February 28th, the CLS together with the Swedish Embassy in Lisbon and Ericsson Portugal hosted a business breakfast concerning the current status of 5G deployment in Portugal, and what is needed for Europe to stay competitive in 5G and fiber connectivity.
At the Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden to Portugal, the morning started off with an appetizing breakfast, fueling the participants and starting round-table discussions. Stakeholders were gathered from various sectors, all interested in how the rollout of 5G is developing in Portugal. The Draghi report on EU competitiveness from last year showed that Europe, and its telecommunications sector, is falling behind. To increase the knowledge and ignite development, Juan Olivera and Guilherme Alves from Ericsson took the stage with a presentation about connectivity across Portugal and Europe.
The findings were striking, as it became obvious that most competitors of the EU are much further ahead in 5G maturity, fiber networks, and investments into upgrading digital infrastructure. Juan and Guilherme demonstrated how 5G development has improved lives across sectors like healthcare, communication, and research. The connection between better digital infrastructure and improved lives. Seeing how markets in other regions are advancing, it became clear that Europe needs to invest more into developing and deploying 5G networks.
Lively discussion arose as the participants pointed out how digitalization and 5G impact their work, highlighting recent price and technology advancements. Some had seen developments in regions previously lived in, while others talked about how some sectors in Portugal were in strong need of better access to communications technology.
This breakfast highlighted the necessity of these initiatives and discussions for building understanding and finding common ground within crucial sectors, between public and private sector. Also, what steps Europe can take to unite and thus increase competitiveness both in the region and globally.
The CLS extends its sincerest gratitude towards the Swedish Embassy in Lisbon, Ericsson, and all participants in making this morning educative, engaging, and fruitful. We look forward to continuing to build bridges between sectors, and Sweden and Portugal through more uplifting events.
