Lars Karlsson: CapacityNow

The Dutch government has approved a bill that allows the country to ratify the EU’s cooperation agreement with Ukraine.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that he is confident that the Parliament will vote on the proposal, which is a compromise between the Netherlands and other EU countries.  It is uncertain however whether the agreement will be ratified before the election on 15 March.

This is a huge step forward for the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement treaty. 

Switzerland has once again topped the table as the world’s most innovative economy, in the latest World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report. Sweden is still Top 6 in the world. 
It is the seventh year in a row that Switzerland has claimed the title. The European nation scores highly on a range of indices, but particularly well for high quality enterprises across sectors that strive for innovation and for commercially applicable products.

The 2016-2017 report assesses the competitiveness landscape of 138 economies and ranks them based on several factors. 

High scoring countries must have an environment that is conducive to innovative activity and one that is supported by both the public and the private sectors.

This could mean investment in research and development and the presence of high quality research institutions.

The report says that, “In these economies, firms must design and develop cutting-edge products and processes to maintain a competitive edge and move toward even higher value-added activities”.

Source: WEF

Today the Swedish Minister for ICTand Digitalization, Peter Eriksson, presented the main features of Swedish Government’s new high-speed Internet and broadband strategy – a fully connected Sweden. The strategy is the first of its kind that covers all people living in Sweden.

The strategy has the following objectives:

– In 2020, 95 percent of all households and businesses have access to broadband of at least 100 Mbit / s.

– In 2023, the entire Sweden have access to stable mobile services of good quality.

– In 2025, the entire Sweden have access to fast broadband

“For the first time the government presents a broadband strategy in which all citizens and businesses have the opportunity to be with. I feel an added joy of rural and remote areas are taken into objectives fully”, said the Minister in a comment at the Press Conference. 

In 2025, entire Sweden have access to fast broadband in the home and at work. 98 percent of the population will have access to broadband of at least 1 Gbit/s or faster. It is ten times faster than the target in the previous broadband strategy and a goal that takes the height of the development of digitization brings in the world today. 

The households that currently have 4G as the best option situated in rural areas will withvthe new strategy have 100 Mbit / s, a speed that is about five times faster and is a substantial potential.It will for many mean a significantly improved quality of life and facilitate active citizenship.

In 2023, entire Sweden will have access to stable mobile services of highest quality. This means that the connection should be as stable and of such quality that the user does not experience limitations in their use by interruptions or lack of capacity. This applies to places where people, companies, and things usually are, for example, on vacation, in recreation areas and along roads and rails.
In 2020, 95 percent of all households and businesses have access to broadband of at least 100 Mbit/s. Thanks to the government’s aggressive efforts will aim at the former broadband strategy to be surpassed by a wide margin.
“high-Speed Internat and Broadband is becoming a prerequisite for being able to take part in basic services and to fully participate in society. The development is already well advanced. In the future, many of our welfare services have large digital elements”, said Minister Eriksson.

As an example, is likely much of the health care will be provided remotely and on distance through internet solutions. Digitization will also be able to contribute a significant streamlining of the public and to improved public services and quality of life for citizens. But for all people to be able to take advantage of the public on an equal basis, to successful businesses can be developed in all parts of the country and to the public should be able to streamline the service to residents, all have broadband.

Increased globalization, digitalisation, urbanization and climate change all have a connection with, or affected by a connected society. It is important with Sweden that holds together and where it is possible to live and work in the country. When people have access to broadband is needed in each situation have broadband a unique opportunity to act as a bridge between town and country – the foundation for a democratic society equipped for the future. It also creates an opportunity for Sweden to maintain and strengthen its position in innovative and sustainable industrial production of goods and services.