Two telecom rivals are joining forces in Sweden to cover the country with a high-speed mobile Internet network. Tele2 and Telenor will be equal partners in the launch of an LTE network, which should be up and running by the end of 2010.
The two operators claim that they will be providing 4G mobile Internet to 99% of the Swedish population by 2013.
From the release:
“We are proud that Sweden is one of the first countries in the world with 4G network for the entire population. For our customers this means improved coverage for voice calls across the country and a network for mobile internet with speeds that will be 10-15 times faster than today. With this partnership, we can ensure a cost-efficient investment and continue to develop affordable offerings while we continue to compete for the customers”, said Niclas Palmstierna, CEO Tele2 Sweden.
“This is where the race to 4G begins. By building a joint network and sharing our spectrum we create a whole new playing field on the Swedish market, placing ourselves in pool position to provide high-speed mobile broadband with the best coverage and quality. Sharing this investment ensures cost-efficiency and enables a solid market position in the long run for Telenor in Sweden,” said Lars-Ake Norling, chief executive of Telenor Sweden.
What we think?
As Lars-Ake Norling says, the race is on. The speed with which operators can get 4G solutions to market, be they WiMAX or LTE, is essential. Issues concerning mobile payments are slowly being taken in hand – regulation and competition are taking care of that. One of the biggest remaining barriers to mobile take-up is speed. Watching a “loading-bar” slowly grinding across the screen is a big turn-off for a lot of people – carriers that can guarantee faster connections and downloads are on to a winner. The customers for mobile Internet services are there, they just need a decent service to use. I’m also happy to see Telenor and Tele2 co-operating to get this done as quickly and efficiently as possible – we’ve seen a lot of inter-operator dealing of late, and I’m inclined to think it’s a good thing.
