(Fornebu 30 May 2011) Telenor opened its first telegraph station in Svalbard in 1911, and now - after 100 years - Svalbard is probably among the world's most digitalised communities in the world. On Sunday 29 May, the celebration was kicked off by Telenor's chairman Harald Norvik and CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas, opening the world's northernmost 4G/LTE network in Longyearbyen.
The LTE test launch adds to a number of "northernmosts" - most northerly domestic fiber services, northernmost 2G, 3G, satellite station, and other ground-breaking records.
Telenor Svalbard's global role
Looking back, apart from a few years during Word War 2 where Svalbard Radio was put out of service, Telenor Svalbard has been in full operation for 100 years. Over the centennial, Telenor Svalbard has opened up the Arctic to a number of global users - the shipping industry since the sinking of Titanic, Amundsen and Nobiles' dramatic flight ventures, the airlines' first Euro-American routes over the Arctic. Today, one vital role is the transmission of all environmental, weather and climatic data from satellites crossing the Arctic ice sheet. 14 satellites report to the world's hubs via Telenor's global network. Through northern coastal radio stations, it also serves Norway's International Maritime Organization (IMO) responsibility for safety at sea, covering an area from Scotland to the North Pole.
Telecommunications in no man's land
Around 1900, when industrialization and mining industry was starting to take off in the Arctic, Svalbard was increasingly becoming attractive to various nations and great powers.
On May 3, 1911, the Norwegian parliament agreed that a radio telegraph station was to be built on Svalbard. The station was named Spitsbergen Radio and originally built in Green Harbour linking Svalbard to the Norwegian mainland. The Norwegian authorities regarded this substantial investment as an opportunity to strengthen their presence and thus acquiring a stronger foothold on Svalbard.
The establishment of what later became Telenor Svalbard, was pivotal in securing Norway sovereignty over Svalbard when The Svalbard Treaty was signed in 1920.
Telenor Svalbard today
Svalbard/Spitsbergen is the natural location for Arctic research activities, including multinational, Norwegian, and Polish research stations. While its location and landscape does imply challenges, the modern infrastructure and the very latest technology at hand make anything possible - even in the midst of a freezing wasteland. The city and the inhabitants of Longyearbyen have, on several occasions, served as a test bed for Telenor's implementation of technological improvements and new services. In spite of their remote location, today's inhabitants of Longyearbyen are taking advantage of the latest in technology in their daily lives - such as interactive IPTV, fiber to the home, Triple-Play, and mobile broadband.
Contact:
Ingunn Anstensrud, Communication Manager, Telenor Group
Tel: +47 95203575, E-mail: ingunn.anstensrud@telenor.com (mailto:ingunn.anstensrud@telenor.com)
Some highlights:
1911: Spitsbergen Radio is being built and put into operation after a governmental allowance.
1912: Ship radio mandatory in the North Atlantic
1920: The Svalbard Treaty is signed
1925: Norway is given sovereignty over Svalbard. Later, Spitsbergen Radio changes name to Svalbard Radio
1933: Svalbard Radio moves to Isfjorden.
1941-1945: Svalbard Radio put out of operation during years of WW2
1950: Longyearbyen gets its own local radio station
1969: Norwegian television programs - two weeks delayed - are distributed to the citizens of Longyearbyen from a studio at Telenor Svalbard.
1974: Starting up testing satellite communication between Norwegian mainland and Spitsbergen
1978: Satellite communication in commercial operation
1981: Svalbard connected to the Norwegian long distance dialing network
1984: Norwegian Broadcast (NRK) first live broadcast from mainland Norway to Svalbard
1989: Russian communities Barentsburg and Pyramiden (The Pyramide) connected to the Norwegian telecommunication network
1991: First digital telephone connections in Longyearbyen
1996: GSM mobile coverage in Longyearbyen
1998: Internet node operating in Longyearbyen
2003: A fiber cable laid on the sea-bed between Svalbard and mainland Norway - a new era for telecommunications from Svalbard to the rest of the world
2004: GSM mobile coverage (Telenor) in the Russian society Barentsburg and surrounding area
2009: Telenor offers Fiber to the Home (FTTH) - including 3Play services - to all homes in Longyearbyen. Makes Longyearbyen probably the most complete digital society in the world.
2011: The world's northernmost 4G/LTE test network is opened
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Source: Telenor via Thomson Reuters ONE
