Europolitan Vodafone applies for 3G extension

OSLO, Norway-Europolitan Vodafone filed a formal request with PTS, the Swedish national telecom regulator, asking for an extra two years to meet its third-generation (3G) license conditions.

The application coincided with a press conference where PTS turned down Orange’s appeal to have its license deadline pushed back three years.

Europolitan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jon Risfelt echoed earlier statements blaming delays on local building regulations and handling of frequencies by Sweden’s defense. Risfelt called the end of 2005 a “more realistic” rollout date.

PTS Director Nils-Gunnar Billingen expects a ruling before the end of the year and indicated the problems named by Europolitan are “part of the game.” Katarina K