STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 8, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Telia International Carrier (Telia IC) has strengthened its position in France and Italy by expanding its fully owned Viking Network through the purchase of assets of a French subsidiary of KPNQwest.
Through the deal with KPNQwest's liquidator, Telia IC gets access to a duct-based high capacity network between Paris-Lille and Paris-Kehl (Germany) including a metro ring in Paris. Installed IP, SDH and DWDM equipment is an important part of the agreement.
"This investment represents a few percent of our annual investment budget and will give us a significant presence in one of Europe's most telecom intensive regions," said Erik Heilborn, President Telia IC.
The deal will also include the routes Paris-Lyon-Marseille-Turin-Milano, Lyon-Geneva and Lille-Calais, if current third party maintenance suppliers provide conditions at market rate. The purchase significantly extends Telia ICs existing network in the region.
About Telia International Carrier:
Telia's wholly owned subsidiary, Telia International Carrier, provides IP, Capacity, Voice, Infrastructure services and carrier neutral collocation solutions. Today, the company is one of the leading European carriers of transatlantic IP traffic to the USA. It's wholly owned multi- fibre optic network - the Viking Network - provides high capacity bandwidth and offers end-to-end connectivity round the world. The network is an investment-intensive venture expanding Telia International Carrier throughout Scandinavia, Europe and the USA. The infrastructure in Europe is designed as a multi-duct network connecting all significant cities with communication, supporting IP, Voice and Data. The network covers approximately 40,000 route kilometres throughout Europe and the USA, connecting 50 major cities through 120 points of presence.
For further information journalists can contact: Magnus Nerell, Communication Director, Telia International CarrierPhone: +46 8 713 33 41, Mobile: +46 70 557 90 70
Telia is the Nordic leader in telecommunications. Over the past year, we have streamlined the Group, focusing our core businesses making the company more flexible. Our four core businesses are: Mobile communications, Internet services, International carrier operations and Fixed network operations. Telia is listed on Stockholmsborsen. Sales Jan.- Mar. 2002 totaled MSEK 13,900 (13,592) and the number of employees was 16,804 (29,936). Sales 2001 totaled MSEK 57,196 and the number of employees was 17,149.
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