Norwegian telecom major looking at India

Norwegian telecom group Telenor said on Wednesday that it was open to possible entry into India8217;s growing mobile market, a move which would crown its Asia-focused investment strategy. Media reports have linked Telenor, which has mobile operators in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia, to a potential move into India.

8220;Concerning India, we can say that we are constantly moving around in the world assessing possibilities. And we have recently been in India,8221; Telenor spokesman Dag Melgaard said. He repeated Telenor8217;s policy of not commenting on 8220;speculation8221; about deals. Telenor, with more than 150 million mobile clients worldwide and worth 25 billion, says it is the second biggest non-Asian operator in Asia after Vodafone. Shares were off 3.1 per cent at 83.40 crowns at 0956 GMT, lagging a 1.0 per cent decline in both the DJ Stoxx Telecoms Index and the Oslo bourse.