The Norwegian-based operator Telenor has won a deal to bring Apple's iPhone to Sweden, Denmark and Norway in the next few months. The company, which has significant mobile properties in Asia and is ranked seventh in the world, said more details would be available shortly. No mention was made as to whether this distribution deal had any exclusivity attached to it.
This news came as the company said it would appeal against a ruling in a Siberian court that it must pay US$1.7 billion in damages in a case brought by a fellow shareholder in the Russian operator VimpelCom. This ruling is the latest in a long series of struggles by Telenor to protect its near 30 per cent holding in the company, Russia's second-largest mobile operator. The case, brought by the obscure British Virgin Islands company Fairmex with just a 0.002 per cent share holding in VimpelCom, alleges Telenor's nominees on the VimpelCom board delayed the company's acquisition of the loss-making Ukrainian mobile operator Ukrainian Radio Systems, thereby costing it billions in lost revenues.
Currently, despite investments made by VimpelCom in excess of US$600 million, URS continues to make losses and, as of the end of last year, had less than 5 per cent market share.
For more on this story:
Macworld and Cellular News
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