Øystein Kvarme, the managing director of the newly-established Telenor Deutschland GmbH, says the subsidiary’s initial focus will be on VSAT (very small aperture terminal) satellite networks for bank and retail chains. “With the growth of retail chains in Germany and the need to link franchises in Western Europe with expansions eastward, we see a great deal of growth potential in satellite networks,” says Kvarme. Although Europe still lags well behind the US in VSAT usage, he says it is moving quickly to catch up.
In addition, Kvarme says Telenor’s Nextra intends to establish itself as a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the country. One of Europe’s five largest Internet Service Providers, Nextra has already acquired German ISP’s e-comp in Darmstadt and Frankfurt-based Omnilink.
Telenor also holds a 10 percent stake in the GSM mobile service provider Viag Interkom. While small in scale as a mainstream telecom, Telenor is a recognized European frontrunner in satellite, Internet and mobile telecom services. Europe’s third largest satellite service provider and the second largest owner of INTELSAT, Telenor Satellite has already established itself as a leading VSAT provider in Eastern Europe and, in 1998, made its first push back westward with an office in Vienna.
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Company web sites: www.telenor.com and www.telenor.de