Netcom AB Becomes The Worlds First Operator to Invest in And Build a Third Generation Mobile Network
NETCOM AB BECOMES THE WORLDS FIRST OPERATOR TO INVEST IN AND BUILD A THIRD GENERATION MOBILE NETWORK New York and Stockholm - February 17, 2000 - NetCom AB ("NetCom", "the Group") (Nasdaq Stock Market: NECS), a leading provider of telecommunication services in the Nordic countries, the Baltic region and Poland, today announced that the Finnish mobile operator 3G, in which NetCom AB has the largest shareholding, has become the world's first operator to sign an agreement with Ericsson and Nokia to supply a third generation mobile UMTS network in Finland, offering bandwidths of up to 2 Mb/s. Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, NetCom AB's President and CEO states, "As the first UMTS operator we will secure a lead position in the knowledge of consumer behaviour patterns. This invaluable information within the mobile data area has applications across all of the seven markets where NetCom are currently represented." Today, Finland has the world's highest mobile penetration rates and has developed a highly sophisticated range of mobile services. This agreement, gives NetCom the opportunity to benefit from the development of a third generation mobile network and also draw on this experience in the development of new services in NetCom's existing markets. This demonstrates NetCom's aim to position itself as the leading operator in the field of developments in mobile data. For further information, please call: NetCom Media Service: +46 8 5626 4626 (24 hour service) NetCom AB, formed in 1993, is a leading telecommunications company in Scandinavia. It is engaged in the GSM cellular business operating using the brand names of Comviq and Tele2Mobil in Sweden and through subsidiary Ritabell (Q GSM) in Estonia. In the areas of public telecommunications, data communication services and Internet, NetCom operates Tele2 in Sweden, Tele2 A/S in Denmark and Tele2 Norge AS in Norway. NetCom also operates Datametrix, specializing in systems integration and Kabelvision, a Swedish cable TV services company. NetCom owns 17.8 percent of Société Européenne de Communication SA (SEC). NetCom is listed both on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under the symbols NCOMA and NCOMB and on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol NECS. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/17/20000217BIT01240/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/17/20000217BIT01240/bit0002.pdf