Telenor will closely review the ESA’s notice

(Fornebu, 1 February 2016) Telenor has today received a notice from the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) as a result of investigations conducted by ESA and the Norwegian Competition Authority on 4 December 2012. The notice is not a final decision. 

‘This is only a preliminary assessment from ESA, and we will review the notice in detail,’ says Berit Svendsen, CEO of Telenor Norway. 

The investigation conducted in 2012 concerned suspected breaches of competition regulations in the Norwegian mobile market. Telenor has cooperated in full with ESA and the Norwegian Competition Authority, and facilitated their work. Telenor will now closely review the notice and provide feedback to ESA in accordance with the standard process. Telenor will subsequently evaluate whether it is necessary to request an oral hearing to further illuminate the matter. Following this, ESA will determine whether the notice becomes a final decision or not.

‘It is normal for these processes to take time, which means that Telenor will have to wait a little longer before the results of the unannounced ESA inspection in 2012 reach a final conclusion,’ Berit Svendsen says.

The ESA has examined four areas: Two of the areas have been dropped by ESA following thorough analyses, while the notice concerns elements of the two other areas:

• Binding terms at a subscription level (lock-in practices) for business customers
• Margin squeeze on wholesale agreements connected to the standalone mobile broadband segment for private customers

‘The notice from ESA indicates that Telenor will not be able to conduct business practice in the market, although Telenor in fact has less strict lock –in terms than what is customary in the market. I question this, but we will closely review ESA’s notice before concluding whether further stages in the process are necessary,’ says Svendsen.

For further information, please contact:
Torild Lid Uribarri, Chief Corporate Communication Officer at Telenor Norway
Tel.: + 47 911 55 381, email: torild.uribarri@telenor.com