Telia Purchases KPNQwest Assets

STOCKHOLM -- Telia International Carrier (Telia IC) has strengthened its position in France and Italy by expanding its fully owned Viking Network through the purchase of assets of a French subsidiary of KPNQwest. Through the deal with KPNQwest's liquidator, Telia IC gets access to a duct-based high capacity network between Paris-Lille and Paris-Kehl (Germany) including a metro ring in Paris. Installed IP, SDH and DWDM equipment is an important part of the agreement. "This investment represents a few percent of our annual investment budget and will give us a significant presence in one of Europe's most telecom intensive regions," says Erik Heilborn, President Telia IC. The deal will also include the routes Paris-Lyon-Marseille-Turin-Milano, Lyon-Geneva and Lille-Calais, if current third party maintenance suppliers provide conditions at market rate. The purchase significantly extends Telia ICs existing network in the region. Telia International Carrier (TIC) KPNQwest NV