Latvian parliament mandates crisis roaming from July

Latvia will require mobile operators to let customers use another operator’s network during crises from July 2027, LSM reported. The Saeima approved the amendments to the Electronic Communications Law in two readings under an expedited procedure on Thursday, October 22.

The measure is intended to keep communications available if a mobile network is damaged or suffers an outage. The Transport Ministry said a disruption to one operator’s network could leave a significant number of users without mobile service, which is important for civil protection, emergency communications and assistance.

National roaming will allow customers to connect to another operator’s network. It will require the affected operator’s central systems to remain functional, as well as a roaming connection between that operator and the one providing access.

Once activated, national roaming will apply throughout Latvia, because it cannot be limited to an isolated area where a network service is unavailable. Latvia has three mobile operators: Latvijas mobilais telefons, Tele2 and Bite Latvija.