The Comoyo difference

Sven Thaulow, the CEO of Telenor’s newly established Internet Services company Comoyo, is a man on a mission. One thing is the team he has assembled, but what really excites him is one simple idea: The content and the services you need on the gadgets you own. One log-in, one password and one credit card.

“I love TV.” he says. “So I want a solution that let’s me watch the shows I like on my pad, on my phone, my TV and on my computer. I want to pick up my iPad and view my SMS history, which I could previously only do from my phone. I want solutions, not barriers. We have assembled the team to make this happen, and I just can’t wait to let the customers share our excitement.”

Look different, feel different, act different

Sven and the Comoyo team have set out to do things differently. He believes that customers will notice that this brand will look different, feel different and act different than the other players in the market.

While abstract in name, the company is concrete in its mission to provide customers with a device-independent solution that is simple to use and is suited to local needs and tastes.

“We want to tell a local story when it comes to music, TV, movies, etc. Given Telenor’s reach in local markets, Comoyo will be able to provide local recommendations that are tailored to your interests,” says Sven.

The young CEO is equally certain that Comoyo will excel in providing services that is easy to use. The way to achieve this is by providing services from Comoyo and other partners under one umbrella, relieving customers of the burden of accessing multiple sources to get what they want.

“People are generally uncomfortable with leaving their credit card all over the Internet and storing their data in multiple locations. With Comoyo we can offer secure payment and storage of data with the trusted name of Telenor at our foundation,” said Sven.

“And we are going to deliver this to non-Telenor customers as well”.

Making an active move into the Internet space

Comoyo’s initial focus will be on the Nordic markets, but global expansion is on the agenda for the future. Telenor has witnessed extreme growth in the adoption of Internet-based services globally, which over time could serve as a disruption to the traditional telecommunication business model.

“Either you can move backwards or you can start moving forward, exploring new roads. Typical challenges in the telco sector are Internet-based services such as voice, messaging and TV. All of these areas are potentially disruptive technologies, and rather than sitting around and talking about the disruption, we are joining the action” says Sven.

Closed beta to launch soon

Over the past few months, Comoyo has expanded to 35 experienced employees, many of whom have been recruited from other, large Internet companies. They plan to launch a closed beta early this summer in which they will test TV/video and communication services to a group of volunteers in Norway. Through this process, they hope to tweak any technical issues, fine-tune usability and ensure that their content offering is what the people want.

“The beta will help us prepare for the launch of a high-quality service later in 2011. We will launch market-by-market in the Nordics, starting with Norway,” said Sven.

Taking the road not typically traveled

“Comoyo is our way of preparing for the future in which the Internet will only become more interwoven in our lives. By establishing this company, we have taken the road not typically traveled by the telcos because we want to do things differently. Whether you are text messaging from your iPad or streaming TV from your mobile phone, I believe that people will notice the Comoyo difference.”

Sven Thaulow (38)

• CEO, Telenor Internet Content & Services
• Sven is an experienced telecommunications and internet services director.
• His past position in Telenor was Director for New Business Areas where he managed services ranging from Wimp, Games, Communication and TV  Movies on Web, mobile and IPTV.
• Sven has also worked as Director for products & markets for Pannon (Telenor in Hungary) as well as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Telenor Mobile, Telenor in Norway.
• He has a Msc in Industrial Economics and Technology Management from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) with multimedia technology as emphasis
• Sven lives in Oslo with his wife and their two girls.