Mobile Norway, owned by Tele2, has signed a deal for leasing frequencies from Ice Communication Norge and to sell parts of Tele2’s mobile network to Ice.
The financial details were not disclosed.
In July, TeliaSonera said it would be acquiring Mobile Norway for SEK 5.1 billion.
TeliaSonera earlier committed itself to 98 percent population coverage for 4G by the end of 2016, two years ahead of its previous obligations. This is made possible by the coordination benefits that TeliaSonera expects to achieve through the acquisition of Tele2’s Norwegian operations.
The transaction between Ice Communication and Tele2 will have positive impact on the competition on the Norwegian market.
“It helps to meet the political target according to which there should be three mobile networks in the country, while it also guarantees network access to Tele2’s customers until spring 2015, when the traffic will be switched over to our network,” said August Baumann, CEO of TeliaSonera Norway.
The leasing of frequencies guarantees network access to Tele2’s customer in a transition period, until the Competition Authority has decided whether TeliaSonera is allowed to acquire Tele2’s Norwegian operations, in which Mobile Norway is included.
The sale of parts of the mobile infrastructure helps to ensure that there will continue to be three networks on the Norwegian market. This transaction also requires that TeliaSonera’s acquisition in Norway is approved by the Competition Authority.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com