Telenor has taken the next step in its international IoT strategy by bringing its Norwegian and Finnish managed IoT businesses into Telenor Connexion and operating them under the Telenor IoT brand. The move is designed to give the operator greater scale, a more agile structure and a unified platform for global delivery.
Telenor Amp head Dan Ouchterlony said the shift reflects both market momentum and Telenor’s long-term ambition in connected devices. “This consolidation is about unlocking scale and accelerating growth. By bringing our IoT capabilities together under Telenor Connexion and our portfolio brand, Telenor IoT, we are creating a stronger platform to serve customers across the Nordics and globally, while capturing the opportunities of a rapidly expanding market.”
The global managed IoT market outside China is forecast to reach around USD 30 billion by 2030. Telenor aims to reinforce its claimed number-one position in the Nordic region and expand its international footprint by centralising millions of SIMs and significant recurring revenue streams within Telenor Connexion. Two new legal entities, Telenor IoT Oy in Finland and Telenor IoT A/S in Norway, will be established to strengthen local presence and customer support.
Telenor Connexion CEO and head of Telenor IoT Mats Lundquist said the operator will continue investing in IoT as a core part of its national businesses while deepening cross-Nordic cooperation. “In Norway, Telenor will continue to invest in IoT as part of its core business offering – particularly within mission-critical and nationally anchored solutions where local presence is key. Similarly, DNA in Finland will maintain and develop its local IoT business in close collaboration with Telenor Connexion.”
Pivotal moment
He added that the consolidation marks a pivotal moment for the organisation: “It’s a very exciting day for us, as we have announced the next steps in our IoT strategy…We will, in this way, shape a new Telenor IoT and really provide the best that we can offer to all customers in the Nordics, as well as globally. It enables us to invest more and we can get the capabilities strengthened in connectivity, security and analytics as well as hardware.”
Lundquist said the strategy allows Telenor to draw on deep local expertise while building a single, more ambitious global unit. “I’m personally very excited about the five-year standalone opportunities where we can get the deep local expertise from our business units, and then combine that with the strength from Telenor IoT globally…We are the only pan-Nordic mobile operator, and we are a clear Nordic leader.”
Telenor recently surpassed 25 million IoT devices in use, with IoT revenues reaching NOK 1.7 billion in 2024. The company has set a goal of becoming one of the top five IoT providers globally, excluding China. The transition to the new structure is expected to complete in January 2026, with no service disruption apparently.
The strategic shift comes as Telenor IoT continues to expand its ecosystem. A recent long-term partnership with Connected Cars highlights the scale of its ambitions. Connected Cars is using Telenor IoT’s managed connectivity to support digital servicing platforms for fleets, workshops and vehicle importers across Europe and beyond. More than 160,000 vehicles already use Telenor IoT SIMs, with the number expected to grow by a further 500,000 over the next three to four years.
Connected Cars combines retrofit hardware with OEM API integrations to provide real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance and proactive service notifications. Using Telenor IoT as its connectivity backbone enables the company to deliver consistent data services across mixed fleets and multiple markets. The partnership shows how Telenor intends to anchor its IoT growth through long-term, scalable deployments in automotive and other high-demand sectors.
Source: https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/telenor-unifies-nordic-operations-to-create-global-iot-player/
