The new entity will provide RAN services to Telia Norway and ice based on capacity usage
In sum – what to know:
Shared RAN, separate cores – Telia Norway and ice will combine radio networks while continuing to operate independent core networks and compete as separate operators.
Coverage gains by 2027 – The combined RAN is expected to improve mobile coverage nationwide, particularly in rural areas.
Cost and capex synergies – Telia expects material savings and financial benefits from shared infrastructure, with more details due in H1 2026.
Telia Norway and ice have agreed to combine their mobile radio access networks (RANs) in Norway through a jointly owned company, with network operations expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The agreement involves Telia Norway and Lyse, the Norwegian energy and telecom group that owns ice.
Under the proposed structure, a new 50/50-owned entity will take ownership of both companies’ Norwegian mobile RAN assets, including radio equipment and base stations. The entity will provide RAN services to Telia Norway and ice based on capacity usage, while spectrum assets from both parties will be made available to the combined network.
The pair said the combined RAN is expected to deliver substantial improvements in mobile coverage across Norway by 2027, with a particular focus on rural areas.
Despite sharing RAN infrastructure, Telia Norway and ice will continue to operate as independent mobile operators. Each telco will retain ownership and control of its own core network and will continue to compete separately in the domestic market.
Telia said it expects the network combination to generate material cost and capital expenditure synergies, resulting in clear financial benefits. The company said it plans to provide further details on the financial impact during the first half of 2026.
Bjørn Ivar Moen, head of Telia Norway, said: “Our industry requires scale to create the right conditions for investing in the network coverage, capacity and quality that customers expect. For this reason, we are pleased to combine our mobile network with ice’s network.”
As of the end of 2025, Talia had a total of 1.84 million mobile customers in Norway.
Telia Company reported flat revenue and lower net income in 2025 compared with 2024, reflecting continued service revenue growth and cost discipline offset by a significant non-cash provision related to asset retirement obligations.
Full-year revenue amounted to SEK 81 billion ($9.07 billion), unchanged year on year, while total net income declined to SEK 4.3 billion from SEK 7.8 billion in 2024. The telco noted that the decline was largely driven by a SEK 3.7 billion non-cash provision increase related to asset retirement obligations in Sweden and Finland.
“In Norway, service revenue was close to flat despite lower mobile wholesale revenue since mobile end user and fixed revenue improved clearly. This was mainly driven by pricing and resulted in significant ARPU growth across our core services,” the company’s president and CEO, Patrik Hofbauer, recently told a conference call with investors.
