Empresas y finanzas

Telenor Satellite Services to Be Acquired by Apax Partners



    On Wednesday 25 October 2006, Telenor (Oslo Stock Exchange: TEL
    and NASDAQ: TELN) entered into a definitive agreement with Apax
    Partners France for the sale of Telenor Satellite Services (TSS) to
    funds managed by Apax Partners for a cash consideration of USD 400
    million (NOK 2,640 million). Since 2002 Telenor has defined Telenor
    Satellite Services as non-core business. Apax Partners intends to
    pursue the development of the company in Norway and abroad.

    Telenor Satellite Services offers communication solutions via
    satellite to land, air and sea. The transaction will not impact the
    services provided by TSS and business relations with customers will
    remain unchanged.

    "Apax Partners is a very capable owner, and the sale of Telenor
    Satellite Services is made in accordance with Telenor's strategy to
    divest business operations that fall outside the scope of our core
    activities. We are pleased that Telenor Satellite Services will now
    have an owner that is well-positioned to continue the development of
    the company," said Bjarne Aamodt, Chairman of Telenor Satellite
    Services and Senior Vice President in Telenor.

    "We are delighted to make a further investment in satellite
    communication services by acquiring TSS. TSS is not only a major
    provider of mobile satellite services, but also a leading competitor
    in the high growth VSAT business segment, providing mission critical
    satellite communication services to demanding clients worldwide. Apax
    Partners will rely upon TSS' management and employees to pursue the
    development of the company in Norway and abroad, and to continuously
    enhance its services to meet the needs of its customers," said
    Bertrand Pivin, Partner at Apax Partners in Paris.

    The transaction is subject to approval from regulatory
    authorities. Given the current exchange rate for USD, Telenor ASA will
    be able to post a gain of approximately NOK 1.4 billion from the sale.
    The transaction will not affect any other units of Telenor ASA that
    use satellite as their communications platform, including Telenor
    Broadcast/Telenor Satellite Broadcasting.

    About Telenor Satellite Services

    Telenor Satellite Services offers communication solutions via
    satellite to land, air and sea. Unlike Telenor Satellite Broadcasting,
    TSS does not own or operate satellites by itself. Telenor Satellite
    Services currently has approximately 550 employees, operating in
    offices located in Norway (232 employees), in the U.S. (168
    employees), as well as in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South
    America. In 2005, Telenor Satellite Services generated revenues
    amounting to USD 376.9 million (NOK 2,428 million) and an EBITDA of
    USD 61.0 million (NOK 392.8 million). For the first nine months of
    2006, TSS' revenues were USD 285.7 million (NOK 1,834 million) with an
    EBITDA of USD 43.7 million (NOK 280.8 million). Similar figures for
    the first nine months in 2005 were revenues of USD 281.3 million (NOK
    1,792 million) and an EBITDA of USD 42.8 million (NOK 272.8 million).

    About Apax Partners

    Apax Partners is one of the world's leading private equity
    investment groups. It operates across Europe, Israel, the United
    States and Asia, and has more than 30 years of investing experience.
    Funds under the advice of Apax Partners total EUR 16 billion around
    the world. Apax Partners Funds provide long-term equity financing to
    build and strengthen world-class companies. They invest in companies
    across its global sectors of Tech & Telecom, Retail & Consumer, Media,
    Healthcare and Financial & Business Services. Examples of investments
    in telecoms include: TDC, Intelsat, Tim Hellas Communications, Bezeq,
    Versatel, Q-Telecom and Outremer Telecom.

    For more information visit: www.apax.fr and www.apax.com