Laughter in the corridors of power

On Wednesday, IT&Telekomföretagen met Sweden's new Minister for IT, Mehmet Kaplan, to present us and our activities, but especially to hear about the new government's ambitions in the IT area. Having a first formal meeting with a minister is always special. For us as an industry organization, it is important to have a good and constructive dialogue with the responsible minister - even if we will not always have the same opinion. And it was a really good meeting.

It is positive to hear that Mehmet Kaplan is well aware of the fundamental importance of the digital infrastructure for our society, as well as the importance of ensuring that all citizens have the opportunity to be connected to it at sufficient speed. The goal of 90% of Sweden's households and businesses having access to 100Mbit/s by 2020 was stated by the Minister, who saw no reason to change it. On the other hand, he was clear that the EU's goal that everyone should have access to at least 30Mbit/s is a goal that the Swedish government is also working to achieve. This is gratifying, although IT&Telekomföretagen would like to see the government clarify in an updated broadband strategy how the goal of connection to everyone, i.e. also the last 10 percent of Sweden's households and companies, will be achieved. Having a connection to the digital infrastructure with sufficient speed is a prerequisite for being able to participate in our now digital society, which we and our new prime minister seem to agree on.

Mehmet Kaplan was also clear that he has an ambition to minimize the number of thresholds for our member companies, that is, the state should not be an obstacle to companies' opportunities to operate on good terms. I find this particularly hopeful, as the companies that are currently investing and building the digital infrastructure with the best possible conditions from the public sector can build even more and thus reach more people.

After the meeting, I can also say that the IT Minister is not short of laughter, which is a good prerequisite for continued good dialog between us. We will probably not always have the same opinion on what decisions should be taken, but with a constructive discussion with elements of humor, I am convinced that we will have good opportunities to find ways to provide Sweden with a world-class digital infrastructure.