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 20 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

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2001

2001

Telenor increases its share in DiGi, Malaysia in 2001.

  • GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is launched. GPRS allows the user to get access to the Internet and pay only for the amounts of data transferred.
  • Ownership shares in Germany and Ireland are sold at a profit of more than NOK 21 billion (USD 4.02 billion). Telenor’s stake in North West GSM is also sold.
  • Telenor acquires Comsat Mobile Communications and becomes the world's largest operator of mobile satellite services.
  • Telenor increases its share in Hungary's Pannon to 100 per cent.
  • Telenor increases its share in Malaysia's DiGi to 61 per cent.

2000

2000

The picture shows Times Square in New York and Tormod Hermansen in a live transmission to mark the stock exchange listing of Telenor in 2000.

2000

Tormod Hermansen, Managing Director of Televerket 1991-1995 and CEO of Telenor from 1995-2002.

  • Introduction of IP services over satellite, facilitating a demand for remote one-way and two-way IP satellite communication services in Europe and the Middle East.
  • Telenor AS is partly privatised on 4 December.
  • Telenor buys into TAC/UCOM in Thailand.
  • Telenor enters into an agreement with British Telecom which results in the sale of shares in Esat Digifone. Telenor exercises this option and a gains approximately NOK 9 billion (USD 1.72 billion).
  • Telenor offers leasing of access lines in the fixed network. This gives competitors direct access to the Telenor fixed network subscribers.
  • The Hospital Development Project for Central Norway chooses Telenor as its main supplier of ICT (Information & Communications Technology) infrastructure for phase two of the construction of the new university hospital in Trondheim, Norway. The contract is worth approximately NOK 360 million (USD 68.87 million).
  • The Norwegian telephone directory is available on the Internet.