Telia to expand mobile network coverage in Sweden using tips from 8,000 customers

Telia will increase the coverage of its mobile network in Sweden from 70 percent to 90 percent of the country over the next few years. By responding to a web-based survey that ended during the third week of June, Telia’s customers have contributed to the planning work by submitting more than 8,000 suggestions for locations where they would like better coverage. The network will be built out in 509 locations already during this quarter.

Kalvheden in Dalarna, Tylösand in Halland and Rödberget in Västerbotten are three of many locations in Sweden where Telia’s customers will enjoy the benefits of improved mobile network coverage in coming months. A complete list of locations for the network build-out is available at www.teliasonera.com/press. In some areas, the build-out will involve the installation of brand-new base stations, while in others, existing stations will be upgraded and modified. The majority of the base stations will be equipped with EDGE technology, which enables the use of advanced mobile services at speeds that are about four times faster than the transmission speeds in today’s GSM network. “The results of the survey we conducted on our website will be a valuable and effective tool as we realize our goal to reach 90 percent coverage of Sweden on a step-by-step basis. Telia has been known for excellent network coverage for a long time and it has been one of our distinguishing traits as a mobile operator. Soon there will be even better coverage at high mobile surfing speeds all over Sweden,” says Tommy Ljunggren, head of Telia’s mobile network. During the period July through September 2005, Telia will deploy the build-out process from Kiruna in the far north, to Malmö in the south. The network is being expanded and improved primarily in areas where the old analogue NMT network is still being used by a large number of customers.