Telia Company facts for kids
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Telia headquarters in Mall of Scandinavia, Solna, Stockholm
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | December 2002 |
| Headquarters | Solna, Stockholm, Sweden |
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Area served
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Europe |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Revenue | SEK 88.561 billion €7.712 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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SEK 4.980 billion €434 million (2023) |
| SEK 0.897 billion €78 million (2023) |
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| Owner | Government of Sweden (39.5%) |
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Number of employees
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20,800 |
| Subsidiaries |
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Telia Company AB is a big company from Sweden. It works in telecommunications, which means it helps people talk on phones and use the internet. Telia operates in several countries in Europe. These include Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Telia also owns TV4 Media. This group includes TV4 in Sweden and MTV Oy in Finland. It also has C More Entertainment, which offers premium TV channels. Telia bought these companies in 2019.
The company's main office is in Solna, Sweden. You can buy shares of Telia on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Telia has faced challenges in the past. These challenges were related to how it did business in some countries. The company has worked to resolve these issues.
Contents
How Telia Started and Grew
Telia Company, as it is today, began in 2002. It was formed when two companies, Telia from Sweden and Sonera from Finland, joined together. This happened after Telia tried to merge with a Norwegian company called Telenor. That merger did not happen. Telenor is now a main competitor for Telia.
Before it became a private company, Telia was a government-owned telephone company in Sweden. Sonera, in Finland, mostly handled long-distance calls. Many local calls were managed by other companies.
The names Telia and Sonera were used in their home countries until 2017. Then, Sonera changed its name to Telia. The Swedish government still owns a large part of Telia's shares. Other parts are owned by different companies and people around the world. The Finnish government sold its shares in Telia in 2018.
Telia's Early Days in Sweden
The Swedish Kungl. Telegrafverket (Royal Telegraph Agency) started in 1853. This was when the first electric telegraph line was set up. It connected Stockholm and Uppsala. Over time, this agency, later called Televerket, became very important. It gained control over telephone lines across the country.
Around 1920, Televerket had a strong position in telephone services. In 1953, its name changed to Televerket. In 1992, the part of the agency that set rules was separated. It became the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority. The part that ran radio and TV networks became Teracom. On July 1, 1993, the telephone and mobile network parts became a government-owned company called Telia AB. In 2000, some of Telia's shares were sold on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
In the 1980s, Televerket was a leader in mobile phones with the NMT system. In the 1990s, it used GSM technology. Other companies started to offer mobile phone services. The internet also brought new competitors. Tele2 became a big competitor in Sweden. In 2000, Telia did not win a license for 3G mobile networks. However, it later worked with Tele2 to build a 3G network together. In 2018, Telia and Ericsson launched Sweden's first 5G network. This was at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
Sonera's Beginnings in Finland
The story of Sonera began in 1917. That year, the Finnish Telegraph Agency was created. In 1927, this agency joined with the Finnish Post. They formed the Post and Telegraph Agency. This agency managed all long-distance and international calls until 1994. That year, other companies were allowed to offer services in Finland. The Post and Telegraph Agency then split into two companies. One was the Finnish Post, and the other was Telecom Finland Oy. Telecom Finland later changed its name to Sonera in 1998.
Telia and Sonera After Joining Forces
After Telia and Sonera merged, the Swedish government owned 46% of the shares. Over time, the government sold some of its shares.
In 2008, TeliaSonera announced plans to save money. This included reducing the number of employees. France Télécom (now Orange S.A.) offered to buy TeliaSonera in 2008. However, TeliaSonera's board quickly said no to the offer.
On April 12, 2016, the company changed its name to Telia Company. It removed "Sonera" from its name. This change helped the company recover after past business challenges.
On July 20, 2018, Telia Company announced it would buy Bonnier Broadcasting Group. This deal was for about $1 billion. It meant Telia would own TV4 AB in Sweden and MTV Oy in Finland. It also included C More Entertainment. The deal was approved in November 2019 and finished in December that year.
In October 2019, Lars-Johan Jarnheimer became the new chairman of Telia Company's board. Allison Kirkby was appointed as the new president and CEO. She started her role on May 4, 2020.
On October 6, 2020, Telia Company agreed to sell its internet backbone unit, Telia Carrier. This sale was completed on June 1, 2021.
In February 2025, Telia announced it was selling its media division. This was to focus more on its services for customers. The sale is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.
Where Telia Operates Today
Telia Company is a leading company in the Nordic and Baltic regions. It provides fixed-line phone services, broadband internet, and mobile phone services. It also runs TV channels like TV4 in Sweden and MTV in Finland.
Telia's mobile phone business in Europe:
- It is the top company in Sweden, Estonia, and Lithuania.
- It is the second largest company in Finland and Norway.
Telia in Estonia
Telia Company owns all of Eesti Telekom. Eesti Telekom is one of the biggest telecom companies in the Baltic countries. It is the largest in Estonia. TeliaSonera and the Estonian government agreed on the sale of Eesti Telekom in 2009. On January 20, 2016, Eesti Telekom changed its name to Telia Eesti.
Telia in Finland
Telia Finland is the second largest mobile operator in Finland. It is also a major provider of landline phone and internet services. Before March 23, 2017, Telia was known as Sonera and Tele Finland in Finland. In 1999, Sonera was the first mobile operator in the world to launch mobile internet services using WAP.
Since 2014, Telia Finland and DNA Oyj have worked together. They built a shared 4G LTE network in northern and eastern Finland. This network uses the 800 MHz band. Telia Finland owns 51% of this joint company, called Suomen Yhteisverkko Oy.
Telia in Latvia
Telia Company owns 49% of LMT. It also owns 49% of Tet. Tet, in turn, owns 23% of LMT. Telia Latvija, which was a business cable operator, was sold to Tet.
On July 15, 2025, the Government of Latvia announced plans to buy Telia Company's shares in both LMT and Tet. This would make both companies state-owned. Telia confirmed the sale on July 17, 2025. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
Telia in Lithuania
TeliaSonera owns a large part of Telia Lietuva. Telia Lietuva was known as Teo LT until 2017. It is the biggest landline phone operator in Lithuania. It recently bought Omnitel, a major mobile network operator. Omnitel was also part of the TeliaSonera group.
In October 2015, TeliaSonera announced that Teo and Omnitel would merge. Omnitel was acquired by Teo. On February 1, 2017, Omnitel and Teo merged. They now operate under the name "Telia Lietuva".
Telia in Norway
Telia first entered Norway in 1998. It offered fixed telephone and internet services. This part of the business was sold during the merger attempt with Telenor. However, Telia came back to Norway in 2000. It bought one of the mobile network operators, NetCom. In 2006, it also bought Chess Communication.
On March 1, 2016, NetCom changed its name to Telia Norge. In July 2018, Telia bought Get AS and TDC Norway.
Telia in Sweden
In Sweden, Telia Company uses the brand Telia for customers. It also has lower-cost brands like Halebop and Fello. For businesses, it uses Skanova Access and Cygate. Telia Sverige is the largest mobile phone operator in Sweden. This is true for both how much money it makes and how many customers it has. Its main competitors include Tele2, Telenor, 3, Allente, and Boxer.
Past Operations of Telia
Telia Company has had operations in many countries around the world. Over time, it has sold some of these businesses to focus on its main markets.
- Afghanistan: In July 2020, Telia Company sold its share in the Afghan Roshan cellphone network.
- Azerbaijan: Telia sold its stake in Azercell in March 2018.
- Cambodia: TeliaSonera bought a large part of Star-Cell in 2008. It left Cambodia in 2010.
- Denmark: Telia Company operated a mobile operator (Telia) and a broadband supplier (Telia). In 2014, Telia and Telenor planned to merge their Danish operations. This plan did not go through. However, the two companies do share their network infrastructure. Telia Company sold its operations in Denmark to Norlys a.m.b.a. on April 2, 2024.
- Georgia: From 2007 to 2018, Telia Company owned a large part of Geocell. Silknet bought all of Geocell in 2018.
- Sri Lanka: From 1996 to 2010, Telia Company owned SUNTEL Ltd. Dialog Axiata bought Suntel in 2010.
- Kazakhstan: Telia Company operated in Kazakhstan under the brand Kcell. Kcell was sold to Kazakhtelecom in December 2018.
- Moldova: In February 2020, Telia Company sold its holding in Moldcell.
- Nepal: TeliaSonera owned a large part of Ncell, a big mobile operator in Nepal. In December 2015, TeliaSonera announced it was leaving Ncell. It sold its shares to Axiata.
- Russia: Telia Company owned 25.2% of MegaFon, a large mobile phone operator in Russia. In October 2017, Telia Company sold all of its MegaFon shares.
- Spain: Telia Company owned a large part of the Spanish operator Yoigo. It was sold to Masmovil in June 2016.
- Tajikistan: Telia Company owned 60% of the mobile phone operator Tcell. Tcell was sold in April 2017.
- Turkey: In October 2020, Telia Company sold its stake in Turkcell Holding.
- Uzbekistan: Ucell, Telia's company in Uzbekistan, grew quickly. Telia Company announced in September 2017 that it had reached a global agreement with authorities. This agreement resolved past investigations related to business dealings in Uzbekistan.
How the Telia Brand Has Changed
When Telia and Sonera merged in 2002, they used a simple text logo. In 2011, TeliaSonera introduced a new purple "pebble" logo. This logo was used for the company and its related brands. Landor Associates designed the pebble logo.
In 2016, TeliaSonera changed its name to Telia Company. It also updated its pebble brand look. This new design was created by Wolff Olins. It is now used by all Telia brand companies.
See also
In Spanish: Telia Company para niños
- List of Finnish companies
- List of Swedish companies
- Telia Carrier
