Mobile network provider Ice, owned by Ukrainian-US billionaire Len Blavatnik through Access Industries, expects to announce details of its Norwegian expansion plans within the next month, Reuters reported, citing the managing director of Ice Norway, Eivind Helgaker.
Ice won spectrum in the December 2013 auction to build a 4G network alongside its existing Norwegian mobile data operation, but has declined to reveal whether or not it will offer voice services, the news agency said.
Reuters said Ice will effectively replace Tele2, which sold its Norwegian operations after losing the spectrum auction, leading the Norwegian Consumer Council to express fears of diminished competition in the market.
Helgaker told Reuters that within a month, it will be able to say more about which suppliers it has chosen and which services it will deliver. The 4G network will launch in 2015. He said that voice services are exciting in the Norwegian market. He added that a large part of Norwegian telecoms revenues is tied to voice, but that the general development is that the only service upon which operators actually put a price is data. Customers buy packages where voice and text messaging are free, and with a certain quantity of data, he said.
