Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg Thursday said it's natural for the Norwegian government to try to assist Norwegian telecommunication firm Telenor in India, after the Indian Supreme court ordered the cancellation of the carrier's mobile licences. The Norwegian government, which has a 54% stake in Telenor, has expressed its support for Telenor, after its Indian joint venture Unitech Wireless last week was ordered to return all 22 of its mobile licenses in the country. The Indian Supreme Court concluded an auction to distribute 122 licenses in 2008 was rigged and underpriced.
Click here to find out more!Norway's Information Technology Minister Rigmor Aasrud raised the issue at a meeting with Indian Communications Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday,
Telenor, which has invested around NOK15 billion in developing its Indian joint venture, has said the re-run of the 2008 mobile-license auction must be restricted to the original licence holders to prevent established players in India from pricing out smaller competitiors.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday, Telenor Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas warned that opening the contest to all Indian carriers could make license prices too high for Telenor to continue operating in India.
(totaltele) | 
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