Authorities in Norway opened investigations into Telenor Group over its former operation in Myanmar, charging the company on suspicion of violating sanctions and separately on claims of complicity in a crime against humanity.

In a joint statement, Norwegian law enforcement organisations PST and Kripos announced the opening of separate probes and outlined the associated charges.

PST is assessing potential violation of sanctions legislation related to Telenor’s divestment of its unit in Myanmar, which completed in 2022.

It accuses the company of including sanctioned surveillance equipment in the sale without permission of authorities.  

Kripos is looking into complicity with crimes against humanity, which relates to accusations the operator’s unit in Myanmar “repeatedly handed over historical traffic data on customers of the military regime” between the time of a coup in February 2021 and the sale of the business.

The authority stated this was at a time when “the regime was responsible for extensive abuses against parts of the civilian population”.  

In a stock market statement, Telenor revealed it is closely cooperating with investigators and pledged to “do everything in its power to assist in clarifying the case to the fullest extent possible”.

The operator noted no individuals had been charged or were under investigation.

Telenor added the probe “represents a further step in the extensive and ongoing dialogue” it “has maintained with the Norwegian prosecuting authorities over a long period, during which a substantial volume of documentation and information has been provided”.

As part of their investigations, the PST and Kripos are set to conduct a search of the company’s headquarters in Oslo today (15 September) and plan to cooperate on their probes.

Telenor reportedly previously argued it was required to hand over data to Myanmar’s miliary government, stating it was faced with “no good options”.

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Telenor subsidiary KNL continued to gain traction for a military high-frequency (HF) communication system from Nordic nations, sealing its third deal through a tie-up with Denmark.

An outline deal opens the way for the Danish Ministry of Defence to buy KNL’s HF radio equipment. The set-up is attracting interest among members of the Nordic Defence Cooperation, a programme established to streamline the procurement process which is open to all nations in the region.

KNL already agreed deals with Sweden and Finland, which the head of Telenor Corporate Development Portfolio Dan Ouchterlony said are a “strong foundation for Nordic cooperation” on the subsidiary’s radio system.

Adding Denmark “reflects a genuine and growing need for secure, independent communication across the region”, Ouchterlony explained.

HF operates in the 3MHz to 30MHz frequency range, which KNL states is well-suited to military operations due to its beyond-line-of-sight capability and resilience in the face of “jamming and other electromagnetic interference”.

The frequency enables coverage across thousands of kilometres in a set-up which does not require fixed or satellite connectivity, another characteristic KNL believes makes it “uniquely valuable” for military purposes along with maritime and critical communication uses.

KNL employs cognitive radio functionality to provide dynamic frequency allocation and boost the way spectrum is used.

CEO Toni Linden said the addition of Denmark is a “strong endorsement” of KNL’s technology.

The company has publicly announced a trio of orders worth around €23.5 million under its existing arrangements with Sweden and Finland.

It is also among several businesses approved to bid for tactical communications system projects in the UK.

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The Norwegian Competition Authority cleared Telenor to buy fibre company GlobalConnect’s domestic consumer business, subject to a handful of conditions including offloading some assets.

Telenor is required to divest fibre infrastructure at addresses both companies already serve. This will impact approximately 6,000 customers.

Around 9,000 GlobalConnect customers using Telenor’s network through resale agreements are also set to be transferred to another provider.

The competition authority’s third requirement involves giving rivals access to the fibre network being acquired, as is the case with Telenor’s existing network.

Telenor president and CEO Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer highlighted the deal strengthens its position in the market and “is good for customers and for market development”.

“Whilst we disagree that remedies were necessary, we are pleased to have reached a resolution,” the executive added, noting the transaction would bolster its customer numbers by 125,000 and take its market share in Norway’s consumer fibre market from 22% to 29%.

The deal is expected to complete in the second-half of the year, with a gradual customer transition afterwards.

Telenor noted the initial NOK6 billion ($634 million) purchase price would be adjusted after it meets the remedies and disclosed at that time.

GlobalConnect plans to continue to serve its base of 12,000 business customers in Norway, spanning enterprises of various sizes, the public sector and global cloud companies.

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Telenor is reportedly exploring a sale of its digital bank in Pakistan, marking a full exit from the country following the sale of its mobile unit which was completed in December 2025.

Bloomberg reported Telenor is working on offloading its 55% equity stake in Easypaisa Bank, which was formerly known as Telenor Microfinance Bank. According to sources, a sale could be worth “several hundred million dollars”.

Over the next month, Telenor will apparently invite initial offers from prospective bidders, although no final decision has been made on the fate of the stake.

The rest of Easypaisa is owned by Ant Group, and the mobile money service is popular for cash transfers in the nation.

In line with a strategy to dispose of businesses in Asia, Telenor sold its telecoms unit in the country for around $490 million to Pakistan Telecommunications Company.  

Selling its stake in the banking business would therefore end the Norwegian operator’s two decade long presence in the country.

In a comment cited by Bloomberg, analyst at DNB Carnegie Christoffer Wang Bjornsen said the move would be “well received by the financial community to see Telenor simplifying its Asian portfolio”.

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