Update January 2000: Latvia

Changes concerning the IS key persons and organisations in Latvia during last months derive mostly from the new government’s activities and from radical decisions by some of the main Internet service providers:

• To improve the work of the State Information Network Agency (VITA) a new director general was appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers in September. The State stock company VITA provides telecommunication services to the Latvian State authorities and is responsible for a data network for State organisations. The person that was appointed director general in VITA Dr. Rihards Balodis was previously the director of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Latvian University. After this appointment a further change in the appointment of leading officials inside VITA has occurred. For example new Technical, Finance and Data Security directors were nominated in November 1999.

• Changes have also affected the largest Internet service provider in Latvia - the stock company Parks LvNet. The history of these changes started in spring of this year when two Internet service providers in Latvia - Parks Interneta Serviss and LvNet Teleport merged and the new company Parks LvNet was established. Parks LvNet is not the largest Internet service provider in Latvia. Parks LvNet controls about 40% of the dial-up market and provides Internet connections for 6000 dial-up clients and 440 leased line clients. The president of Parks LvNet is Mr Einars Bindemanis, and the technical director’s name is Mr Vitaly Mozert.
  
  On the 26^th November two companies – Latvian Parks LvNet and Estonian MicroLink announced the establishment of the new Baltic Internet company Delfi. Together the two companies established a new Internet portal http://www.delfi.lv. and http://www.delfi.ee. The aim of new company is to set up an integrated Internet medium with all Internet services. The company employs almost 150 employees.
  
  Due to the establishment of the DELFI company it is most probable that Parks LvNet will be renamed stock company DELFI and the new name of the MicroLink Online will be DELFI Online.
  
  The chairman of the Baltic board of the DELFI is Ville Jehe: ville.jehe@delfi.ee.