Telia heads for showdown with regulator over auction failure

Swedish telecoms operator Telia will appeal against the decision by the National Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) to reject its bid for a UMTS licence.

Last month, PTS, the authority that regulates the radio, telecom and communications industries in Sweden, decided to award UMTS licences to Europolitan, HI3G, Orange and Tele2 and reject Telia's bid. The decision meant the firm was the only carrier not to gain a 3G license in its own country. Telia will appeal against the PTS decision over issues regarding the proposed number of base stations giving insufficient coverage to enough of the Swedish population as well as the height of proposed aerials. Telia calculated it would meet the technical requirements disputed by the PTS by a wide margin and would appeal what it called a "surprise" and "shocking decision."