STOCKHOLM, Sweden, June 17, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tele2 AB, ("Tele2"), (NasdaqTLTOA) (Nasdaq:TLTOB), the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company, today announced that Tele2 AB has been ranked the 48th best performing company in the world's top 100 telecom/IT companies by the well respected American business magazine, Business Week, in its annual ranking of publicly traded telecom/IT companies. The criteria considered are revenue growth, return on equity, shareholder returns and profits. In terms of shareholder returns for the past twelve months Tele2 was rated No.6 in the world.
Business Week commented, "Think of it as the Swedish Sprint. Tele2 is thriving as a rare pan-European alternative to the former European telecom monopolies."
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, President and CEO of Tele2 AB stated: "This annual Business Week survey shows that Tele2, with annual revenue growth in excess of 20%, continues to be one of the fastest growing companies in its sector."
Tele2 AB, formed in 1993, is the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company offering fixed and mobile telephony, data network and Internet services under the brands Tele2, Tango and Comviq to over 17.7 million people in 22 countries. Tele2 operates Datametrix, which specializes in systems integration, 3C Communications, providing integrated credit card processing, web payment solutions and public payphones; Transac, providing billing and transaction processing service; C(3), offering co-branded pre-paid calling cards and Optimal Telecom, the price-guaranteed residential router device. The Group offers cable television services and, together with MTG, owns the Internet portal Everyday.com. The Company is listed on the Stockholmsborsen, under TEL2A and TEL2B, and on the Nasdaq Stock Market under TLTOA and TLTOB.
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer Telephone: + 46 8 562 640 00 President and CEO, Tele2 AB Andrew Best/ Dwayne Taylor Telephone: + 44 20 7321 5022 Investor enquiries Visit us at our homepage: http://www.Tele2.com
This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net
The following files are available for download:
http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/06/17/20030617BIT00490/wkr0001.doc
http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/06/17/20030617BIT00490/wkr0002.pdf