Internet is Available, But Working is Impossible: Experts Explain Why This Happens

Even with Lithuania boasting 99.7% household mobile coverage, a significant gap persists in internet quality between urban and rural areas. Residents in more remote locations often struggle with inconsistent service, a problem influenced by more than just the mobile operator. Factors such as challenging terrain, dense forests, the construction of homes, and the distance to the nearest base station all play a crucial role in determining connection quality.

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It remains a major challenge to ensure communication in some more remote areas.

Expanding network infrastructure to isolated homesteads and single farms presents a considerable economic challenge for mobile operators. Vaidotas Radzevičius, an advisor at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Lithuania (RRT), notes that developing new infrastructure, such as mobile base stations, is particularly difficult. This is compounded by regulatory requirements in protected areas and, sometimes, opposition from local residents, despite their desire for better connectivity.

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The problem is that it is economically difficult for operators to expand the network to more remote homesteads, single farms, or small settlements.

Ramūnas Mikalauskas, head of Telia's radio network, explains that the core difference lies in network infrastructure and its development potential. While cities benefit from stable fiber optic internet and dense mobile networks, sparsely populated areas present a different scenario. However, Mikalauskas emphasizes that technological advancements mean that with the right equipment, internet quality in remote villages can nearly match that experienced in cities.

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The development of new communication infrastructure, for example, the construction of mobile base stations, also remains a major challenge. Nevertheless, we aim to ensure that fast and reliable mobile communication is available to residents throughout Lithuania, regardless of where they live or operate.

The importance of internet speed, stability, and quality is growing, even as usage habits remain similar. The volume of data transmitted is rapidly increasing, driven by high-definition video content on news portals and streaming platforms, as well as remote work, cloud services, and frequent software updates. Radzevičius confirms that the situation is improving, with average data reception speeds increasing by 240% between 2020 and 2025, largely due to the implementation of 5G technology.

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The main difference between cities and villages lies in the network infrastructure and its development opportunities. While cities are dominated by the most stable fiber optic internet and a dense mobile network, the situation in sparsely populated areas can differ.