Fixed network business

Elisa offers fixed network-based voice and data services to private, corporate and institutional customers and operators in Finland. The service portfolio also covers ICT solutions, Nordic and international telecommunication services as well as contact center services.

Operating environment and competitive situation

During 2005 the robust growth in the number of broadband subscriptions continued in the fixed network business, with Elisa achieving market leadership at the end of June. Elisa also expanded the availability of broadband subscriptions to a further 19 municipalities in Northern Finland.

The number of traditional subscriptions continued to decrease steadily as voice calls shifted to the mobile communication network and data transfers to broadband subscriptions.

The target set in the national broadband strategy – one million subscriptions – was exceeded in June. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, there were approximately 1.2 million broadband connections at the end of the year; this meant some 42 per cent of households in Finland had a connection. A broadband connection is now an available option to 96 per cent of households.

Changes in the pricing principles applied to calls made from the fixed network to mobile phones took effect at the beginning of March. This made it possible to reduce the price of these calls for end customers.

Services

Elisa concluded a partnership agreement on integrated voice service packages with, among others, the Espoo and Helsinki Parish Unions, Kemira Oyj, SOK, the Ministry of the Interior and Kemira GrowHow. The agreements are for several years.

The Kolumbus unit introduced its international call service at the beginning of April. The new international call with the prefix 99 559 is available from all landline and mobile subscriptions.

If P&C Insurance appointed Elisa and Telenor to provide all of its telecommunications services in the Nordic region – in Finland, the service provider is Elisa.

Elisa and Suomen Asumisoikeus Oy (ASO) signed an agreement concerning the connection of 2,000 ASO apartments to the cable TV network in the Helsinki capital region during 2005. The agreement significantly expanded the availability of Elisa?s cable TV subscriptions for housing associations in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.