Annual Report 2008 - IVA

jan uddenfeldt, ericsson:
Ambient sweden can speed up
iT development
Jan Uddenfeldt, head of Technology Strategy at Ericsson, is convinced that
Sweden has a bright future as a technology producer within Internet and
mobile communication. IVA’s project “Ambient Sweden” can provide ideas
and networks that will give us successful constellations within the area of new
Internet services.
“sweden’s main strength in telecom and internet
contexts is that we are way ahead in
technical expertise within mobile communication,”
says jan uddenfeldt. “Today almost all
major players are working on mobile applications
for the web, and mobile broadband
is growing rapidly in sweden. new services
within e-government and the care sector will
emerge and sweden was one of the first to
develop these services. But the level of interest
in this area is high throughout the world.
The usA are behind right now but can, with
Barack obama in the white house, utilise
more modern technology to develop services
and make significant progress quickly. if
sweden wants to be involved, we need to
act now. The industry should be able to seize
more of the existing opportunities.”
»Our expertise in
telephony and mobile
communication makes
us an interesting partner
for all companies«
Today jan uddenfeldt is working in silicon
valley in california. it’s no coincidence of
course; this is where many of the major players
that ericsson is studying and – most im-
portantly – wants to forge partnerships and
alliances with are found. And this is one of jan
uddenfeldt’s most important tasks.
“Recently, for example, i was discussing cooperation
on new platforms with google,”
says jan uddenfeldt. “if you are from ericsson
you are in a strong position; our expertise in
telephony and mobile communication makes
us an interesting partner for all companies
looking to develop their services and technology
for the internet of the future.
mobile broadband and advanced mobile
phones are the foundation for services of the
future. The new mobile phones make the internet
accessible in an entirely different way.
“People are embracing the concept of a
portable platform for almost every type of
service. The purpose of ‘Ambient sweden’ is
for the internet to be ubiquitous, and this is
becoming a reality. within the medical field,
image transfer technology will lead to new
services, for example enabling a home carer
to discuss patient care with an expert.”
jan uddenfeldt points out that ivA should
also develop the new opportunities.
“i understand that this is one of the areas
our new president Björn o. nilsson has embraced
since he started. That’s great; a knowledge
communicator like ivA has everything to
gain by using iT as much as possible.”
According to jan uddenfeldt, in order for
sweden and europe to keep up with or even
lead development, a lot needs to happen at
the european level.
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“i am very happy that the eu has acted in
such a powerful way, especially with respect
to large research projects.”
jan uddenfeldt is hoping that ivA in cooperation
with other players, such as vinnova,
will be able to help create strong research
programmes in sweden. But we may have a
problem with research capacity.
“The iT crisis at the beginning of this century
impacted research a few years later,
around 2004–2005. many researchers
switched to other fields, such as the motor
vehicle industry.
jan uddenfeldt wants to see more support
for small businesses that can build applications.
»Sweden needs to
create better systems for
supporting innovation«
“venture capital, including government risk
money, needs to come in at an earlier stage
than has been the case up to now. it’s the
really small companies that often have ideas
that can be developed, but they are very
limited in their ability to develop their business.
Today, other countries – most notably
finland – are better at supporting businesses
in this critical phase. sweden needs to create
better systems for supporting innovation. The
business community can make an important
contribution by being present at universities
and encouraging researchers and students
by showing them that commercialisation is
possible.