Minister Kiuru: Finland`s future growth is in digital services

Ministry of Transport and Communications
Publication date 15.2.2012 15.50
News item

According to Minister of Housing and Communications Ms Krista Kiuru, joint action should be taken with operators in the ICT field to make Finland a new centre for the cloud computing industry. Finland's future economic growth is found in the production and use of digital services taking place on a much wider scale than presently, Ms Kiuru said at the Communications Forum held in Helsinki on 15 February.

"After the recession of the early 1990s, Finland's economy took a huge productivity leap fuelled by the growth of the traditional ICT industry. Now we must make a similar jump to the next level. This requires investment in the production of digital services and in the promotion of their more widespread use", Ms Kiuru said.

Minister Kiuru considers the development of cloud computing services to provide the most promising perspectives for Finland's Internet economy.

The Internet economy refers to services such as e-commerce and content services, telecommunications services related to the Internet (including broadband), along with IT consulting, software development, computers and smart phones.

If considered an independent part of the national economy, the Internet economy presently covers some 6-7 per cent of Finland's overall national economy.