[Telia Mobile and Orange combine to form Telia Mobile, the second largest mobile operator in Denmark.]

Stockholm, Swede -- TeliaSonera, the leading telecommunications group in the Nordic-Baltic region, today announced that it had closed the deal with France Telecom to acquire Orange Denmark.

The combined Telia Mobile and Orange, to be called Telia Mobile, is a powerful alternative for Danish telecom customers. With approximately 1.1 million subscribers, Telia Mobile is now the leading contender for the No 1 position on the Danish market. It already has half of total SMS traffic and more than one-third of the all MMS traffic.

The acquisition was announced 8 July 2004 and following approval by the European Commission on 24 September, the parties have finalized the deal. Upon closing, TeliaSonera has paid EUR 605.8 million to acquire Orange A/S.

Initially no changes will be made in the existing customer relationships. Over the coming months, Telia Mobile gradually implement plans on common branding, customer migration and the new services portfolio.

The new Telia Mobile will utilize the present network resources, including infrastructure, of both companies in establishing its radio access network. An upgraded network is needed to provide both capacity and coverage for joint operations and to provide customers with the best network services in Denmark. Ericsson has been selected as technical supplier. Telia Mobile will also fulfil the UMTS license requirements.

As decided by the Danish regulatory authority, IT- og Telestyrelsen, Telia Mobile may retain its double set of GSM 900/1800 licenses until the end of 2005, when one set is to be returned. IT- og Telestyrelsen has also decided that one of the two UMTS licences shall be sold or returned not later than 31 January 2005.

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