The thorny path to the broadband goal
The whole of Norrbotten should live and participate in the digital society – everyone agrees on that. But to get there, a fiber network is required that reaches almost all households, and expansion outside urban areas is slow.
"As usual, it is those who live furthest away who are affected," says Tomas Sundström. He is CEO of IT Norrbotten, which is responsible for the regional structure of the fiber network in Norrbotten.
Sweden has rapidly moved from being an analog to a digital society. Services such as online banking, digital healthcare visits and online education have quickly become a requirement for being part of society.
The pandemic has given this development a real boost. But stable and fast connectivity is not a given for everyone. There is a risk that the gaps will instead grow and that rural areas will fall even further behind. If some remain in a digital exclusion, it will have consequences for the whole of society.
The government's goal is that 98 percent of Sweden's population will have the opportunity to connect to the fiber network by 2025. It is a goal that Norrbotten appears to be missing.
- There is a lot to take into account, which means it takes a very long time, says Tomas Sundström.
In episode 8 of Let's talk, we take a closer look at the challenges of achieving the government's goal of fast broadband for all: bureaucracy, geography, market paradox, division of responsibilities, and money.