IT&Telecom companies' priorities of the assignments in the government's broadband strategy
IT&Telekomföretagen has received a request from State Secretary Alf Karlsson to submit our views on priorities based on the government's broadband strategy "Sweden fully connected 2025 - a broadband strategy". IT & Telecom companies have in several contexts praised the government's broadband strategy for being clear and concrete, covering everyone in Sweden, being technology neutral, and containing concrete measurable goals and a mobility goal.
IT&Telecom companies also welcome the fact that the government in the strategy clearly emphasizes the crucial importance of not preventing and crowding out private investments, but that market players continue their investments and are given incentives and conditions for it. The fact that the starting point is market-driven expansion and that the financing of the digital infrastructure should primarily come from market players is in itself nothing new, but the importance of the government contributing to creating better conditions for market players to invest is further increased by the more ambitious goal that has now been set. We see that the government increasingly needs to help remove any obstacles to our members' opportunities to invest.
Of the activities announced by the government in the broadband strategy, IT&Telekomföretagen sees the following two as the most prioritized to implement in the first instance:
- Mandate on governance of urban networks and broadband provision (p. 19)
Healthy competition is the most effective tool for creating cutting-edge services and products at low consumer prices. In the vast majority of municipalities, this works - there are many examples of very good collaboration between municipalities and private players - but there are also municipalities where competition is not healthy, as IT&Telekomföretagen has reported in several contexts.
Municipal networks have played and continue to play an important role in the broadband market. A municipal network can contribute to increased competition in a municipality, thereby driving the willingness of private operators to invest. However, the important thing is that this competition takes place on equal terms - that is, that the competition is healthy - which is not always the case. In several municipalities, the municipality mixes its roles as regulator, property owner and monopoly infrastructure holder, favoring the municipally-owned urban network over private actors when it comes to, for example, licensing, co-location and provision of information. This behavior damages the incentives for competition, making the rollout of digital infrastructure more expensive and delayed. Ultimately, it affects end customers through both less freedom of choice and supply, and higher prices.
IT&Telecom companies therefore see the implementation of the assignment on the governance of urban networks and the provision of broadband, described on page 19 of the broadband strategy, as a high priority.
Mandate on faster processes for broadband deployment (p. 22)
Harnessing the willingness of market players to invest is crucial to achieving the Government's ambitious broadband targets. Predictability, transparency and clarity in the processes of public actors help to create good conditions for investment. Clear and rapid permit processes are also crucial for the establishment of digital infrastructure, both fiber infrastructure and mobile masts, to be implemented efficiently, both in terms of time and cost. IT&Telecom companies therefore see that the implementation of the assignment on faster processes for the construction of broadband, described on page 22 of the broadband strategy, has high priority.
IT&Telecom companies are happy to contribute expertise, insofar as the government sees a need for it, for example in reference groups or similar linked to these assignments.
Yours sincerely
IT&Telecom companies within Almega