This article examines the development of buyer-supplier relations in the telecom sector. The literature on telecoms in Scandinavia has been dominated by the narrative praising the trusting and collaborative relations between Telia, the Swedish public telephone operator (PTO), and Ericsson, the equipment supplier. The Norwegian PTO, Telenor, diverted from this path and was a pioneer in preferring competitive tenders and arm’s length relations with its suppliers starting in the 1970s. The article argues that Telenor’s history and nationality had a significant impact on its business strategy. In addition, the article examines why some business narratives persist while others remain unknown. One finding is that shareholder-friendly narratives have a handicap because they focus on self-interest and money, and not societal values.

本文探讨了电信行业买方-供应商关系的发展。斯堪的纳维亚地区的电信文献主要是赞扬瑞典公共电话运营商 (PTO) Telia 和设备供应商爱立信之间的信任和合作关系。挪威的 PTO，Telenor，从 1970 年代开始，偏离了这条道路，成为了优先选择竞争性投标和与其供应商保持公平关系的先驱。文章认为，Telenor 的历史和国籍对其业务战略产生了重大影响。此外，本文还探讨了为什么一些商业叙述仍然存在，而另一些则仍然未知。一项发现是，对股东友好的叙述存在缺陷，因为它们关注的是自身利益和金钱，而不是社会价值观。