Telenor to launch 3G

"It is with a feeling of pride and excitement that we now embark upon a new era in Norwegian mobile history. Norwegians are among the world leaders in adopting advanced mobile services, and the potential of such services has now been made significantly greater. At the time of launch, the new network covers approximately half of Norway's population, and we are committed to continue our network rollout as planned," said CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas of Telenor.

UMTS stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System . The new technology will give customers of Telenor Mobil even better access to the new mobile services commonly known under the heading 3G services. This involves opportunities for transmissions of live images, and faster Internet connection speeds than what customers have been accustomed to from existing mobile systems.

At the time of launch, Telenor's UMTS network covers more than two million people in 70 cities and densely populated areas. By March 2005, 132 cities and densely populated areas will be covered, and all areas with more than 200 people will have full coverage by 2007.

During an introductory phase, Telenor Mobil customers will be able to make video calls free of charge. During the campaign period, customers in the consumer market will not be charged more than NOK 5 per day for Mobile TV and other Internet access (packet switched).

Facts about 3G services:

To enjoy access to the new 3G services, customers will need EDGE or UMTS handsets, and users must be within an area that has 3G coverage. Mobile phones that support Telenor's 3G services will be easy to identify in sales outlets, and customers should have few problems finding the right models.

Regular phone calls will be charged as today, depending on subscription plan. From next year, regular consumer prices will be NOK 20 per downloaded MB, with a maximum limit of NOK 30 per day. Video calls will be charged NOK 2.24 (Post-paid) and NOK 3.74 (Prepaid) per minute, in addition to a NOK 0.99 start up fee. Regular business prices will be NOK 10 per MB for the first 50 MB per month, and NOK 8 per MB exceeding 50 MB. A full price list will be made available on our web site.

To the editors:

Invitation to press briefing

In connection with the 3G launch, the press is invited to a briefing at Telenor Expo at Fornebu today at 12:00 CET. Berit Kjøll of Telenor, Gunnar Stavrum of TV2 and Ukko Lappalainen of Nokia will give brief talks, and be available for interviews. A simple lunch will be served, and participants will be given the opportunity to test 3G services.

Press briefing:

Telenor Expo, Fornebu

12:00-13:00 CET