OSLO, Norway, Sept. 1, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Telenor Mobil (Nasdaq:TELN) (Other OTC:TELNF) intends to significantly increase the GSM coverage along the Norwegian coast. In many places signals will extend four times as far from land as today. The development will be concluded before the decommissioning of the NMT-450 service on December 31, 2004.Telenor Mobil has mapped the use of NMT-450 along the Norwegian coast together with fishery organisations and many customers and coastal communities. With the planned expansion of the GSM coverage, Telenor Mobil will compensate for the loss of coverage resulting from the decommissioning of NMT-450.
"We will have invested tens of millions of Norwegian kroner by the end of 2004. This will provide GSM coverage in almost all fishing areas along the Norwegian coast. As a rule we will double the reach so that there will be general GSM coverage as far as 60-70 kilometres from land. Data speed will increase significantly, which is important for the fishing fleet, among others," said Ingvild Myhre, Managing Director of Telenor Mobil.
In some places the GSM coverage will be increased to as much as 120 kilometres from land. Due to the curvature of the earth you will need maritime antennaes placed high on the boats to receive a signal.
Such extended cells will also be established at certain base stations in the Norwegian mountain ranges. The work will be concluded well in advance of December 31, 2004.
"In addition to increasing the reach of existing base stations we will also establish several new coverage stations along the coast. The work of increasing coverage has already started after a successful test period in both Kristiansand in South Norway and parts of Vestfjorden in North Norway," said Ingvild Myhre.
Even though the GSM coverage is greatly expanded along the coast it is important to emphasise that the mobile network is not an emergency communication network. The VHF service is, and will continue to be, the girder in all emergency communication at sea both for leisure boats and for commercial traffic.
For further information: Director of Coverage in Telenor Mobil, Bjoern Amundsen mobile telephone: +47 900 21 000 Information Manager in Telenor Mobil, Sigurd Sandvin mobile telephone: +47 905 21 100