Court to review TeliaSonera bitstream case

The Swedish Supreme Administrative Court decided yesterday that TeliaSonera does not have to begin offering wholesale bitstream internet access to competitors until further notice. Instead, it granted leave to appeal against previous rulings made by the County Administrative Court and decisions of the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS). Earlier this month a court rejected an appeal by TeliaSonera against an earlier judgement by the Swedish Post and Telecom agency (PTS) that ordered the telco to offer wholesale bitstream access. TeliaSonera opposed the PTS requirement claiming it was ‘unreasonable’ to force it to invest in another regulated copper line-based internet product for the benefit of competitors. However, the judge disagreed, siding instead with the regulator. In accordance with the decision, TeliaSonera announced that it was launching a wholesale offering, named Skanova Bitsröm, but the most recent ruling means that it will not be taking orders until further notice.