Profile: Telenor ASA (TELNY.PK)

Telenor ASA (Telenor), incorporated on July 21, 2000, is a holding company. Telenor, along with its, subsidiaries provides mobile telecommunications and fixed line communications services in Norway and the provider of television and broadcasting services to consumers and enterprises in the Nordic region. Telenor is also a provider of mobile telecommunications services internationally. As of March 31, 2010, Telenor had 94 million mobile subscriptions through its minority ownership interest in VimpelCom Ltd. Telenor has mobile and fixed operations in Norway; Sweden and Denmark and mobile operations in Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Telenor’s mobile business includes voice, data, Internet, content services, customer equipment and electronic commerce. Telenor’s operations fall within three geographical clusters: Nordic (Norway, Sweden and Denmark); Central Eastern Europe (Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro), and Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and India). On 4 March 2011, Telenor and Tele2 jointly acquired 2x10 meghertz (MHz) licences in the 800 MHz auction for the amount of SEK 769 million, to be utilised in the Net4Mobility joint venture for an LTE 800 network.

Telenor Broadcast Holding (Telenor Broadcast) is the provider of direct to home (DTH) television in the Nordic region. Telenor Broadcast provides cable television in Sweden and Denmark, terrestrial transmission services, satellite services and content security solutions. The Company’s other activities include maritime communications, aircraft communications and companies exploring machine-to-machine opportunities, and includes activities that support the core business, as well as some financial investments.

Nordic Operations

Telenor Norway’s service portfolio includes fixed and mobile telephony, broadband and datacom services for residential and business customers, as well as a range of wholesale services. Telenor Norway’s main legal entities are Telenor Norge AS, Telenor Global Services AS, Telehuset AS, Datametrix AS and Canal Digital Kabel TV AS. In January 2010, Telenor Mobile AS (mobile operations) and Telenor Telecom Solutions AS were merged into one company named Telenor Norge AS. As of 31 March 2011, Telenor had three million mobile subscriptions in Norway, of which around 77% were contract subscriptions.

Telenor provides fixed line telecommunication solutions to residential and business

customers. The service portfolio includes public switched telephone network (PSTN) and integrated services digital network (ISDN) fixed line telephony services, broadband telephony or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, Internet access through public switched telephone network (PSTN)/ integrated services digital network (ISDN), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs), fibre to the home (FTTH) and through hybrid fibre coax (HFC). In addition, Telenor provides leased lines, integrated voice and data telecommunications and access and network services to the business market. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor had 1.1 million fixed telephony subscriptions (including VoIP) and 869,000 broadband subscriptions (including HFC).

In addition to its retail offerings, Telenor provides a range of interconnection and capacity services, including leased lines, in the Norwegian wholesale market. The interconnection and capacity services enable other network operators, Internet service providers and other service providers to connect to Telenor’s network or use Telenor’s infrastructure in order to facilitate their own service offerings. Telenor also provides international operators with transit and capacity services for international voice and data traffic into or through Norway. Telenor provides wholesale line rental (PSTN and ISDN) and DSL wholesale (bit stream) to other operators and service providers. Additionally, Telenor provides local loop unbundling (full and shared access to the local copper loop), which enables other operators to provide end users with broadband. Telenor also provides television services over fibre and coax networks. For the provision of mobile communication services in Norway, Telenor holds two 900 MHz licences and one 1,800 MHz licence.

Telenor Sweden is a convergent telecom provider in the Swedish business and consumer markets. Telenor Sweden operates under three brands (Telenor, Bredbandsbolaget and Glocalnet) and has two main business units (Business and Consumer). Telenor Sweden’s main legal entities are Telenor Sverige AB, B2 Bredband AB (Bredbandsbolaget) and Glocalnet Scandinavia AB (Glocalnet). Mobile telephony and mobile broadband is offered on a retail basis to both the business and consumer markets through the Telenor brand. In the consumer market, Bredbandsbolaget provides high-speed fixed broadband for Internet access, telephony, digital-TV and add-on broadband services, as well as mobile broadband, and Glocalnet provides fixed and mobile telephony in addition to fixed and mobile broadband. In the business market, Telenor Sweden also offers fixed network data communication, telephony, DSL and Internet Protocol (IP)-based communication services. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Sweden had 2.1 million mobile subscriptions, 533,000 fixed broadband subscriptions, and 376,000 fixed telephony subscriptions (including VoIP). Telenor Sweden holds several spectrum licences suitable for mobile services: one in the 900 MHz band, one in the 1800 MHz band, one in the 2100 MHz band, one in the 2600 MHz band and one in the 800 MHz-band (held together with Tele2).

Telenor Denmark provides global system for mobile communications (GSM) and third generation (3G) mobile solutions for residential and business customers in Denmark. Telenor Denmark also provides broadband solutions and network-based products, such as security and VPN (Virtual Private Network) products for residential and business customers. Telenor serves small, medium and large business customers, as well as the consumer market.

Telenor covers 70% of Denmark by population with its own DSL infrastructure and focuses on the high-end consumer, home office and the small and medium enterprise segments of the market. Telenor also operates a VoIP product over its DSL access lines. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Denmark had 2.0 million mobile subscriptions, 236,000 fixed broadband subscriptions and 215,000 fixed telephony subscriptions (including VoIP). Telenor holds five spectrum licences suitable for mobile services: a 900 MHz licence, two 1800 MHz licences, a 2100 MHz licence and a licence in the 2600 MHz band.

Central Eastern European Operations

Telenor Hungary offers voice and non-voice services to subscribers on both prepaid and contract bases. Voice services include closed user group offers for both residential and business customers. Non-voice services include Short Messaging Services (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS), mobile content services and Internet service provider services through Internet Protocol (IP) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Hungary had 3.4 million mobile subscriptions.

Telenor Serbia offers advanced voice and non-voice services to subscribers on both a prepaid and contract basis. Non-voice services include SMS, MMS, mobile content services and Internet service. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Serbia had a total of 3.1 million mobile subscriptions. Telenor Serbia holds licences for GSM 900 MHz/1800 MHz and 3G.Telenor Montenegro primarily offers mobile voice, roaming and mobile data services, including HSPA, to its subscribers on both a prepaid and contract basis. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Montenegro had 423,000 mobile subscriptions. Telenor Montenegro holds a GSM 900 MHz and a GSM 1800 MHz licence.

Asian Operations

Telenor had an economic interest of approximately 65.5% in Total Access Communication PCL (DTAC) in Thailand as of March 31, 2011. DTAC offers mobile voice, roaming and value-added services to its customers through contract and prepaid tariff plans. DTAC operates on GSM 1800 MHz and AMPS 800 MHz concessions from CAT Telecom Public Company Limited (CAT). In Malaysia, DiGi.Com Berhad (DiGi) offers mobile voice, roaming and value-added services on both prepaid and contract bases. As of March 31, 2011, DiGi operated in the prepaid segment. As of March 31, 2011, Telenor had 49% interest in DiGi. As at 31 March 2011, DiGi had 8.8 million mobile subscriptions.

In Bangladesh, Grameenphone is the provider of mobile telecommunication services. Grameenphone now provides voice, data and other value added services on prepaid and contract bases. As of 31 March 2011, Telenor held 55.8% interest in Grameenphone. As at 31 March 2011, Grameenphone had 32 million subscriptions. Telenor Pakistan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telenor. As at 31 March 2011, Telenor Pakistan had 25.8 million mobile subscriptions.

Unitech Wireless comprises eight Unified Access Services (UAS) licence companies and Unitech Long Distance Communication Services Limited, acquired by Unitech Wireless Tamilnadu Private Limited on 23 June 2009. These entities were merged into Unitech Wireless (Tamilnadu) Private Limited with effect from 1 October 2010. On 10 February 2010, Telenor completed the capitalisation of Uninor, bringing the ownership share in the eight licensee companies to 67.25%.

The Company competes with NextGenTel, Ventelo, TeliaSonera, Hi3G Access, TDC, T-Mobile and Vodafone, Mobile Telephony of Serbia, Mobilkom, T-Mobile, M:Tel, Celcom, Maxis, Banglalink, Airtel Bangladesh, Citycell, Teletalk, Mobilink, Ufone, Warid, Zong and Instaphone.