Hutchison fails to gets its hands on Norwegian 3G licence

NEWS The 3G consortium lead by Hutchinson Whampoa and Sweden's Investor has failed in attempts to buy Broadband Mobile group's Norwegian UMTS licence. The consortium, called Hi3G, is 60 per cent owned by Hutchison and 40 per cent by Investor. Broadband Mobile was forced to relinquish its 3G licence when the departure of key investors meant it would be unable to offer services. The Norwegian ministry for transport and communications stated that a consortium who buys Broadband Mobile will not automatically have the right to operate the licence. Broadband Mobile was originally backed by a partnership between Finland's Sonera and Norway's Enitel, now the company's liquidators need to find buyers for the licence before 14 September, the deadline for applications to the Norwegian ministry.