Telenor plans HSDPA expansion to cover 86 percent of Norway’s population

Telenor strengthens its mobile broadband offering in Norway through Mobilt Bredbånd. This year, the Turbo 3G network is being expanded to cover all communities with more than 200 inhabitants, equivalent to 86 per cent of the Norwegian population.

“This is a big step for rural Norway, and Turbo 3G from Telenor shall be experienced as having Norway’s best coverage, quality and capacity,” says Ragnar KÃ¥rhus, head of Telenor in Norway.

Since its launch last autumn, Telenor has expanded its mobile broadband service Mobilt Bredbånd a number of places throughout Norway. Turbo 3G has proven to be attractive to consumers and is a good supplement to the existing broadband services available in the towns and rural areas. At the end of the first quarter this year, Telenor had more than 60,000 Turbo 3G customers, and saw traffic growth of more than 70 per cent compared with the previous quarter.

During 2008, Telenor will further expand its Turbo 3G network to provide coverage where there is currently normal 3G coverage, meaning 86 per cent of the Norwegian population will be covered by Telenor’s Turbo 3G network. In addition, Telenor continues to expand its Turbo 3G service to cover mountain areas where there are large numbers of cabins and popular summer holiday spots.

Turbo 3G gives consumers almost fixed line broadband speeds via the mobile network, and makes it easier and quicker to surf and check e-mail. Customers using Mobilt BredbÃ¥nd will also be able to use the growing number of Telenor’s Wi-Fi hotspots (TrÃ¥dløs Sone).

“The quality and speed via the mobile network is now so good that you can have the broadband experience when out and about. Mobilt BredbÃ¥nd is a great supplement to fixed line broadband and our aim is to have the best mobile broadband coverage where people live and travel,” says KÃ¥rhus.

Mobilt bredbånd uses HSDPA with a USB modem and simple software you can get online with just one click. Turbo 3G, having a maximum speed of 3.6 Mbit/sec, will typically be experienced as having speeds between 0.5 - 1.5 Mbit/sec.