Telenor Svalbard AS
Visiting address: Vei 307 nr. 4, 9170 Longyearbyen
Postal address: PO Box 488, 9171 Longyearbyen
Phone: 79 02 27 00
Telenor opened the first telegraph station on Svalbard in 1911, and now – 100 years later – Svalbard is probably one of the world’s most digitized communities.
On Sunday, May 29, the celebrations began with the opening of the world’s northernmost 4G/LTE network in Longyearbyen by Chairman of the Board Harald Norvik and CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas of Telenor.
The opening of the 4G/LTE test network joins the ranks of the “world’s northernmost” launches – northernmost fiber cable, northernmost 2G, northernmost 3G, northernmost satellite and other groundbreaking records.
Telenor Svalbard’s global role
With the exception of a few years during World War II, Telenor Svalbard has been in full operation for 100 years. In this century, Telenor Svalbard has opened up the Arctic to a range of global users – for shipping after the sinking of the Titanic, for Amundsen and Nobile’s dramatic airship adventure over the North Pole, for airlines’ first routes from Europe to America over the Arctic, to name a few. Today, an essential task is to transmit data on the environment, weather and climate from satellites crossing the Arctic ice cap. 14 satellites report to the whole world via Telenor’s global network. Through its northern coastal radio stations, covering an area from Scotland to the North Pole, Telenor contributes to Norway’s role in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is responsible for safety at sea.
Telecommunications in no man’s land
When industrialization and the mining industry began to take off in the Arctic around 1900, Svalbard, which was considered a no-man’s land, became increasingly attractive to various nations and great powers.
On 3 May 1911, the Norwegian Parliament therefore decided that a radio station should be built on Svalbard. The station was named Spitsbergen Radio and was originally built in Grønnfjorden. This linked Svalbard to the Norwegian mainland. The Norwegian authorities saw this significant investment as an opportunity to strengthen their presence and gain a stronger foothold on Svalbard.
The establishment of what later became Telenor Svalbard was central to securing Norway’s sovereignty when the Svalbard Treaty was signed in 1920.
Telenor Svalbard today
Svalbard/Spitsbergen is a natural center for Arctic research that includes multinational companies and Norwegian and Polish research stations. Although both the geographical location and the landscape itself pose challenges, the modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology make most things possible – even in the middle of this “icy wasteland”. On several occasions, Longyearbyen has served as a “test laboratory” for Telenor’s technological development and new services. Despite its remote location, today’s residents of Longyearbyen can benefit from the latest in technology – such as interactive IPTV, fiber connection to all residential units, Triple-Play, and mobile broadband.
Some highlights:
1911: Spitsbergen Radio is built and put into operation after a significant government grant
1912: Ship radio becomes mandatory in the North Atlantic
1920: The Svalbard Treaty is signed
1925: Norway gains sovereignty over Svalbard.
1933: Svalbard Radio (formerly Spitsbergen Radio) moved to Isfjorden
1941-1945: Svalbard Radio decommissioned during World War II
1950: Longyearbyen gets its own local radio station
1969: Norwegian TV programs – two weeks late – are distributed to the inhabitants of Longyearbyen from a studio in the telecommunications building.
1974: Trial operation with satellite communication between Svalbard and the Norwegian mainland
1978: Satellite links in commercial operation
1981: Svalbard connected to the Norwegian long distance network
1984: Live transmission of NRK’s TV broadcasts to Longyearbyen
1989: Russian Barentsburg and Pyramiden are connected to the Norwegian telecommunications network
1991: The first ISDN subscribers are connected to the digital exchange in Longyearbyen.
1996: GSM mobile coverage in Longyearbyen
1998: Internet node goes live in Longyearbyen
2003: Work on laying a fiber cable on the seabed between Svalbard and the mainland begins – a new era for telecommunications from Svalbard to the rest of the world
2004: GSM mobile coverage (Telenor) to the Russian community of Barentsburg and surroundings
2009: Telenor offers Fiber to the Home (FTTH) – including 3Play services – to all residential units in Longyearbyen. This probably makes Longyearbyen the most complete digital community in the world.
2011: The world’s northernmost 4G/LTE test network opens
