Sweden gets fast 4G mobile network

TeliaSonera has launched commercial fourth-generation mobile networks in Sweden and Norway, which it called the first in the world.

The new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, with speeds up to ten times higher than today's third-generation, or 3G networks.

The standard definitions 2G, 3G and 4G have been set by the International Telecommunication Union to define the services and download speed provided by networks.

The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency awarded TeliaSonera a 15-year license for 4G networks in Sweden in May 2008. Swedish operators Tele2 AB and HI3G Access AB, Norway's Telenor ASA and Intel Capital Corp. of the United States also received licenses.

TeliaSonera said the networks in Oslo and Stockholm are the first commercial 4G networks in the world.

The post and telecom agency confirmed it is the first 4G network in Europe, and probably the first in the world.

The Stockholm 4G network is supplied by Sweden's Ericsson, while the Oslo network is supplied by China's Huawei.

"The use of mobile broadband in the Nordic countries is exploding and customers need higher speeds and capacity. This is why we are launching 4G services in both Stockholm and Oslo," said Kenneth Karlberg, head of mobility services at TeliaSonera.

TeliaSonera said it will also open 4G networks in other major cities in Sweden and Norway.