A united voice is crucial to reach policy

Broadband Digital infrastructure Digital services Innovation Skills supply

Getting politicians to listen and understand complex issues is crucial for the IT and telecom industry. This is according to Mikael Philipsson, CEO of internet operator IP-Only, who is keen to highlight the benefits of speaking with a unified industry voice.

IP-Only is one of the leading providers in the Nordic region of services that form the basis of the digital information society - for example, the construction of fiber networks, Internet, server capacity and telephony. Customers include other operators, communications-intensive companies, financial institutions and media companies. And it's quite a complex reality," says CEO Mikael Philipsson.

- The telecom industry is an industry in constant change, but also with a strong monopoly history, yet relatively recently deregulated. Many regulations are still in place and our ability to operate is very much influenced by the policies in place. It is therefore important for us to be able to explain our business in a way that politicians understand.

How does IT&Telecom help you with that?
- "Because the industry is so prone to change, a unified voice is crucial; I don't think we would be taken seriously if we didn't channel these issues in a way that gets through. With the help of IT&Telekomföretagen and the council on which I and a number of other companies sit, we work on the basis of a collective trust from both sides, both from the industry and from politics. We meet regularly and coordinate on issues such as fiber regulation, the excavation directive and the data storage directive. On the basis of this, Kajsa Frisell, an expert in industrial policy, represents the industry's views, which gives us easier access to politics.

What are the key issues?
- The physical infrastructure, the need for competition. But also the need to clarify the conditions for building fiber networks, the balance and collaboration between the various actors who together stand for the digital development of society.

Alexandra Hernadi, Communication Strategist, Almega