BaneTele
Encyclopedia
BaneTele is a Norwegian
part state owned telecommunications company
previously part of the Norwegian State Railways. The company provides stem fiberoptic cable
network in Norway along the railway and power grid. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
.
The company only offers the central network capacity, not any content. Along with Telenor
it is the only company to offer central network services, covering 70 cities north to Tromsø
. The company sells its products to smaller customers through agents or other operators while larger customers can purchase directly from BaneTele. In total the BaneTele network is 12,500 km long.
network along the railway for internal communication and signaling; by 1899 this network was complete. In 1985 NSB started the construction of a fibre network. By 1996 this was made a division of the Jernbaneverket
, the newly created track operator, with the name BaneTele. The division was made a limited company
in 2001. The same year BaneTele bought the remains of the bankrupt company Enitel which was created by numerous Norwegian electricity
companies to build a national fibre network along the power grid. Enitel had also bought Telia Norway after the failed merge between Telia
and Telenor
. Enitel went bankrupt in 2001 and the power grid network was merged with the railway network. In 2002 the ownership of BaneTele was transferred from Jernbaneverket to the government. In 2006 50% of BaneTele was sold to Bredbåndsalliansen, which in turn is owned by 6 Norwegian electricity
companies, thereby reinstating some of the ownership that was lost when Enitel went bankrupt.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
part state owned telecommunications company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
previously part of the Norwegian State Railways. The company provides stem fiberoptic cable
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
network in Norway along the railway and power grid. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
The company only offers the central network capacity, not any content. Along with Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
it is the only company to offer central network services, covering 70 cities north to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. The company sells its products to smaller customers through agents or other operators while larger customers can purchase directly from BaneTele. In total the BaneTele network is 12,500 km long.
History
The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) built a parallel copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
network along the railway for internal communication and signaling; by 1899 this network was complete. In 1985 NSB started the construction of a fibre network. By 1996 this was made a division of the Jernbaneverket
Jernbaneverket
The Norwegian National Rail Administration is a government agency responsible for owning and maintaining the Norwegian railway network, including the track, stations, classification yards, traffic management and timetables...
, the newly created track operator, with the name BaneTele. The division was made a limited company
Aksjeselskap
Aksjeselskap is the Norwegian term for a stock-based company. It is usually abbreviated AS or A/S, especially when used in company names. An AS is always a limited company, i.e. the owners cannot be held liable for any debt beyond the stock capital...
in 2001. The same year BaneTele bought the remains of the bankrupt company Enitel which was created by numerous Norwegian electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
companies to build a national fibre network along the power grid. Enitel had also bought Telia Norway after the failed merge between Telia
Telia
Telia may refer to:*Telia - part of the reproductive cycle of Rusts*Telia Digital-tv - a Swedish TV platform*Telia, Nepal - a village in Nepal*TeliaSonera - a Swedish/Finnish telecom operator*Telia Challenge Waxholm - Golf tournament...
and Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
. Enitel went bankrupt in 2001 and the power grid network was merged with the railway network. In 2002 the ownership of BaneTele was transferred from Jernbaneverket to the government. In 2006 50% of BaneTele was sold to Bredbåndsalliansen, which in turn is owned by 6 Norwegian electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
companies, thereby reinstating some of the ownership that was lost when Enitel went bankrupt.