwide. In 2016 private equity firm Mid Europa Partners sold Bite to funds affiliated with Providence Equity Partners.
Bite's 4G/LTE covers already 90% of population in 2016: coverage map. Bite is the local partner of Vodafone, but its prepaid product can only be used in Latvia.
Availability[]
Their prepaid SIM cards called Bites karte starter kits are available only in Bite stores (list), however the refill tickets can be bought also in Rimi, Maxima, Narvesen and Statoil shops between €1 and €5, mostly with a balance of €2.
Buy your refill vouchers for €2, €3, €5 or €8 there.
After inserting a SIM card in your phone, use a PIN code written on the card. You should make a first call (does not need to complete) to activate the SIM card.
All-in-one packages[]
There are available 2 combo plans in Bite, all valid 30 days:
- Bite Priekšapmaksa (Bite Prepaid): unlimited calls and SMS in Latvia, 100 MB in Latvia: €4.75 , activation: B2 LV
- Bite Priekšapmaksa Eiropa (Bite Prepaid Europe): 100 mins and 100 SMS in Latvia, 100 mins and 100 SMS to other EU countries, 100 MB in Latvia and EU: €6.75 , activation: BITE EUROPE
If overuse internet in EU on the Europe plan, you'll be charged at €0.14 per MB. To deactiavte, add STOP after activation code.
Data rates[]
The first 5 MB per month are free on Bites karte. You don't need to activate a package, as default rate is cumulative according to your consumption:
- up to 100 MB: €1.42
- up to 500 MB: €3.56
- up to 2 GB: €6.40
- up to 6 GB: €9.96
- up to 10 GB: €12.09
Beyond, you'll be charged €0.04 per MB. For social media you can add internet packages for €1 per app for 30 days: Waze, Facebook, Viber and Draugiem. You need to text the name of the app to 1600.
EU roaming (Bite Priekšapmaksa Eiropa only)[]
Note that all prepaid plans of Bite (except Bite Priekšapmaksa Eiropa) only offer national options in Latvia, international roaming is blocked and you can't use it outside the country.
More info[]
- APN: internet
- Website in Latvian and Russian: http://www.bite.lv/
Amigo[]
Amigo operated by ZetCOM was the only MVNO in the country. In June 2019 Amigo suspended its own operations and moved all customers to its host network LMT.