Last update: 20.07.2024 09:09 (GMT+3)

ETL: TeliaSonera increases Eesti Telekom holding

23.12.2004, Eesti Telekom, TLN
Eesti Telekom                    ANNOUNCEMENT                      23.12.2004

TeliaSonera increases Eesti Telekom holding

TeliaSonera increases Eesti Telekom holding above 50 percent and consolidates the
company

Following today's share purchase in Eesti Telekom, TeliaSonera's ownership in
Eesti Telekom will exceed 50 percent, enabling TeliaSonera to consolidate the
company. Exceeding the 50 percent threshold requires TeliaSonera to make a
mandatory public offer for remaining shares in Eesti Telekom.

TeliaSonera has today in a transaction acquired 100 shares in Eesti Telekom for
EUR 7.02 (EEK 109.84) per share, which will increase TeliaSonera's ownership in
Eesti Telekom to slightly above 50 percent. As a result of TeliaSonera's
ownership exceeding 50 per cent, TeliaSonera will consolidate Eesti Telekom.
TeliaSonera is expected to consolidate Eesti Telekom as of December 28, when the
formal ownership of the shares acquired today is registered.

"Consolidating Eesti Telekom is an important step in pursuing our strategy to
strengthen TeliaSonera as the leading telecom operator in the Nordic and Baltic
region," TeliaSonera's CEO Anders Igel stated.

Upon exceeding the 50 percent threshold, TeliaSonera will launch a mandatory
public offer for all Eesti Telekom shares in accordance with the Securities
Market Act of Estonia. TeliaSonera offers EUR 7.02 in cash for each share, which
is the same per share price paid by TeliaSonera in today's purchase. The price is
conditional upon approval by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (FSA).
The offer value of the shares not already owned by TeliaSonera (49.99 percent) is
EEK 7.576 million (EUR 484 million).

Following approval by FSA, notice and prospectus detailing the mandatory offer
will be published. The printed prospectus will be made available at the Hansapank
main branch at Liivalaia 8, Tallinn, Estonia.

The acceptance period for the mandatory offer begins on the date when the
prospectus is published and will last for 42 days. FSA will be notified of
TeliaSonera's mandatory public offer on December 28, when TeliaSonera's
increased ownership in Eesti Telekom will be registered. FSA shall have to make a
decision regarding the approval of the prospectus and offer price within 15 days.

The shares of Eesti Telekom are listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange (HEX:ETLAT)
and global depository receipts (GDRs) representing the shares of Eesti Telekom
are admitted to the official list of the United Kingdom Listing Authority and to
trading on the London Stock Exchange.


AS Eesti Telekom and subsidiary companies


9 months 2004 9 months 2003 2003 2002

or 30 Sept or 30 Sept
2004 2003
Net sales (SEK million) 2,205 2,034 2,763 2,619
EBITDA (SEK million) 945 963 1215 1224
EBIT (SEK million) 585 576 711 648
CAPEX (SEK million) 171 180 324 360
Mobile Subscribers, EMT 557 464 492 428
(000)
Main lines (fixed), Elion 427 446 445 465
(000)
Internet Subscribers, 68 51 57
Elion (000)

Exchange rates: 1 EUR =
9.00 SEK


_____________________________________________
For further information journalists can contact:
Kjell Lindström, Head of Communications, TeliaSonera Norway, Denmark, Baltic
countries, tel: +46-(0)70-5954430
TeliaSonera´s Press Office, +46-(0)8-713 58 30



[This press release may not be published, distributed, diffused or otherwise sent
in or into the United States of America (including its territories and
possessions, every State of the United States and the District of Columbia),
Canada, Japan or Australia and it does not constitute an extension into the
United States, Canada, Japan or Australia of the offer mentioned in this press
release.

The offer mentioned in this press release is not being made in the Republic of
Italy and has not been cleared by CONSOB pursuant to Italian laws and
regulations. Accordingly, persons resident in Italy may not participate in this
offer and neither this press release nor any other material relating to the offer
may be distributed or made available in the Republic of Italy.

This press release does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an
offer to sell any securities pursuant to the offer mentioned in this press
release or otherwise. This press release must not be passed on to anybody else.

The full terms and conditions of the offer mentioned in this press release will
be set out in the prospectus detailing this offer to be published after its
approval by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority and, in the case of
relevant global depositary receipt ("GDR") holders of AS Eesti Telekom, the
instructions which will be made available by Baltic Tele AB to such GDR holders
on how this offer may be accepted by them. Relevant holders of shares or GDRs of
AS Eesti Telekom may rely only on such prospectus and instructions for all the
terms and conditions of this offer.

The offer mentioned in this press release is directed only at persons outside the
United Kingdom or having professional experience in matters relating to
investments and this offer is available only to and will be engaged in only with
such persons. Persons in the United Kingdom who do not have professional
experience in matters relating to investments should not rely or act on any
information included in this press release.

The availability of the offer mentioned in this press release may be affected by
the laws of jurisdictions in addition to those mentioned above and holders of
shares or global depositary receipts of AS Eesti Telekom must inform themselves
about and observe any such restrictions.]


Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in the press release relating to future status or circumstances,
including future performance and other trend projections are forward-looking
statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and
uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will
occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not
differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of
TeliaSonera.



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