Norway's Telenor slams Swedish regulator

Nordic telecommunications company Telenor ASA criticized the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, saying that a majority of the regulatory body's decisons are rejected by courts and that regulatory uncertainty threatens Sweden's position as an IT-nation.

In an opinion piece published in Swedish business daily Dagens Industri Wednesday, the company cited a survey done by professional services company PricewaterhouseCoopers and lawfirm Mannheimer & Swartling on the behalf of Telenor, which states that two out of three decisions taken by PTS are rejected by courts following appeals.

"There is total uncertainty about PTS regulation as courts regularly reject their decisions," Telenor said. It added that Sweden's poorly functioning telecom regulation is "unique in Europe."

It also said the faulty regulatory framework may lead to the return to monopoly on the Swedish telecoms market, especially since many of the appealed decisions refer to prices set by partly state-owned operator TeliaSonera AB--the owner of Sweden's copper and fibre network--for other telecom firms for using their networks.

"Every year operators invest billions of Swedish kronor to provide Sweden with mobile and fixed broadband. Without clear rules, these investments may end up in other better functioning markets," Telenor said.

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