EU approves Speedy Tomato in Italy

EU approves Speedy Tomato in Italy Speedy Tomato's Italian company, jointly-owned with Olivetti Tecnost, has been approved by the EU Commission. The decision makes it possible for Speedy Tomato to continue its European expansion. Italy is Europe's largest mobile market, with more than 40 million mobile users. "We are delighted with the decision. Italy is a key market, and we will, in partnership with Olivetti Tecnost, be highly competitive there, both with regard to potential customers and the service itself, which has recently been voted "Best Mobile Portal In the World," says Erik Hallberg, CEO of Speedy Tomato. The EU Commission has investigated whether Olivetti and Telia should be allowed to from a joint company for competition reasons. Olivetti is market leader in Italy, and Telia in Sweden. The question has been under consideration since February, when Olivetti Tecnost and Speedy Tomato submitted a competition notification to the European Commission. The Commission's decision establishes that a joint venture between Olivetti Tecnost and Speedy Tomato AB does not threaten, create or strengthen a dominant position in the areas "Internet Advertising Space" or "The market for Internet portals". Speedy Tomato is currently available in Great Britain, Denmark, Finland and soon in Italy. The approval of the Italian company is an important stepping stone in Speedy Tomato's European plans. Speedy Tomato's objective is to create customer relations in countries where Telia does not have its own mobile net. The goal is to be one of Europe's leading providers of mobile consumer services. For more information, please visit www.speedytomato.net or contact: Erik Hallberg, CEO of Speedy Tomato AB, phone +46 70-658 16 16 Annika Larsson, Acting Head of PR Speedy Tomato AB, +46 70 658 88 95 Speedy Tomato AB is offering mobile consumer services that aim to inspire interaction between people. Speedy Tomato AB was founded in September 2000 and is a fully owned subsidiary to Telia AB. The company has around 100 employees in Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, Italy and Finland. Telia AB is the leading Nordic communications company challenging technology to liberate you in life and business. In 2000, Telia´s sales totalled SEK 54,064 million and the number of employees was 29,868. Telia is quoted on the A-list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Olivetti Tecnost S.p.A. is a fully owned Olivetti Group Company that focuses on Olivetti brand home-office equipment, vertical applications, gaming systems, solutions for home automation and Internet new ventures. The Company employees 5,400 people and has global revenues in excess of ITL 2,000 billion. Olivetti Tecnost operates in over 70 countries worldwide through a direct organisation, a network of dealers, major retailers and mass merchandising chains. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/19/20010619BIT00210/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/19/20010619BIT00210/bit0001.pdf