“Phones automatically connect to the nearest mobile network tower. However, sometimes the device picks up a signal not based on the tower’s distance, but on signal strength. Thus, even while in Lithuania, a smartphone may try to connect to a neighboring country’s mobile network. And when visiting the Curonian Spit, one can accidentally connect to the Russian mobile network,” says Modestas Ropė, Director of Next Generation Networks at Bitė Lietuva.
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According to him, it is usually enough to approach the Lithuanian border by at least 10 kilometers for smart devices to start picking up signals from neighboring countries’ mobile networks.
“When a phone connects to the networks of neighboring European Union (EU) countries – Latvia and Poland – such a connection does not cause major concerns, because the mobile service plan rates apply within the EU. The problem arises if the phone connects not to an EU country’s network – but to Belarus or the Kaliningrad region’s network. In such cases, the bill for mobile data will be higher,” says M. Ropė.
To prevent the phone from connecting to another country’s mobile networks, it is recommended to turn off the roaming function, usually used when traveling abroad, or to select certain network settings.
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“When visiting the border area, you can change the network search mode on your phone. By turning off automatic network search and selecting manual mode, you can control which operator’s network the phone connects to. It is also worth turning off mobile data usage when the phone is in roaming mode. Even if the device connects to another network, the phone will not use mobile data, which would later result in expensive charges,” advises Modestas Ropė, Director of Next Generation Networks at the digital services company Bitė Lietuva.
According to M. Ropė, mobile network towers at the Lithuanian border operate differently than in the rest of the country – their operation is heavily restricted due to international agreements with neighboring countries. Because of these agreements, operators cannot use all frequency combinations that are used within the country. Additionally, border towers operate at reduced power to avoid causing “noise” to foreign networks. Due to these restrictions, border residents may experience somewhat slower internet and weaker signal.
However, the situation changed last year when the old 3G network was finally switched off in Lithuania and the freed frequencies were used for newer generation technologies – 4G and 5G.
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