5 reasons why 5G coverage is important in the EU - Tech Mecca Sweden is behind
Expanding 5G coverage is essential for countries in the European Union (EU) due to several reasons; here there are 5:
- Economic Competitiveness: 5G technology has the potential to drive economic growth and enhance competitiveness. By expanding 5G coverage, EU countries can foster innovation, attract investment, and stimulate the development of new industries and services. It can create opportunities for startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and larger businesses to leverage the benefits of 5G connectivity and create new products and services.
- Digital Transformation: 5G is a vital enabler of the digital transformation process. It can support deploying emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous systems. Expanding 5G coverage allows for seamless connectivity, faster data transfer speeds, and lower latency, facilitating the integration and adoption of these technologies across various sectors and industries.
- Enhanced Connectivity: 5G provides faster and more reliable connectivity compared to previous generations of mobile networks. It enables higher data transfer speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity, allowing seamless connectivity in densely populated areas and remote regions. This expanded connectivity is vital for supporting critical applications like smart cities, smart grids, connected vehicles, and telemedicine.
- Socioeconomic Development: 5G can improve various aspects of society, including healthcare, education, transportation, and public safety. It can facilitate remote healthcare services, enable innovative educational platforms, enhance transportation systems, and support emergency response systems. By expanding 5G coverage, EU countries can bridge the digital divide, reduce inequality, and improve the quality of life for their citizens.
- EU Digital Single Market: The EU aims to create a Digital Single Market where digital services can flow seamlessly across member states. Expanding 5G coverage is crucial for achieving this goal, as it enables harmonized and interoperable digital infrastructure. It ensures citizens, businesses, and public administrations can access digital services without barriers and restrictions, promoting cross-border trade, collaboration, and innovation.
In summary, expanding 5G coverage in EU countries is essential for driving economic growth, facilitating digital transformation, enhancing connectivity, promoting socioeconomic development, and realizing the vision of a Digital Single Market.
Sweden is behind, and will need to step up
Sweden is a country that has given birth to some of the most known tech companies in the world (Spotify, Skype, iZettle, and Klarna to name a few). A country that was one of the first countries in the EU to provide high-speed Internet to almost the entire population is now falling behind its neighbors in the 5G development.
But when looking at the 5G coverage statistics (from 2021), we can see that Sweden placed at #25 with a 5G coverage of 17,7%.
It will be exciting to see some new statistics for 2023. Hopefully, Sweden has risen through the "ranks."
Dagens Infrastruktur also wrote about this in september 2022 (Article in Swedish): https://www.dagensinfrastruktur.se/2022/09/05/utbyggnaden-av-5g-drojer-sverige-langt-under-europas-genomsnitt/