The target for internet speed that politicians have had for many years has been at least 100 megabits per second. Now the government promises that Norway will become a gigabit society by 2030. That means ten times faster internet. – Everyone must have the option of at least one gigabit per second, says Minister for Digitization Karianne Tung (AP) to news. By “everyone”, she means that Nordland, Svalbard and the districts with poor internet should also have the same access to fast internet. – We are doing this because everyone in the whole country should have equal opportunities to take part in digitalisation. They must be able to be part of a creative business community, says the minister. She says better internet will also make it possible for people to stay at home for longer, and get, for example, digital home care. Grew up with bad internet Anna Olsdatter Hjelen (20) is from Aure municipality, which has only 1,600 households. She grew up without Snapchat and TikTok, precisely because of poor internet. – If I were to send a snap, it said “loader”. It could stay like this for one or two hours before I had to turn off wifi and use mobile data instead. Anna Olsdatter Hjelen has heard that other young people engage in gaming. Even she barely knows what it’s like. Photo: Eirik Haukenes Without mobile data, she couldn’t hand in school assignments either. – Dad got me unlimited mobile data for a while, so I could upload submissions for school and have a social life online. Hjelen also says that she couldn’t FaceTime with her friends, and if they were to meet after school, she couldn’t just send a snap and ask if they wanted to hang out. – We often agreed physically at school, she says. They got fiber cable last year, and with that, life has become much easier. Hjelen is positive about politicians’ promises about faster internet and says she has faith that it is possible. – I hope they achieve what they promise, and that there will be less trouble in the districts, she says. Karianne Tung gets ready to go on stage on the cruise ship Color Magic. Photo: Sahara Muhaisen / news Not picking up the whole bill In 2024, the government gave NOK 400 million to internet connections. Although this sounds like a lot, it is small compared to what the telecoms companies spend on building out internet infrastructure. They account for approximately 90 percent of the costs. – Telenor alone spends several billion kroner every year, says Bjørn Amundsen, director of coverage at Telenor. It is expensive to dig in the ground or set up satellites to provide fast internet in areas with few households. Amundsen says that in these areas the costs are much higher than the return. – In these areas, it can cost between NOK 1 and 10 million per household, he says. Karianne Tung promises to contribute more money, but says that the government will not pick up the whole bill, and that “faster internet” is a joint project between the state and private companies. – The market players have taken major steps to manage it. But we see that it is not profitable to expand everywhere in the country. That is why the state is providing funds, she says. Karianne Tung told the industry about the new targets this week. Photo: Sahara Muhaisen / news Applause from the industry On Wednesday this week, Karianne Tung met the telecom companies at a conference. On stage, she talked about the goal of a gigabit society by 2030. The announcement was met with great applause from the audience. Telenor director Bjørn Amundsen says he is happy that the government is now in line with the rest of Europe. What he wants now is to see money on the table. – It is important that there are funds in the state budget. The municipalities and the telecoms companies have been asking for it for a long time, he says. Amundsen believes this is particularly important for areas in Norway where it is not commercially profitable to expand. – I think the vast majority of counties are affected, with one household or another, he says. Telia CEO Stein-Erik Vellan praises the ambitious goal, but at the same time says that he is “cautiously optimistic”. He is a bit worried about the competition, especially when it comes to the government’s upcoming decision on the next generation emergency grid. – If you end up in a situation where you choose one supplier that becomes a monopolist, the motivation and willingness to invest in development for the other suppliers will be much weaker, he says. Published 26/09/2024, at 06.49
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The government promises super-fast internet for everyone by 2030 – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
