Telia and BT create wireless broadband partnership

Telia and BT create wireless broadband partnership Telia has signed a roaming agreement for public Wireless-LAN with BT Openzone, BT's new service providing wireless broadband access. Telia currently has roaming agreements in Italy and Aland. The agreement with BT Openzone allows customers with Telia HomeRun subscriptions to use BT Openzone's wireless network at hotspots including those in selected hotels and conference centres around the United Kingdom. BT Openzone's subscribers, in turn, gain access to 480 sites where Telia offers its HomeRun wireless broadband service. BT Openzone is building out its W-LAN service at a fast rate - today, the company offers wireless broadband service at 37 selected hotspots in the U.K., but expects to be able to offer 70 hotspots by year-end, 400 by June 2003, and 4,000 by 2005. "There is a strong, growing interest in wireless broadband service. That's why it's important for us to be able to offer roaming agreements with other operators in Europe so our customers can surf wireless on the Internet even when travelling abroad. Britain is a very interesting market, not least because approximately 800,000 Swedes travel by air to the U.K. each year," says Kelly Odell, head of Telia Mobile Sweden. Dave Hughes, director of Mobile Services for BT Retail, said: "This agreement demonstrates that we are gaining momentum and credibility, not only in the UK also in Europe. This will prove an excellent opportunity for Telia and for subscribers and users of BT Openzone, who might travel to these countries on business or on holiday ." Telia HomeRun is available at more than 480 locations in the Nordic region and other countries. Subscribers can connect to HomeRun at airports, train stations, hotels, conference centres, sports facilities, roadside restaurants and cafés. Telia HomeRun offers data transfer rates up to 11 Mbit/s. For further information about Telia HomeRun visit www.homerun.telia.com For further information journalists can contact: Håkan Ström, Press Officer, Telia Mobile Sweden, +46 8 713 58 30 For BT: Michael Jarvis at BT Retail Press Office +44 20 7356 6045 About BT Retail: BT Retail is one of the businesses that make up the BT Group. Others include BT Ignite, BT Wholesale, BT Openworld and BTexact Technologies. It is the UK's leading communications service provider and the prime channel to market for the other businesses in the Group. Telia is the Nordic leader in telecommunications. Over the past year, we have streamlined the Group, focusing our core businesses making the company more flexible. Our four core businesses are: Mobile communications, Broadband and Internet, Fixed networks and International carrier operations. Telia is listed on Stockholmsbörsen. Sales Jan-Sep 2002 totaled MSEK 42,727 (42,226) and the number of employees was 16,244 (22,509). Sales 2001 totaled MSEK 57,196 and the number of employees was 17,149. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/11/27/20021127BIT00140/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/11/27/20021127BIT00140/wkr0002.pdf