Advanced Television

Levira and LVRTC expand the Digital Europe from Estonia and Latvia

December 11, 2014

Seeds of new Digital Europe are growing out from Estonia and Latvia: first cross-border contract for media and play-out services waselectronically signed between Levira, Estonia and LVRTC, Latvia, using the newfunctionality built in the eParakastītajs 3.0 and the DigiDoc3.

Mart Einpalu, CEO of Levira, Member of the Board of Estonian ICT Association: Estonia has been using the digital means for conducting private and business transactions since 2002. Today ID-card or mobile-ID based transactions concern more than 90% of population and companies: 99% of bank transactions, 96% of tax filings, 85% of parking, 80% of prescriptions, 70% of schools, public transport etc. are in electronic format. Digital ID is also a new enabler of democracy – about 25% of ballots are cast electronically in elections in Estonia.

We have taken a step further by introducing the interoperability of the ID-card based e-signature processes with our neighbours in Latvia. The new contract will enable new media and playout services provided by Levira with the help of LVRTC. In broader scale it will be the digital enabler of the business between the the two countries. It will further support introducing all-digital and real-time business transactions and make the business environment a way more efficient in the future. This is the future of Europe.

Janis Bokta, Chairman of the Board of LVRTC: Today LVRTC has published a new e-Signer 3.0 and it is available at www.eparaksts.lv/en/. This is the first step towards a single electronic document environment in the Baltics. Currently, active work is in progress to make life easier for the businesses, individuals and authorities communicate with documents which are signed with secure electronic signatures. This particularly is going to be beneficial for businesses operating in all three countries like ourselves.

Kalev Pihl, CEO of Certification Centre Ltd, Estonia: Cross border e-signature helps businesses to operate more efficiently and securely. The world’s first known digitally signed intergovernmental agreement was concluded last year between prime ministers of Finland and Estonia, Jyrki Katainen and Andrus Ansip.

With the first commercial contract signed between companies in Estonia and Latvia we are moving a step closer to digital single market in EU. Tools in Estonia for creating digital signature now support the Latvian citizen ID cards and vice versa. This will enable Estonian and Latvian authorities, companies and people to conclude contracts and exchange other documents using digital signatures. We believe that a lot of work still lies ahead to ease the currently available process.

Levira is a cloud, media- and network service provider. Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Levira runs one of the largest datacenters in the Baltics.  Levira is the largest provider of TV play-out and media services in Northern Europe and the main TV and radio broadcast transmission provider in Estonia. Levira has 3 HD OB trucks and UAV (drones) to shoot live broadcast from any event in the Baltics and Scandinavia. Levira’s customers include multinational and regional IT-companies and broadcasters like Turner, Sony, MTG, EBU, Public Broadcasters, Discovery, ATEA, A-Data, TeliaSonera, Tele2, Elisa, Starman, TV3.

LVRTC (State Joint-Stock Company “Latvia State Radio and Television Centre) is one of the leading providers of electronic communication services in Latvia, ensuring high quality and safe telecommunications solutions to all major mobile communications, internet and telecommunications operators in Latvia as well as state institutions.

LVRTC is the main operator of the country’s terrestrial radio and television broadcasting network. Our clients include well-known television companies, radio stations and the country’s leading electronic communications operators Latvijas Mobilais telefons, Lattelecom, Latvenergo, Telecentrs and others.

In 2009, LVRTC took over all certification service liabilities from Latvian Post. In 2010, State Information Network Agency (VITA) was incorporated into LVRTC, and all liabilities resulting from VITA transactions and business operations were transferred to LVRTC.

Certification Centre (CC) is Estonia’s certification authority, providing certificates for authentication and digital signing to national identity documents (ID-card, residence permit, Digi-ID, Mobile-ID). CC provides certificates to the card and also the services necessary for utilizing the certificates and giving legally binding digital signatures. CC functions as a competence center for ID-card and spread the knowledge necessary for creating electronic applications to the card. You can already give legally binding digital signatures in Estonia

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