Norwegian telcos face £7.5m entry fee for 3G auction

NEWS The Norwegian government is to charge telecom operators a E12.34m (£7.5m) entrance fee for the UMTS third-generation mobile licence. Minister of Finance Karl Eirik Schjoett-Pedersen announced the decision in his budget for the coming year. He said the four licences would be distributed through the so-called "beauty contest" method. Meanwhile, the Swedish government said it will not charge telecom operators to enter its own beauty contest auction, which is expected to take place in November, claiming each operator has a right to enter and not be charged. Finnish telco Sonera has confirmed it is in discussions with various French companies about a possible joint bid for a French UMTS licence. The French government will announce how the licences will be distributed in mid-June.