19 dec 2024 11:40

Julserie: Vi behöver en telekommarknad som främjar investeringar

Dagens julspaning kommer från Ericssons Nora Wahby, chef för Norra- och Centraleuropa sedan 2023. Affärsområdet hon ansvarar för har 1 400 anställda och omfattar 16 länder i Norden, Baltikum samt Centraleuropa. Det hon lyfter är bland annat hur mycket Europa ligger efter USA när det gäller 5G och fiber samt vad som krävs för att det ska bli bättre. Mycket ligger på reglerarna i EU.

Vilka ser du som de viktigaste händelserna på telekommarknaden under 2024?

ENG: What do you see as the most important developments in the telecom market in 2024?
Europe is in a crucial moment, and this is finally starting to get addressed. The Draghi report gave important insight and helped raising the awareness of the structural challenges in the European telecom market. Factually, telecom investment per capita is half of that in the US, and we are lagging in 5G and fibre deployment. With a new European Commission focused on competitiveness we are starting to see some positive signs – now this needs to be translated into action.

Vad har varit era största framgångar under året?

ENG: What have been your biggest successes during the year?
We've made significant achievements with our customers throughout the year. Starting with Sweden, our NorthStar 5G innovation program in collaboration with Telia, has gained additional partners. The most recent partnership is with Region Västerbotten to build a 5G network at Skellefteå hospital. This project is focusing on testing real-time information sharing via drones from accident sites to ambulances and emergency rooms.

3 Sweden, Ericsson, and Mobilelinks achieved another milestone by delivering the first live 5G standalone broadcast at the 2024 Stockholm Marathon. Using network slicing on Three's 5G SA network we secured high-quality video stream from the marathon's lead car.

And we really shook it off with Tele2 during Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Stockholm when 150,000 fans from 130 countries joined in for the three-day series of concerts in Stockholm. To provide seamless and high-performance connectivity, Tele2 upgraded the Swedish national arena with 5G. It was a prime example of huge numbers of people gathering within a relatively small physical area, with skyrocketing demand for mobile connectivity.

På vilket sätt har det nuvarande ekonomiska läget påverkat er verksamhet?

ENG: In what way has the current economic situation affected your business?
In our latest quarterly report we spoke about some signs of market stabilization. While market conditions ultimately depend on our customers’ ability to invest, we remain focused on continuous improvement.

Hur tror du att 2025 kommer att bli för er?

ENG: What do you think 2025 will be like for you?
I’m looking forward to more groundbreaking use cases in Sweden and abroad. Another highlight will be to follow Ericsson’s new joint venture with some of the world's largest telecom operators. This aims to make advanced network capabilities accessible through a global platform for network APIs. Network APIs enable developers to access advanced 5G capabilities like differentiated connectivity, location, security, and network insights. They facilitate communication between applications and mobile networks, offering service providers new monetization opportunities through performance-based models.

Vad tror du kommer att bli de viktigaste frågorna för telekombranschen under 2025?

ENG: What do you believe will be the most important issues for the telecom industry in 2025?
Again, I think Europe has a unique possibility to rely on European global 5G technology leaders – but that will only be realized if we have a sustainable telecom market promoting investments. This will continue to be one of the most important questions for Europe, nations, and operators.