Telecom service provider Tele2 AB today announced its 4G LTE strategy for Netherlands and Baltic States.

Tele2 will launch its 4G network in the beginning of 2015 in the Netherlands. Tele2 expects to reach nationwide coverage by the end of March 2016.

Jeff Dodds, CEO Tele2 Netherlands, said: “Thanks to our low setup and operating costs, Tele2 will challenge the incumbent Dutch operators.”

Tele2 Netherlands is the first provider in the world in the process of launching a 4G only network. Tele2 does not have costly 2 or 3G networks to maintain.

This apart, it also benefits from site sharing agreement with T-Mobile and relatively small investment in license costs. Tele2 estimates the costs of operating as an MNO as opposed to an MVNO to be as much as 85 percent lower.

Tele2 AB plans to provide 90 percent of the population with 4G/LTE network coverage in the Baltic States – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – by the end of 2015.

Tele2 invested EUR 50 million for network modernization in the Baltic region. Tele2 has also secured spectrum for LTE development – 800, 900, 1800, and 2100 MHz in all the states, together with 450 and 2300 MHz in Estonia, and 2600 MHz in Latvia and Lithuania. This will enable Tele2 to cover 90 percent of the Baltic population by the end of 2015.

Niklas Sonkin, executive vice president Central Europe and Eurasia, said: “The Baltic region together with Sweden, are our next areas of growth for 4G/LTE services. The demand for mobile data in the Baltic region is tremendous and Tele2’s revenue from data services demonstrates rapid growth”.

In 2014, the share of data revenue reached 24 percent of all service revenue in Estonia, 22 percent in Latvia, and 12 percent in Lithuania.

Baburajan K
[email protected]