KARLSKRONA, Sweden, April 17, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Today, Vodafone Sverige AB and Telenor Business Solutions AB, in cooperation with Telenor Business Solutions in Norway, are signing an agreement with the major consumer group Orkla and Carlsberg Breweries. The agreement, that has been coordinated by Telenor, is one of the biggest telecommunications agreements ever to be signed in the Nordic region.
The contract that Telenor and its cooperation partners have signed will be offering Orkla and Carlsberg Breweries fully comprehensive telecommunications solutions. The contract is valid for three years and is worth a total of around NOK 300 million. Altogether, it covers some 32,000 users at 163 companies throughout Scandinavia.
In Sweden, Vodafone will provide the mobile solutions and Telenor Business Solutions AB will be supplying the fixed telephony. The Swedish part of the agreement covers around 2,500 users for Vodafone Sverige AB. Telenor Business Solutions AS will provide the solutions in Norway, and the Telenor-controlled Danish operator, Sonofon, will provide the solutions in Denmark.
Carlsberg Breweries is 40 per cent owned by Orkla and is also negotiating with Vodafone to transform 400 of the company's workstations into wireless workplaces. The 400 employees are thus given access to all the functions traditionally found in conventional telephony solutions and will also be able to use the majority of mobile services, such as SMS, mobile fax and mobile data.
"Having Orkla and Carlsberg Breweries as our customers is very stimulating. It shows that our flexible solutions for mobile communication are well suited to companies with several different types of workplaces, as well as people who are out and about," said Jon Risfelt, President and CEO of Vodafone in Sweden.
About Orkla
Orkla is one of Norway's largest listed companies, as well as the leading supplier of consumer goods in the Norwegian foodstuffs market. The company also has a strong global position in various specialised areas, with brands such as Kalles Kaviar, Abba, Ekstroms among others. www.orkla.com
About Carlsberg Breweries
Carlsberg Breweries is a large international brewing company with brands in all segments of the beer and soft drink market - locally, regionally and globally. Carlsberg, Pripps, Falcon, Tuborg, Xider, Pepsi, 7UP, Zingo, Festis, Ramlosa, Evian and Vichy Nouveau are some of the brands that is sold by Carlsberg Breweries. www.carlsberg.com
Vodafone is the world's largest mobile network and is represented in 28 countries on 5 continents. It has more than 200 million mobile telecom users. Our services enhance the efficiency of companies' operations and make it simpler and more fun for people to communicate. Vodafone is represented in Sweden by Europolitan Holdings AB and its subsidiaries, Vodafone Sverige AB and Vodafone Stores AB. Europolitan Holdings AB is listed on Attract 40 on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O list. The majority shareholder is Vodafone Group Plc, which owns 71 per cent of the shares, while private shareholders, investment companies and pension funds own the remaining 29 per cent. Read more at www.vodafone.se and www.vodafone.com.
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