Telia takes Swedish regulator to court over UMTS

Swedish telecoms incumbent Telia has started a court battle against the decision by the Swedish regulator not to award the operator a UMTS licence.

Telia claims the regulator made a series of faults regarding formalities of the UMTS distribution process and incorrect technical calculations. In a statement, Marianne Nivert, president and CEO of Telia, accused the regulator of not evaluating the application in terms of future commercial viability, breaching the Swedish Telecommunications Act. Nivert also claimed external consultants, brought in by the Swedish regulator to help with assessment processes, added criteria and failed to inform Telia of changes. This, Nivert said, violates the Swedish administration law. The company has called on the county administration court system to suspend the execution of UMTS distribution until the court has processed Telia's appeal. Telia has, however, signed a deal with UMTS winner Tele2 to jointly build a third generation network. Nivert said the deal will stand, regardless of the outcome of the court case.