EMEA: TeliaSonera prompts Norway's spectrum auction delay, possible exit from MegaFon

TeliaSonera’s focus on its Nordic operations is creating some waves. First, the Stockholm-based carrier’s acquisition of Tele2’s Norwegian operations prompted that country’s regulator to delay the 1800 MHz spectrum auction originally planned for January 2015. The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority said it was delaying the auction because of potential market changes that were “significant to several potential bidders.” The regulator said it would reschedule the mobile phone spectrum auction, but has not yet specified a date.
TeliaSonera in July announced it would buy Tele2’s Norwegian operations in a deal valued at about $747 million. The acquisition will raise TeliaSonera’s market share to 40%. The company also sped up plans to expand LTE in Norway to reach 98% population coverage by 2016.
Leaving Russia? TeliaSonera’s Norwegian acquisition may have another effect: an exit from MegaFon, the No. 2 mobile operator in Russia. A report surfaced this week that the carrier may sell it’s 25.17% stake in MegaFon. The source of the speculation is the Norwegian investment fund Skagen Veskt, which holds a minority stake in TeliaSonera. The fund said that the purchase of the Tele2 operations in Norway indicated that the company might sell its MegaFon holdings, which would free up cash for Nordic consolidation.
Finnish expansion: In further evidence of TeliaSonera’s Nordic fixation, the carrier also announced a partnership with DNA to expand coverage in rural areas of Finland. The joint venture will be called Suomen Yhteisverko. OP-Pohjola analyst Kimmo Stenvall told the Helsinki Times that the move was an effort to catch up to the Finnish market leader Elisa.
More telecom news from Europe:
Vodafone buys Greek Hellas Online. The United Kingdom-based carrier announced it was acquiring 72.7% of the Greek broadband company for €72.7 million ($95.86 million). The purchase raises Vodafone’s stake to 91.5%, with an intent to buy the remaining shares. Vodafone has made two similar deals in recent years, buying the Spanish cable company Ono in March and Germany’s Kabel Deutschland in June 2013.
EU expected to greenlight Liberty Global’s acquisition of Ziggo. The European Union will likely approve Liberty Global’s €4.9 billion ($6.46 billion) purchase of Dutch cable operator Ziggo. Liberty Global promised to sell a TV channel to seal the deal, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.
EE adds 14 more LTE roaming agreements. Customers of the U.K. carrier can now travel to 16 countries and still use LTE services. EE announced roaming deals in Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Switzerland. It had already announced roaming agreements in France and Spain.
Wondering what’s happening with 4G in Europe? See this recent in-depth look.  For more European updates, follow me on Twitter!