Swedish firms can boost India's digital transformation: Minister

From building Smart Cities to tackling air pollution, Swedish companies can offer state-of-the-art, innovative solutions to the Indian government and help Prime Minister Narendra Modi realise the dream of digital transformation, a Swedish minister has said.

According to Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg, the enterprises that have transformed Swedish cities -- be it in the field of transportation or energy sustainability -- can very well emulate the same models here for the Indian cities.

"When it comes to Smart Cities, Swedish companies have expertise, knowledge and have done a lot of real-time work in this area. I think this is a perfect match going forward between Sweden and India," Damberg told IANS on Wednesday on the sidelines of the India-Sweden Business Leaders Roundtable here.

"We have the unique knowledge when it comes to telecom. This is totally necessary if you want to build Smart Cities as connectivity is at the heart of this. We have big players like Ericsson which is now pushing for the revolutionary 5G technology," Damberg added.

From waste management to providing solar energy solutions, Swedish firms have the technical know-how to provide efficient solutions at competitive costs.

"If you want to use solar energy, you need to build smart electricity grids to use renewable energy. Sweden has the best renewable energy use cases. We know how to build smart energy systems that use energy at all hours of the day and night for the industry needs," the minister pointed out.

If India wants to transform its economy, it needs to be more innovative and competitive in the world market.

"Sweden is number three on the innovation front in the world. We have a vibrant digital start-up scene that can help India grow digitally. So if the Indian firms want to try out new solutions, they should come to Sweden. I have called for Sweden to become a 'testbed' for new solutions," the minister added.

--IANS

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