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France Telecom ups TeliaSonera bid, heated talks ongoing
Following a rather unceremonious rejection of a $41 billion offer earlier in the month, rumors are swirling that France Telecom is adding some extra cash onto its bid for TeliaSonera, a juggernaut carrier and ISP serving Nordic and Baltic countries. France Telecom's flagship brand is Orange, and if some sort of deal does go through, it could theoretically lead to Orange becoming one of the dominant carriers in the world with control over a huge swath of European spectrum. The talks, which are apparently still underway, are said to be extremely fragile -- they could end in tears of joy or sadness at any moment -- and France Telecom would like to get a deal done by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. More on this one as it develops.Update: The bid is dead -- again. Something tells us this isn't the last time we're going to hear about this.
TeliaSonera bringing iPhone to Nordic and Baltic markets
To our friends living in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia: welcome to the growing pack of iPhone-serviced countries! Telecom provider TeliaSonera just signed an agreement to bring the iPhone to these countries just in time for the (rumored) announcement of the 3G iPhone. Apple is definitely spreading the love (and the exclusive carrier contracts) far and wide. I'm not even sure anymore which countries don't have service, presently or forthcoming, but I did get terrible grades in geography. Fortunately, our commenters will be sure to make up for my cartographic shortcomings. Thanks, Olk, Mattias, Jari, Johan, Borger, Undero and everyone else who sent this in!
TeliaSonera nabs iPhone rights for Nordic and Baltic markets
Ok ok, we hear you tipsters, iPhone now official for Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia "later this year" thanks to a deal between Apple and TeliaSonera. At this point, only The Netherlands seems to be out of the loop in Europe.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
More European carriers agree to cut roaming fees
It looks like the days of bloated roaming fees within Europe are nearly over. Orange, Telecom Italia, Telenor, TeliaSonera, and Wind have joined T-Mobile in an agreement to cap the rates they charge eachother within the European Economic Area – 45 euro cents per minute from October 2006 dropping to 36 euro cents per minute by October 2007. In time, that should result in a savings of nearly 50% for consumers travelling within Europe and from abroad as the proposed cap is extended to operators outside the sub-continent. An independent watchdog group will then monitor fee reductions on the open market and publish an index every six months. And what of Europe's largest carrier, Vodafone? Well, they're apparently sticking to their rather dubious "Vodafone Passport" scheme said to save punters 40% on roaming fees after registering for the service, after a "connection fee" of 75p per call and after April 2007 when the rate cuts would go into effect. Now this isn't the first time the cabal European operators have agreed to lower roaming tariffs so we'll just have to see how this plays. Just remember dear carriers, the world and Viv is watching.
