Ice Group , the third mobile operator in Norway, said it has captured a 10% share of the mobile market after five years of operation and is targeting a 20% market share in the medium term with the aim of reaching 25% in the long term. Ice, which gained 4G spectrum in 2013 and acquired Network Norway from Telia in 2015, has been on a mission to break the longstanding duopoly of Telenor and Telia. According to CEO Eivind Helgaker, the group is now well on track following an improvement in support and regulation for the buildout of the third mobile network. "Our entrance in the mobile market has shown Norway the importance of healthy competition," Helgaker said. In its latest results statement for the second quarter of 2020, Ice said it achieved a positive adjusted EBITDA margin for the second quarter in succession. Smartphone service revenue increased 19% year-on-year to reach 379 million Norwegian kroner (US$43 million). Ice was also unable to escape the effects of COVID-19, which hurt retail sales in the quarter. However, Helgaker said the group increased digital sales to compensate for some of the losses caused by store closures. Total revenue increased 18% to NOK497 million ($56 million). Adjusted EBITDA in the quarter was NOK2 million ($227,000), up from minus NOK46 million ($5.2 million) in Q2 2019. (Source: Ice Group)
Ice essentially replaced Tele2 Norway as the third operator when Tele2 sold its Norwegian operations to TeliaSonera in 2015 after failing to secure spectrum in Norway's 4G auction in 2013. Telia then sold Tele2 assets in the form of the Network Norway customer base to Ice. Ice Group is part of Access Industries, a privately held industrial group founded by Len Blavatnik. Ice had more success in Norway's first 5G auction in 2019, gaining 2x10MHz of 700MHz frequencies and 2x15MHz of 2.1GHz spectrum, spending NOK337 million ($38 million) in total. In May 2020, it then spent NOK1.58 million ($178,905) on new frequencies in the low 10GHz and 38GHz bands. In terms of its network build, Ice now has close to 2,500 sites in operation and said it aims to build 1,000 basestations in 2020 with capex of around NOK750 million ($84.9 million). It is also targeting a positive annual adjusted EBITDA in the full year. Other medium-term targets are for an adjusted EBITDA margin in the mid 30s in percentage terms. For more on this topic, see:

Norway's Ice Group claims 10% market share

This report profiles Norway's mobile voice and data market, providing statistics on the main operators, a review of the key regulatory issues, and a snapshot of the consumer market for services. Norway's mobile market is dominated by Telenor Mobil and Telia (formerly NetCom before being rebranded in 2016). The joint venture Mobile Norway was part-owned by Tele2 until the failure of Tele2 to secure spectrum at auction in December 2013 led the company to sell its Norwegian operations. This directly benefitted the new entrant Ice.net, owned by AINMT Holdings, which did secure spectrum at auction and which gained Network Norway's customer base as part of the deal enforced by the telecom regulator. Voice and data services from these operators are supplemented by those from a growing number of MVNOs. The country has near comprehensive LTE coverage, while both Telenor and Telia are looking to close their 3G and 2G networks (by 2020 and 2025 respectively), focussing instead on LTE and 5G technologies. The mobile broadband sector has been bolstered by the auction of spectrum in the 900MHz band in May 2018 and in the 700MHz and 21MHz band in June 2019. Additional spectrum in the 700MHz band is expected to be auctioned for mobile broadband use (5G) in 2021. Key developments:
Regulator completes 700MHz auction, consults on release of additional spectrum for 5G;
Telenor Group assigned to manage a major European 5G project, sets up a second IoT lab;
Telenor partners with Huawei to trial 5G technologies;
Telia achieves speeds of 1Gb/s on its LTE infrastructure;
Telenor looks to VoLTE as it aims to close its 2G and 3G networks by 2025;
Report update includes the regulators market data to December 2018, telcos operating and financial data to Q2 2019, recent market developments. Key Topics Covered:

Norway Mobile Infrastructure, Broadband, Operators Statistics and Analyses Report 2019 Featuring Telenor Mobil, Telia (NetCom), Mobile Norway, Teletopia, Tele2 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

20 JUN 2019
Telenor pledged to meticulously review a decision by Norway’s Competition Complaint Board to uphold an earlier verdict stating the operator had restricted competition in the country. The Norwegian Competition Authority slapped a NOK788 million ($92.1 million) fine on Telenor in June 2018, arguing the pricing model used in a wholesale agreement with Network Norway restricted competition in the market from 2010 to 2014. In a statement today (20 June), Telenor said it believes the “agreement between Telenor and Network Norway neither limited competition nor the development of a third network, and the price model was legal”. “Telenor maintains that the agreement resulted in significant price reductions for Network Norway, was better adapted to the end-user market with packages that included data offerings, and resulted in better offers to customers and increased competition in the mobile market.”
The issue concerns the fees paid to Telenor by new entrant Network Norway, including whether the deal was structured in such a way as to disincentivise the latter from developing its own operations. Telenor noted the Competition Complaint Board’s decision was not unanimous, with one of the three members agreeing with its view. Petter-Borre Furberg, CEO of Telenor Norway, said: “Telenor has three months to issue writ of summons before the Gulating Court of Appeal. We will now thoroughly review the Competition Complaint Board’s decision.”

Telenor mulls options in competition lawsuit

02 JAN 2019
Telenor Norway reportedly contested a NOK788 million ($90.9 million) fine it was hit with last year for allegedly using its dominant position to create barriers against the development of a third mobile network in the market. According to local publication Finansavisen.no, the operator filed a complaint against the fine, which was imposed by Norway’s Competition Authority in June 2018, late last month. The issue dates back to 2010, when Telenor allegedly amended wholesale terms with Network Norway – the company which was building the third network. According to the watchdog, Telenor changed the original terms it agreed with Network Norway to hike up prices, thus reducing the latter’s incentive to build a nationwide network. In its complaint against the fine, Telenor Norway’s communications director Anders Krokan said it considered the pricing model it had set to be correct. More competition needed
Ice Group, which now controls Network Norway, hit back, with its CEO Elvind Helgaker stating that the action taken by authorities against such practices was not having a a disciplinary effect, and that Telenor was still using its dominant position to weaken competition in the market. He reportedly argued that action should be taken by authorities to open up the possibility for more competition in the market. Telenor, which is majority owned by the state, has 4.8 million connections as of Q1 2019 in the country, according to GSMA Intelligence forecasts, ahead of Telia’s 2.3 million and Ice Group’s 570,000.

Telenor Norway challenges $91M fine

21 JUN 2018
The Norwegian Competition Authority slapped a record NOK788 million ($96.4 million) fine on Telenor Norway for using its dominant market position to hamper the rollout of a third network. Its action dates back to 2010, when Telenor amended wholesale terms with Network Norway, the company building the third network, which had leased Telenor infrastructure when it began its rollout in 2007 to cover areas where it was yet to install its own equipment. The authority said changes to the original terms enforced by Telenor dropped the basic access price, but introduced an additional fee which increased in line with growth in the number of users. This, it added, reduced Network Norway’s incentive to build its own nationwide network. Handing down the fine, the authority said Telenor had “introduced the amendments to the network access agreement with the intention of limiting further investments in the third network.”
Norwegian Competition Authority director general Lars Sorgard (pictured) added: “The mobile market is a large and important market for Norwegian consumers. Telenor has a considerable turnover in this market and the infringement is a serious breach of the Norwegian Competition Act.”
Network Norway is now part of operator Ice, which GSMA Intelligence connection figures show held a 6 per cent market share at end Q1 2018. Appeal
Telenor Norway CEO Berit Svendsen said the company disagreed with the regulator’s decision and would likely lodge and appeal to the Competition Appeals Board. “The deadline for complaint is six months,” she said, adding the company “will use this time to go through all sides of the case. We expect that we will appeal against the decision.”
In a statement, the operator noted in November 2016 the competition authority had filed a separate complaint about four of Telenor’s wholesale agreements, which were later dropped.

Telenor Norway faces record competition authority fine

CounterPath is a telecommunications service provider. The company's product suite includes SIP-based softphones, server applications and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to cost-effectively integrate voice, video, presence and Instant Messaging (IM) applications into their VoIP offerings and extend functionality across both fixed and mobile networks.On March 1st, 2021, Counterpath was acquired by Alianza at a valuation of $25.7M.

CounterPath

CounterPath and Network Norway Team Up on Innovative Mobil IP Service.
Bria Softphone is the Technology Behind Norway’s First Complete Unified Communications Solution for SMBs and Enterprises.

Flash Networks is the global provider of mobile Internet optimization and monetization solutions that enable operators to boost network speed, optimize video and web traffic, and generate over-the-top revenues from the mobile Internet. Sitting at the core of the network, Flash Networks' Harmony Mobile Internet Services Gateway accelerates LTE networks by up to 50% and reduces web and video traffic data by up to 30%, while providing operators with in-depth traffic analytics and user insights.On June 10th, 2020, Flash Networks was acquired by Volaris Group. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Flash Networks

Tele2 is a European telecom operator offering mobile services, fixed broadband and telephony, data network services, content services, and global IoT solutions. It was founded in 1993 and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Name	Work History	Title	Status
Arild E. Hustad	Link Mobility, Tele2, Telenor Group, and BT Group	Chief Executive Officer	Former
Ingvild Ragna Myhre		Chief Executive Officer	Former

Name	Arild E. Hustad	Ingvild Ragna Myhre
Work History	Link Mobility, Tele2, Telenor Group, and BT Group
Title	Chief Executive Officer	Chief Executive Officer
Status	Former	Former

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