Telenor pledged to meticulously review a decision by Norway’s Competition Complaint Board to uphold an earlier verdict stating the operator had restricted competition in the country.

The Norwegian Competition Authority slapped a NOK788 million ($92.1 million) fine on Telenor in June 2018, arguing the pricing model used in a wholesale agreement with Network Norway restricted competition in the market from 2010 to 2014.

In a statement today (20 June), Telenor said it believes the “agreement between Telenor and Network Norway neither limited competition nor the development of a third network, and the price model was legal”.

“Telenor maintains that the agreement resulted in significant price reductions for Network Norway, was better adapted to the end-user market with packages that included data offerings, and resulted in better offers to customers and increased competition in the mobile market.”

The issue concerns the fees paid to Telenor by new entrant Network Norway, including whether the deal was structured in such a way as to disincentivise the latter from developing its own operations.

Telenor noted the Competition Complaint Board’s decision was not unanimous, with one of the three members agreeing with its view.

Petter-Borre Furberg, CEO of Telenor Norway, said: “Telenor has three months to issue writ of summons before the Gulating Court of Appeal. We will now thoroughly review the Competition Complaint Board’s decision.”