TeliaSonera to launch 4G / LTE in Estonia next month

Telecom Lead Europe: TeliaSonera will launch 4G / LTE in 95 percent of Estonian territory in the middle of June, 2013.

TeliaSonera has already built a 4G network, using the 1800/2600 MHz combination in Estonia. In the spectrum beauty contest TeliaSonera won 2 x 10 MHz frequencies in the 800 MHz band.

The company is the first mobile operator in the world to launch 4G network in 2009.

TeliaSonera on Wednesday said it bagged 800 MHz spectrum in the beauty contest in Estonia arranged by the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority.

The European telecom operator will focus on Estonian rural areas as the new 800 MHz frequencies will enable a faster roll-out of 4G services.

Earlier this month, TeliaSonera said it would lower Capex (capital expenditures) in 2013 from SEK 15.685 billion in 2012. TeliaSonera said the Capex-to-sales ratio in 2013 is expected to be approximately 14 percent, excluding license and spectrum fees against 14.6 percent in 2012. The telecom operator has decreased its Capex to SEK 15.685 billion in 2012 from SEK 17.384 billion in 2011. The Capex-to-sales ratio decreased to 15 percent from 16.6.

At present, TeliaSonera offers 4G services in nine countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Azerbaijan and Moldova and has announced the launch of 4G services in Spain on 18 July 2013.

TeliaSonera has also made 4G live connections in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

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