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To: $Mogul who wrote (3005)	10/13/1999 10:29:00 AM
From: puborectalis	Respond to of 5529

SNRA..IPO (Finnish internet)>>>>>>> July 12, 1999 Distribution agreement opens up the door to 320,000 cable TV households SONERA ACQUIRES A DUTCH INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER Sonera Ltd has bought the total share capital of MultiWeb B.V., a Dutch Internet service provider (ISP). According to the terms of the agreement, the price of the deal is confidential. MultiWeb offers Internet access via fixed and cable TV (CATV) networks to both consumers and small and medium-sized firms in northwestern Holland. The company started to operate in 1996 and presently has almost 20,000 customers and around 20 employees. Before the closing of the deal, the ownership basis of MultiWeb was divided between the following Dutch companies operating in the CATV business: MultiKabel (79.5 %), Kabel Haarlem (12 %), CAI Deelneming Beheer B.V. (7.5 %) and Kabeltex B.V. (1 %). When purchasing the MultiWeb shares, it was agreed that Sonera distributes the Sonera QuickNet Internet service via the CATV networks of the above companies. This provides Sonera with the possibility to offer broadband Internet and content services to as many as 320,000 households. At present Sonera is providing its QuickNet-service in Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Almost every Dutch household (98 % of all households) has access to cable television. Mr Jos Molenkamp, President and CEO of Multikabel, is pleased that Sonera bought the shares of Multiweb and signed a distribution agreement for the QuickNet-service: "Sonera is an authority and innovator in the area of Internet and new media. By this agreement customers of all cable companies involved will benefit from the developments of new services that evolve from co-operation between cable operators and a European based telecommunications company." According to Sonera, the company's future business includes the provision of access and content to the Internet, independent of time, place or medium. At present the access can be implemented with the help of mobile handsets, digital TV or fixed network. In order to ensure the growth in its core businesses - i.e. mobile, data and media communications - Sonera is actively searching for new cooperation and expansion possibilities. According to Media Communications, the division of Sonera that bears the main responsibility for the company's Internet services, the purchase of the MultiWeb shares was one step in the path to develop Sonera into a significant European provider of Internet-based value-added and content aggregation services. Executive Vice President Juha Varelius, Head of Sonera's mediacommunication activities, emphasizes that Holland is an enticing market area for Sonera's media communications business, since the average growth of the Internet service markets in 1998 amounted to 40 %. Since 1995, Sonera Nederland B.V. - a fully-owned subsidiary of Sonera Ltd - has offered data and media communications services to Dutch companies. Measured by stock-exchange value (July 12, 1999: euro 15,88 billion), Sonera is the second most valuable Finnish company - after Nokia. Sonera is the leading Internet service provider in Finland. Sonera's domestic market share in Internet consumer connections is 42 %, and the corresponding market share in corporate accesses 39 %. Sonera's Internet portal, Sonera Plaza, is the most popular web media in Finland. It is visited by 270,000 different users and downloaded over 5.2 million times each week (Web Traffic Monitor 6/99). For further information, please contact: Sonera Ltd, Media Communications, Executive Vice President Juha Varelius (Mr) tel. +358 2040 4013 e-mail: juha.varelius@sonera.fi Sonera Nederland B.V., Managing Director Jyri Hagman (Mr) tel. + 31 10 288 9955 e-mail: jyri.hagman@sonera.fi