Latvian Internet Association

What Latvian Internet Association does

Latvian Internet Association (Latvijas Interneta asociācija, LIA) is a private non-profit industry association (sabiedriska organizācija) founded in July 2000 in Riga, Latvia, that unites companies operating in Latvia's electronic communications and internet services sector. Its core members include the country's principal telecom operators and infrastructure providers — LMT, TET, Bite Latvia, LVRTC, Delska (DEAC), Failiem.lv, Whalebone, and SEQ, among approximately 10+ named member companies. LIA's primary functions are regulatory advocacy on EU and national digital policy (including broadband funding defense), industry statistical reporting via its annual 'Interneta nozare ciparos' publication, working-group coordination on technical and policy issues, and operation of Latvia's Safer Internet Centre (Drossinternets.lv).

The association's product portfolio centers on the Safer Internet Centre (Drossinternets.lv), which has operated since 2006 and provides a hotline and helpline for reporting illegal online content, a mobile application ('Drošs Internets', launched 2019) for anonymous reporting across Android and iOS, and educational content including 250+ digital materials and 98 educational videos. Additional products include the 'Esi interneta izcilnieks / Be Internet Awesome' digital literacy program (3-year, Google.org-funded, started 2024), the annual statistical report on Latvia's internet sector, and applied research projects such as an IoT-based autonomous beehive monitoring solution developed with Riga Technical University, bioeconomy digitalization studies, and COVID-19 impact research on adult education. LIA participates in European networks Insafe and INHOPE for child online protection and is a member of the Latvian National Cybersecurity Competence Community (NCC-LV).

LIA operates as a membership-funded non-profit on undisclosed annual dues, with supplementary co-financing from the European Commission's Digital Europe Programme (covering 50% of Safer Internet Centre costs for 2022–2024), the Latvian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), and CERT.LV under the Ministry of Defence. With a 6-employee staff headquartered at Gustava Zemgala gatve 78, Riga, the organization runs on a small operational budget and serves a purely Latvian national market. LIA is led by Executive Director Ina Gudele (appointed 2018) and Board Chairman Andis Āriņš.

Name

Latvian Internet Association

Legal name

Latvijas Interneta asociācija

Website

https://lia.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Latvian Internet Association (LIA) is a Riga-based non-profit industry association founded in 2000 that unites Latvian electronic communications and internet service providers, representing them in regulatory advocacy and operating the national Safer Internet Centre (Drossinternets.lv).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: LIA is a membership-based non-profit association funded by annual membership dues from electronic communications and internet service provider companies in Latvia.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Latvian Internet Association (LIA) is a non-profit public organization that represents Latvian electronic communications and internet service provider companies through industry advocacy, regulatory representation, statistical reporting, and coordination on national digital policy. In parallel, LIA operates Latvia's Safer Internet Centre (Drossinternets.lv), which provides a hotline for reporting illegal online content, a mobile reporting application, and digital literacy programs for children and families.

Product overview

The Latvian Internet Association (LIA) is a public organization uniting internet sector companies in Latvia. Its core product is the Safer Internet Center (Drossinternets.lv), which operates a hotline for reporting illegal internet content and provides educational resources on children's internet safety. The portfolio includes the Drošs Internets mobile app for violation reporting, the annual 'Internet Industry in Numbers' statistical publication, and the 'Be Internet Awesome' digital literacy program. LIA also manages several research projects including autonomous beekeeping monitoring, bioeconomy digitalization studies, and COVID-19 impact research, representing a combination of advocacy services, educational initiatives, and collaborative research projects rather than a traditional product-platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drossinternets.lv: Latvijas Drošāka interneta centrs (Safer Internet Center) - initiative launched to educate the public about children's safety online and provide a mechanism to report illegal content discovered online.

Products and services

• Drossinternets.lv (Latvia Safer Internet Centre)
• Drošs Internets (Safe Internet) Mobile Application
• Interneta nozare ciparos (Internet Industry in Numbers)
• Esi interneta izcilnieks! (Be Internet Awesome)

Quantifiable outcome

• LIA members' networks handled approximately 15–30% traffic increase in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Delska (DEAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Delska, a leading data centre operator in Latvia and the Baltic states with more than 26 years of experience, is an LIA member. LIA's chairman Andis Āriņš commented on Delska's new 10 MW data centre in Riga, highlighting its significance for Latvia's digital sovereignty and AI infrastructure capabilities.
• Google.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2024Google.org supports the 'Be Internet Awesome' (Esi interneta izcilnieks) digital literacy program implemented by Latvia's Safer Internet Centre. The international program runs over 3 years to help children become smart, safe, and responsible internet users.
• School with Class (Poland)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2024School with Class (Poland) is a partner in the 'Be Internet Awesome' international program, supporting the rollout of the digital literacy curriculum alongside LIA's Safer Internet Centre.
• Insafe / InhopecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2024LIA's Safer Internet Centre participates in European training organized by Insafe and INHOPE — organizations that unite European Safer Internet Centres, Hotlines, and Helplines focused on child protection online. LIA participates in steering committee meetings and international training events.
• Latvijas Nacionālās kiberdrošības kompetenču kopiena (NCC-LV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023LIA joined the Latvian National Cybersecurity Competence Community (NCC-LV), coordinated by the Ministry of Defence and part of the EU Cybersecurity Competence Community (ECCC). The community aims to develop innovative solutions for cybersecurity threats and improve resilience against attacks across Latvia and the EU.
• Vides aizsardzības un reģionālās attīstības ministrija (VARAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development provides national co-financing for the Safer Internet Centre, alongside the European Commission's Digital Europe programme and LU Mathematics and Computer Science Institute (CERT.LV under the Ministry of Defence).
• Eiropas Komisijas 'Digitālā Eiropa' programmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Commission's Digital Europe Programme provides 50% of the Safer Internet Centre's funding for the period 01.07.2022 to 30.06.2024.
• LU Matemātikas un informātikas institūts (CERT.LV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Latvia's Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science (via CERT.LV, under the Ministry of Defence) provides national co-financing for the Safer Internet Centre.
• Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes Industriālās elektronikas un elektrotehnikas institūtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTU's Institute of Industrial Electronics and Electrical Engineering partnered with LIA on the Autonomous Beekeeping project — an IoT-based remote monitoring system for beehives, co-funded under the Latvian Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
• SIA MeduspilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIA Meduspils partnered with LIA on the Autonomous Beekeeping project to test remote monitoring technology for beehives.
• SIA Mazzy / SIA MaksikomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIA Mazzy/Maksikoms partnered with LIA on the Autonomous Beekeeping project as the technology company providing IoT solutions for remote beehive monitoring.
• Latvijas Informācijas un komunikācijas tehnoloģiju asociācija (LIKTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIKTA and LIA jointly protested proposed EU cohesion policy funding cuts that would reduce broadband infrastructure investment by 21 million euros, threatening regional digital connectivity. Both associations submitted a joint letter to the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport.
• SIA Magnetic ProfessionalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIA is a research partner in a postdoctoral study on online adult education and digitization of Latvia's regions in response to COVID-19, implemented by SIA Magnetic Professional under the EU ERDF.
• SIA CeltehminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIA is a cooperation partner in a study on bioeconomy sector digitization, implemented by SIA Celteh under the EU ERDF postdoc support programme, targeting micro and small enterprises in Latvia's regions.
• Valsts pētījumu programma reCOVery-LVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIA participated as a partner in the national research programme reCOVery-LV, contributing to a study on e-commerce development and paper circulation reduction in Latvia.
• Eiropas Drošības un sadarbības organizācija (EDSO/ OSCE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIA's chairwoman Ina Gudele participated in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Nordic and Baltic (NB8) delegation meeting, presenting on internet security challenges.
• Valsts izglītības satura centrsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIA's Safer Internet Centre collaborated with the State Education Content Centre on a nationwide diagnostic test on internet safety and media literacy for grades 3 and 6, reaching 420 schools and 17,806 students.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Estonian Internet Foundation (EIF): Estonia's neutral internet infrastructure organization, managing the .ee domain registry and coordinating internet policy. The closest direct analog in a neighbouring Baltic market, combining infrastructure stewardship with national digital-policy advocacy in a similar role to LIA.
• Internetstiftelsen (Swedish Internet Foundation): Sweden's independent internet foundation managing .se and supporting internet-sector development, including digital literacy and statistics work. Comparable in mandate (national internet-sector stewardship with educational components), though operating in a larger mature market.
• eco (Verband der Internetwirtschaft): Germany's leading internet industry association representing ISPs, carriers, hosting providers, and digital infrastructure firms. Comparable in member profile (ISP-heavy) and in the breadth of policy and standards work performed on behalf of German internet companies — a scaled-up version of LIA's mandate.
• ISPA UK: The UK internet services providers' trade association. Directly comparable in business model (ISP-focused membership association providing advocacy and technical coordination) and useful for benchmarking LIA's narrower ISP advocacy work in a different jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Digital Europe: Pan-European trade association representing the digital technology industry to EU institutions. Comparable as a higher-tier industry advocacy body that LIA engages with through EU funding programmes (Digital Europe) and policy coordination, providing useful benchmarking for how pan-European digital advocacy is structured.
• Bitkom: Germany's largest digital industry association covering software, telecoms, internet services, and the broader digital economy. Comparable at the level of industry-to-government advocacy, but materially broader in scope than LIA's ISP-focused mandate.

Direct peers

• EuroISPA: Pan-European trade association for internet service providers across the EU and UK. Directly comparable to LIA as a cross-sector ISP and internet-policy advocacy body operating at European level, with overlapping member companies and policy files.
• LIKTA (Latvijas Informācijas un komunikācijas tehnoloģiju asociācija): Latvia's national ICT industry association covering information and communication technology companies. LIA and LIKTA already cooperate on policy advocacy (joint 2024 protest against EU cohesion funding cuts), and LIKTA awarded LIA's Safer Internet Centre the Platīna pele 2018 cybersecurity award — making it the closest same-country peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asociacija
• YouTubeyoutube.com/saferinternetlv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latvian-internet-association

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Latvian Internet Association