OXFORD, United Kingdom—The four Swedish telecom operators that acquired third-generation (3G) licenses last year will face heavy fines if they fail to complete their network deployments on time, said the Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency.
A lawyer for the agency stated that the fines could be up to 1 billion kronors (US$95.2 million). “The fine will equal the amount the telecom company saved by not adhering to its undertaking, and the fines are likely to be high if a significant part of the network is not ready,” the attorney said.
The potential 3G operators, which maintain that the networks will be completed on time, are bound by license agreements that state they are required to provide 3G network coverage of 99 percent of Sweden by 1 January, 2004. Insiders believe that the four companies, Europolitan Holdings, Tele2, France T
