MOBILE FAIR-Tele2 may drop KPN as mobile provider-source

BARCELONA/FRANKFURT Feb 17 (Reuters) - Sweden's Tele2 (TEL2b.ST), which uses KPN's (KPN.AS) network in the Netherlands to offer mobile phone services, may drop KPN and move its business to T-Mobile, an industry source said.

While this source said Tele2 had decided to move its roughly 460,000 mobile phone customers in the Netherlands to T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), a second industry source cautioned that the deal was not yet sealed.

Tele2 offers mobile phone service to its customers in the Netherlands without operating its own mobile phone network and instead buys wholesale capacity, acting as a so-called mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).

KPN gained Tele2 as a customer by buying Dutch low-cost mobile phone carrier Telfort in 2005, the first source said.

KPN declined comment. Deutsche Telekom was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Niclas Mika and Nicola Leske; Editing by Hans Peters) (niclas.mika@thomsonreuters.com; +31 20 504 5008; Reuters Messaging: niclas.mika.reuters.com@reuters.net))