Norway's Telenor launches Indian mobile service

NEW DELHI — Norwegian telecom group Telenor launched a new mobile service Thursday in India's congested cellular market where over a dozen operators are in a tariff war for millions of new customers each month. "This is indeed a milestone in a longer journey to become a significant operator in India," said Stein-Erik Vellan, managing director of Unitech Wireless, the new mobile venture of Telenor and Indian property giant Unitech.  

Telenor, the world's sixth-largest mobile services provider, holds 49 percent of the cellular company, known as Uninor, but the stake is set to rise to 67.25 percent. The venture is part of a strategy by Telenor, which already has operations in such countries as Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand, to boost its revenues from Asia. The service was rolled out in seven of India's 22 cellular phone zones -- covering a potential 600 million customers -- and Uninor plans to launch in more zones next year. Uninor, using the slogan "My time is now" targeting India's burgeoning youth population, is aiming for an eight percent share of the Indian market by 2018. 

"This is a long term venture, not something we can do as a quick fix," said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, chief executive of Telenor Group. Telenor joined a clutch of other foreign companies which have teamed up with local partners to tap the Indian market including Britain's Vodafone, Japan's NTT DoCoMo and Russia's Sistema JSFC. Foreign ownership in Indian telecom companies is capped by the government at 74 percent. Foreign telecom firms have been coming to India in the hope of increasing revenue against a backdrop of sluggish domestic markets. India, a country of nearly 1.2 billion people, added 16.67 million new mobile phone connections in October, making it the world's fastest-growing cellular market. But a no-holds-barred price war has driven down billing rates to below a cent a minute, threatening revenues and profits of Indian telecom heavyweights such as market leaders Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications. 

Telenorr, the second-largest foreign telecom operator in Asia after Vodafone, said it will steer clear of new per-second billing plans offered by rivals. It will aim to offer more attractive deals for customers who talk longer. Telenor and Unitech, India's second-largest real estate company, teamed up last year to launch the company. 

"This is the fastest rollout we have ever done in this group," said Baksaas. The company has begun service in southern India, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand. India now has 14 cellular operators, T.R. Dua, director general of the Cellular Operators' Association of India, said, warning that the market has too many players. "The industry cannot support this many operators. Consolidation is the only way forward," he told AFP. Telenor's launch is expected to be followed by several others including that of the United Arab Emirates' Etisalat. Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3Q_Xrl6Lq5fL5aLOhX-fJdnF-kw

Food and Drinks Specialists in Norway - Aarkstore Enterprise

Retail databooks are based on key market value data for eight major product sectors, 16 core retail distribution channels and 62 countries. This profile focuses on food and drinks specialists in Norway and provides data on channel size. It also offers information on main product groups sold through the channel, and includes growth forecasts up to 2012. Scope *An overview of total retail value in this country segmented by retail channel *The value of sales through this key retail channel from 2002 to 2007 and forecasts to 2012 *Channel value segmented by the major product groups sold through it Highlights The food and drinks specialists format in Norway increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.5% between 2002 and 2007. Food and grocery product sales accounted for a 92.8% share of the food and drinks specialists format in 2007. Reasons to Purchase *Discover which retail channels have been growing and declining in popularity within this country *Understand the value of major product groups sold through this channel *Uncover the future direction of the retail channel with reliable historical data and full five year forecasting Source: prminds.com/

Cisco extends deadline for bid on Norway company

OSLO — Cisco Systems today extended the acceptance period for its $3.4 billion bid for Norway's Tandberg ASA by two days, after failing to secure enough support for the offer within the original timeframe. Cisco increased its bid for Tandberg — the world's largest provider of videoconferencing equipment for business users  on Nov. 16 to 170 kroner ($30.23) per share from its initial offer of 153.5 kroner and set the offer period to end today. That bid will now expire on Thursday. Cisco said it will announce whether it has obtained the 90 percent of Tandberg stock required to close the deal "soon after" the extended offer period ends. 

Whenn tendering the new bid, Cisco said 40 percent of Tandberg's shareholders backed the new offer, including the largest minority shareholders  Folketrygdfondet, Norway's domestic pension fund, and OppenheimerFunds. However, it has yet to announce it has secured 50 percent of the stock, an announcement it has to make under Norwegian law. The original bid of about $3 billion was approved by the Norwegian company's board but attracted less than 10 percent of Tandberg shareholders. Tandberg shares held steady today, closing at 161.5 kroner ($28.72) in Oslo before the extension was announced. Cisco shares rose 2.2 percent to $23.92 in early afternoon trading. San Jose-based Cisco, the world's largest maker of computer networking equipment, has been focusing on the high end of the videoconferencing market, selling so-called "TelePresence" systems with multiple plasma screens that present life-size images of the participants to provide the illusion of face-to-face communication. With Tandberg, Cisco would get the leading maker of video systems ranging from small "videophones" to full conference-room setups. The deal would also let the company spend some of the cash that has been piling up in its overseas subsidiaries. By buying an international company, Cisco would avoid the U.S. taxes it would have to pay to bring the money home. Source: mercurynews.com/

Sons of Norway

The Sons of Norway Elvedal Lodge December gathering will celebrate a Scandinavian Christmas at Dec. 12 at Hotel Mead. Julefest will begin at 4 p.m. with cocktails followed by a 5 p.m. dinner featuring Torsk (poached cod), roast loin of pork, mashed potatoes, vegetables, tossed salad, cucumber and dill salad, cole slaw, herring, rolls, beverage, lefse and bread pudding with brandy sauce. The program is the Lincoln High School Chamber Orchestra led by Ginger Martin followed by the Santa Lucia processional with Miss Wisconsin Rapids Lindsay Lobner and youth club as attendants. Reservations are necessary. Cost is $22 for non-members, $19 members, and $8.25 for children ages 3 to 11. Call Carol Bender, 424-5074, by Sunday. Vietnam Veterans In December, Vietnam Veterans of America again will collect nonperishable goods such as canned fruits, meats and vegetables. We will also donate $100 to the food pantry. 

You can also drop off items at Don Schillinger's, house, 850 14th St. S., before Thursday. In November, we donated $200 to VA Hospital at King and the PTSD unit at Tomah VA hospital. The color guard will participate in the Nekoosa Christmas parade and Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony on Monday at the VFW in Wisconsin Rapids. The chapter thanked all the veterans for their participation in this year Veterans Day activities. Our next meeting is at 7 p.m. Thursday at The BAR. 

For additional information on the Vietnam Veterans of America, call Gary at 325-6881. Business & Professional Women Wisconsin Rapids Business & Professional Women will meet Thursday at Hotel Mead. The meeting begins promptly at 6 p.m. and ends at or before 8 p.m. December's meeting will feature a holiday gift exchange among members. Fellowship and a great meal will be top priority. The meeting is open to any working woman in the area. Dinner is $12 and non-member attendees need to call Deb at 424-1892 (leave a message) by noon Monday to reserve a place. Items for club news are limited to 150 or fewer words. Source: wisconsinrapidstribune.com/

About Norway

In May 2010, Norway will be the proud host of the Eurovision Song Contest. Having hosted Europe's favourite TV-show twice before, in 1986 and 1996, and the Olympic Winter Games in 1994, NRK has the expertise to organise a wonderful show for the whole of Europe! The basics Norway is one of the Nordic countries with a population of 4,660,539 happy people. It is bordered by the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea in the West, Russia, Finland and Sweden in the East, and the Skagerrak (an arm of the North Sea) in the south. Most of the country consists of mountains and plateaus. Forests are found almost as far north as Nordkapp (the North Cape). Summers are remarkably mild for the latitude, while winters are long and very cold, often with plenty of snow. History A number of small Norwegian communities were gradually organised into larger regions in the 9th century, and around the year 900 King Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) unified the realm and became its first supreme ruler. In the Middle Ages Vikings from Norway settled in England, France, Ireland and Iceland. Norway and Denmark subsequently formed one kingdom from 1380 to 1814 when, in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, Norway was united with Sweden, adopting a modern constitution in the process. I 1905 Norway and Sweden went their separate ways peacefully and Norway has been independent since. Modern Norway Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The monarchy holds a strong position in Norway, and the present monarch, King Harald V, enjoys great popularity. The country is of great socio-economic equality with a high standard of living and a homogeneous population. Apart from Oslo and adjacent suburbs, there are no metropolitan cities in Norway. Norwegians usually live in small communities with well developed road, air and ferry communication. Did you know? The sea along the coast is rich in natural resources like oil and fish; Norwegian per capita income ranks among the world's highest; Norway is now the world's leading producer of salmon; North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set between the middle of May and end of July; conversely the sun does not rise between the middle of November and the end of January; More than 30 stave churches are well preserved and open to the public at the original cite of building, or at the folk museums in Oslo and Lillehammer: Norway if very known for its beautiful fjords; Skiing originated in Norway. Words like ski and slalom are Norwegian. Ski jumping and slalom competition started in the county of Telemark. The 1994 Olympic Winter Games were held in Lillehammer; NRK hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2004; According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Norwegians read more than any other population in the world, spending an average of 500 kroner a year per capita on books! Famous Norwegian people include the playwriter Henrik Ibsen, the composer Edvard Grieg and the band A-ha whose leadman Morten Harket was the host of the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest; Norway has rejected joining the European Union twice, in referendums in 1972 and 1994. Source: eurovision.tv/

Norway's Bokko ready for breakout win

Havard Bokko has endured many second-place finishes during his career, but the Norwegian is ready to prove that he can be an Olympic gold medalist. "I'm the perpetual number two," he said during a recent World Cup stop in his home country. Bokko has historically found himself second-best to Sven Kramer and Shani Davis. Can he reverse his result? HAMAR, Norway -- Havard Bokko is tired of winning silver. "I'm the perpetual number two," he said, laughing. A review of the results from championship events in 2009 reveals the many silver medals that Havard is talking about. They include the 5000m and 10,000m at the Allround World Championships, the World Single Distance Championships and the European Championships. Since his success at the 2006 Junior World Speed Skating Championships when he won the 1500m, 3000m and 5000m, Bokko has been relegated to silver status on the global stage, mostly behind two golden skaters: the American Shani Davis and the Dutchman Sven Kramer. "Shani skates very good corners, and he has a very high top speed," Bokko said during an interview at a recent World Cup stop in Hamar, Norway. "He's almost alone at that top speed. I consider myself a fast skater, but I haven't yet gotten to that level. And Sven has developed so dominantly now that he's difficult to overcome in all regards. I have my work ahead of me." That work continues this weekend with a World Cup competition in Calgary, Canada. At the 2009 World Cup opener in Berlin in early November, Bokko found himself in familiar silver territory. He finished second to both Kramer in the 5000m and Davis in the 1500m. Bokko is quick to laugh it off. "I'm bored of hearing those anthems on the podium," he said. "I need to hear the Norwegian anthem up there more." Norway boasts a proud speed skating history. Speed skating is second only to the cross-country skiing in the country's Olympic medal wins, with 79 to 87 for skiing. Bokko is well aware of the regal status placed on star speed skaters in Norway, and he knows that many of his fellow Norwegians would like to see him push beyond being the "perpetual number two." Still, he considers the upside of the situation. "Always getting silver actually helps keep me focused," he said. "It motivates me. I know what the next step up is that I have to take. I know where the barriers are that I need to break. I'm only 22. I think I have another 15 good years skating ahead of me. I'm only beginning." Bokko started competing in speed skating in 1994 at age seven during an illustrious year for the sport in Norway. Fellow Norwegian Johann Olav Koss broke three world records as he won three gold medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Bokko chose to focus on skating instead of skiing in part because of his memories of watching Koss during those Olympics. Koss began coaching Bokko and the Norwegian team last week along with head coach Jarle Pedersen after former head coach Peter Mueller was fired following remarks he made to a female Norwegian skater that Norway's skating federation considered to be inappropriate. Bokko would not comment on the matter. Bokko grew up in rural Hol, Norway, "the type of town where we would skate after school on Mondays and Thursdays, and ski on Wednesdays and Fridays," he says. He still has his first pair of skates and plans to keep them. They remind him of his first successes in skating, when he was best in his age class from seven to twelve years of age. "I could see that other guys in my class were stronger in different ways, and training for speed skating was my way of challenging myself to catch up with them," he recalled. Bokko needed to play catch up a bit earlier this season. Before the second World Cup weekend of this season in Hamar in late November, Bokko missed a week of training after he fell ill with the H1N1 virus. He earned only one podium finish in Hamar, a third place in the 1500m. Bokko shrugged off the disappointment in Hamar and now looks forward to the next World Cup competitions in Calgary (Dec. 4-6) and Salt Lake City (Dec. 11-13) as stepping stones to the Vancouver Games. "The World Cup is great, but this season is a different season," he said calmly. "My focus now isn't on the World Cup. My focus is on the Olympics in Vancouver. Calgary and Salt Lake will be events along the way for me, but I am preparing myself mentally and physically now for the Olympics." Bokko's sense of calm evokes praise from some of his competitors, which include Enrico Fabris, who won gold in the 1500m and team pursuit at the 2006 Torino Olympics. "Physically, he's good in all distances," Fabris said. "But what I really admire about him is how calm and rested he appears. I think his 'no pressure' approach will take him further." Bokko's senior career is not without triumph. He did win the 1500m at the 2009 World Allround Championships and he won a World Cup 10,000m race in December 2007. Source: universalsports.com/