Vodafone, the largest mobile operator in the world, and Elisa Communications Corporation signed on February 14, 2002 a co-operation agreement, whose aim is to increase cooperation in the companies' product and service provision. In the same connection, a business and partner agreement was signed between Elisa Communications' subsidiary Radiolinja and Vodafone. It is the most extensive business cooperation-based agreement done so far in Finland on global mobile products and services.
"According to Elisa Communications' strategy, we team up with strong international partners in order to provide our customers consistent products and services required by their business globally irrespective of place. The Vodafone agreement is an example of our chosen strategy in cooperation with the world's leading mobile operator. Furthermore, it underlines the Group's international know-how," says Matti Mattheiszen, Elisa Communications Corporation's President and CEO.
The cooperation agreement between Elisa Communications and Vodafone offers the companies a regular way to review the relationship and develop international telecommunication business as well as ensuring Vodafone's possibility to participate in any potential offers of Elisa's and/or Radiolinja's shares.
For Radiolinja, partnership with Vodafone means an initiation of deep and long-term cooperation. Service provisioning for multi-national customers, dual branding for certain customer segments, GPRS-roaming and similar international products, form cornerstones for the partnership. Along the cooperation, Radiolinja customers will by the summer 2002 have access to the most extensive GPRS operating area. Vodafone has globally some 100 million mobile subscribers.
Elisa Communications Corporation's contracting party is Vodafone Group Plc's subsidiary Vodafone Global Products and Services Limited, which is also Radiolinja's contracting party in product and service cooperation. Radiolinja has made an agreement on brand cooperation with Vodafone Group Plc.
