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TELENOR

‘Burn in hell’ texter no longer employed: Telenor

A Telenor customer service agent who told a 16-year-old customer she could burn in hell is no longer employed by the mobile network operator, the firm has revealed.

Published: 12 July 2012 17:32 CEST
'Burn in hell' texter no longer employed: Telenor
Photo: Gorm Kallestad/Scanpix

Telenor refused to say whether the offending staff member had been sacked or left his job voluntarily at the firm's Gjøvik facility in eastern Norway.

"We won't go into any details, but perhaps it was perhaps unavoidable with such a serious incident," Telenor spokesman Tor Odland told newspaper VG.

The unsavoury incident happened last Thursday after 16-year-old Maiken Fredriksen Iversen phoned Telenor to make a complaint. Minutes later, a disgruntled customer service agent sent her a text message to say he hoped she would burn in hell.  

The 16-year-old from Kirkenes contacted the Norwegian operator on Thursday to ask why she had not received a warning message when she was about to exceed the monthly limit on her subscription, VG reported. 

“He told me to download an app to keep a check on my usage,” Iversen told the newspaper.

“I said that shouldn’t be necessary, since I’m supposed to receive a notification via SMS. He then asked me to ‘be a little bit helpful’. I said that wasn’t good enough but wished him a good day before hanging up.”

A few minutes after the call, Iversen could hardly believe her eyes when a text message arrived from a Telenor number:

“It’s rare to encounter this level of cheek. Hope you burn in hell!”

Another message from Telenor informed Iversen the company had activated a mobile broadband service which she had not requested.

Furious, the girl’s mother, Mette Fredriksen, called Telenor to ask for clarification. When the company failed to get back to her with an apology, Fredriksen reported the matter to the police and went to the media.

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TELENOR

Norway’s Telenor sells out of India as tycoon weighs in

Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel will buy the local operations of Norway's Telenor, it said Thursday, as the ultra-competitive mobile market is shaken up by the country's richest man.

Published: 23 February 2017 20:26 CET
Norway's Telenor sells out of India as tycoon weighs in
Former Telenor CEO launching the company's ill-fated India business in 2009. Photo: peerdahl/Wikimedia Commons
Tycoon Mukesh Ambani launched Reliance Jio's 4G network in September with an audacious free service for the rest of 2016, followed by vastly cheaper data plans and free voice calls for life.
 
The move forced rivals to slash their tariffs and scramble to match the deep pockets of Jio, which is backed by Ambani's vast energy-to-chemicals conglomerate Reliance Industries and picked up 100 million subscribers in its first six months
   
Bharti's acquisition is the latest movement towards consolidation in India's telecoms sector as major players try to position themselves to best face the tough new environment.
   
The move, which still needs to be approved by regulators, will enhance its coverage, the company said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), and see Telenor exit India.
   
“The proposed acquisition will include transfer of all of Telenor India's assets and customers, further augmenting Airtel's overall base and network,” the Indian firm said in the statement.
   
Last month British mobile phone behemoth Vodafone announced that it was in talks to merge its Indian unit with Mumbai-based Idea Cellular in its own move to counter Jio's rise.
   
That deal would create India's largest telecoms company. Global brokerage firm CLSA estimated that the pair would command a combined 43 percent share of market revenue, ahead of Airtel, which is currently the market leader, on 33 percent.
 
Reliance Communications — owned by Ambani's brother Anil Ambani — and Tata Teleservices, part of the sprawling salt-to-steel Tata conglomerate, are also reportedly in talks to join forces.
   
Reliance merged with telecom operator Aircel in September last year. Bharti Airtel's shares surged more than five percent in Mumbai morning trade following the Telenor deal announcement.
   
“The decision to exit India has not been taken lightly,” Sigve Brekke, Telenor Group CEO, said in the statement.
   
“After thorough consideration, it is our view that the significant investments needed to secure Telenor India's future business on a standalone basis will not give an acceptable level of return,” he added.
   
Telecoms analyst Baburajan Kizhakedath said Telenor was quitting India because the intense competition meant there was no scope for growth. “The Airtel-Telenor deal is probably the best exit route for Telenor,” he told AFP.