About our History
More than 155 years of accumulated experience within telecommunications, coupled with a pioneering spirit and a quest for knowledge and development – are what have brought Telenor to where it is today. Telenor Group has mobile operations in 11 markets around the world and in additionally 19 markets through our 31,67 per cent ownership in VimpelCom Ltd. Go ahead and explore our history – in text, film and pictures.
View the Telenor History
Duration: 5:01
1974
Andebu Telephone Association was the last privately owned telephone company in Norway. The company was bought by Televerket in 1974.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
- The last private telephone company, Andebu Telephone Association, is taken over by Norwegian Telecom.
1972
1972 - colour test card from NRK (the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation).
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
- As one of the last countries in Europe, the first official colour broadcast goes on air in Norway.
1970
One of Televerket's telephone fitters installs a new telephone at the home of a subscriber. The telephone set was included in the subscription.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
The customer checks that the telephone works.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
- 50 per cent of Norwegian households have a telephone connection.
- Partnerships set up to establish international standards for the telenetwork mobile networks.
1969
In the 1960s and 1970s telephone installers worked hard to reduce the waiting lists for telephones in Norway.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
- 17,250 people are employed by Norwegian Telecom.
- The Norwegian Telegraph Administration changes its name to Norwegian Telecommunications (Televerket).
- The unique cooperation between the Nordic countries to create a common standard results in Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT).
- Transmissions of data over the network is initiated.
1966
Public terrestrial mobile telephone service (OLT): the service was opened to the public in 1966. The drawback of this system was that everybody could hear everybody else.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
John Ragnar Veastad of Telegrafverket's Radio Department, was a pioneer in the development of mobile telephony in Norway in the 1960s.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
In 1966 about 80 per cent of Norway's telephone subscribers could be reached with direct long-distance dialling.
Photo: Norwegian Telecom Museum
- Direct distance dialling from Norway is enabled.
- The first manual mobile telephone is launched in Norway.