Sweden keen to be part of Sri Lanka’s acceleration towards digitalisation and transition to 5G

Ericsson installs railway lights 

Swedish Ambassador to  Sri Lanka Jan Thesleff

Ericsson Sri Lanka Managing Director and President Amitabh Pandey

Sweden and Sri Lanka this year celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, which saw the Swedish Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jan Thesleff leading a high-level business delegation to Sri Lanka and celebrating the Sweden-Sri Lanka Jubilee Year with a grand reception in Colombo on the occasion of Sweden’s National Day on 6 June.

As emphasised by Foreign Minister Ali Sabry at the Jubilee Cocktail, Sweden and Sri Lanka share many mutual values, paving the way for close partnerships in various sectors. Swedish companies are well poised to contribute to Sri Lanka’s nation building and successful achievement of development goals in areas such as infrastructure, technology, and education. 

With the Sri Lankan economy set to rebound this year, Team Sweden launched the Sweden-Sri Lanka collaboration program, including various initiatives and activities to promote enhanced economic and trade collaboration between the two countries.

During his visit, Thesleff said: “Sri Lanka is a high priority partner for Sweden, and Sweden remains committed towards supporting the local economy by sharing solutions, expertise, and knowledge, especially within targeted high-relevance sectors such as the ICT sector to further strengthen Sri Lanka’s green and digital transition.”

Today, Sri Lanka is driving digitalisation of the nation as it primes the economy for the future. In this aspect, adopting 5G technology will be a necessary catalyst in accelerating the digital transformation. Consumers and enterprises are going digital – online retail, digital wallets, net banking, online learning, smart manufacturing, supply chain management, and consumer services are now at our fingertips because of digitalisation. 

Mobile communications have been a key enabler of digitalisation, providing near-ubiquitous connectivity with 8.5 billion mobile phone subscriptions globally. 

Hence, an important step towards strengthening Sri Lanka’s market position globally is to utilise the benefits of the emerging digital landscape. Sri Lanka’s ICT sector is growing and is expected to contribute both to investments and job opportunities for the talented young population. 

The Embassy of Sweden wants to highlight one company in particular with unique opportunities to contribute to Sri Lanka’s digital transition. Being active for more than 70 years in Sri Lanka, the leading technology company Ericsson has already been pivotal in rolling out every generation of mobile communication in Sri Lanka. 

With connectivity being the backbone of digitalisation, 5G connectivity is critical. Offering significantly faster speeds and lower latency, in addition to secure and reliable connectivity, the advanced capabilities of 5G are a major leap forward in wireless connectivity, paving the way for innovative applications and services not possible with previous generations of mobile networks. 

Ericsson Sri Lanka Managing Director and President Amitabh Pandey said: “Telecommunications play a critical role in the socio-economic development of the country and 5G connectivity shall be pivotal in creating a digital society in Sri Lanka. From connecting communities and powering businesses to fostering innovation and empowering individuals, 5G and digitalisation will be a catalyst for driving Sri Lanka’s growth.” 

 The potential 5G offers are tremendous and span over numerous sectors, from smart cities and transportation to agriculture, education, and healthcare. But with a growing number of sectors relying on digitalisation, the security aspect is imperative. Deriving from the Swedish values of safety and contingency, Ericsson has developed an approach to telecom security built to provide a secure 5G platform that is an ideal foundation on which to build large-scale, security-sensitive systems. 

The transformative potential of 5G is substantial, but realising its full benefits requires strategic planning, infrastructure development, investment, and policies that ensure the democratisation of technology in a safe and secure manner. Collaboration between governments, private sectors, and communities will be vital to harness the transformative power of 5G. 

On this Jubilee Year of 75 years of friendship between Sweden and Sri Lanka, 5G is only the first step on a long journey of future collaborations, paving the way for Sri Lanka’s green and digital transition for another 75 years to come.