As several smart Swedish start-ups are emerging on the global information and communication technology (ICT) stage, Sweden ranks number one in the digital economies of the world. Computers are a natural part of the Swedish education system.

The Swedish top spot is awarded by the World Economic Forum’s* “Global Information Technology Report.” It looks at the use of ICT as a tool for economic growth in 138 countries. The report compares technological infrastructure, political initiatives, consumer attitudes and several other factors. Sweden ranks just ahead of Singapore and Finland.

Some factors mentioned as reasons for Swedish ICT successes are: a good education system in the ICT field, the government’s promotion of broadband infrastructure in the 1990s, and tax deductions for home computers in the 1990s. Sweden was also one of the first countries to establish a telephone network, which provided the basis for present-day multinational company Ericsson, producer of telecommunications infrastructure.

The fact that Sweden hosts several fast growing ICT companies is a sign of the Swedish ICT know-how, says Daniel Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the news site Computer Sweden.

Success stories

Examples of Swedish ICT success stories abound. One of the fast growers is QlikTech. The company was founded in the 1990s as a small consultant service in Lund in southern Sweden, but in recent years, innovations by its engineer Håkan Wolgé have transformed the company entirely. Its software now facilitates cross-referencing of all kinds of business data, and is used by 22,000 companies. It was recently launched on the NASDAQ stock exchange with a 2011 turnover of USD 327 million.

In a cultural climate of widespread illegal downloading of music, a group of Swedes invented a perfectly legal, free solution for listening to music online: Spotify. This Swedish online music streaming service has grown from zero to seven million users in selected countries around the world in just seven years.

But the Swedish story of fortune above all others is Skype, the free internet calling tool. Co-founded by Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström, Skype was sold to eBay in 2005 for USD 2.6 billion. In November 2011, Zennström invested SEK 37 million (about USD 5.5 million) in new Swedish cell phone application Wrapp, which allows users to give and receive digital gift cards.

*The World Economic Forum is an independent Swiss foundation that also runs the well-known, annual Davos conference on world affairs.

by: Jonas Fredén
Apr 17, 2012

Source: www.sweden.se
Photo: Lena Granefelt/imagebank.sweden.se