Sweden - Telia first with free channels and Internet surfing via television

Telia is now entering the battle for television customers in earnest. As the first broadband operator in Sweden, Telia is now offering its subscribers eight free television channels. Also new is that customers are being given the opportunity to surf directly on the Internet via their television. The offer is valid for new and existing customers who have broadband and fixed telephone subscriptions with Telia. Approximately 2.5 million Swedish households can already take advantage of this offer today.

Since the launch of the Telia Digital-tv service, Telia has continuously built out its telephone exchanges and about 2.5 million Swedish households can receive television broadcasts through their phone jack today. In the beginning of January 2007, three new channel packages were launched with entertainment for the entire family. Telia currently offers four pay-television packages with a variety of choices and price plans. The Start package of channels (Kanalpaket Start), which is being launched today, gives customers access to eight television channels free, with no monthly charge. All customers who would also like video-on-demand can rent and watch movies right on their TV sets, without having to get up from the sofa. The offer is valid for existing or new customers with Telia broadband and fixed telephony subscriptions.

In connection with the launch, Telia is also introducing the option for Telia Digital-tv customers to connect directly to the Internet – right through their TV set. Another new feature is that customers can view documents and photos on their television that they have stored in Telia’s secure storage service (Telia Säker Lagring), which is included in their broadband description.

“The new packages we are presenting today make our television offering one of the strongest on the Swedish market,” says Erik Hallberg, head of TeliaSonera’s Broadband Services business area in Sweden. With the connection to broadband, we have completely different possibilities than cable television providers to develop and even larger number of interactive features in the future. The television set will become so much more than an ordinary television.”

Start channel package

The Start package of channels (Kanalpaket Start) is intended for customers who subscribe, or will subscribe, to broadband and telephony service (Förval Telia/preselection Telia) from Telia. The Start package contains the following free-view channels in Sweden: TV1, TV2, SVT24, Barnkanalen (Children’s channel), Kunskapskanalen (Knowledge Channel), TV4, The Voice and Aftonbladet TV7. Customers also have access to video-on-demand service.

More information about the new digital TV services is available at www.telia.se/privat under the heading “tv” (in Swedish only).

How it works

Telia’s digital television service, Telia Digital-tv, is provided via broadband in which television signals are broadcast through the ordinary telephone jack. Subscribers who choose to receive their television signals in this manner do not need a satellite dish antenna or new antenna to receive television programming when the analogue terrestrial network is discontinued in Sweden.