PRESS RELEASE: 6thForum : Greece's Transition to a Sustainable Future
Greece in the Digital Age
The prospects of Greece in the Digital Age as well as the revolutionary changes expected to be brought by 5G network technology, a core pillar of the digital transformation that is underway in our country, were presented by the participants in the second session of the 6th Greece – Sweden Business Forum, «Greece’s Transition towards a Sustainable Future». The Forum, organized by the Greek‑Swedish Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Greece, took place online on Tuesday 26 January 2021.
At the opening of the Forum, a greeting was delivered by the President of the Hellenic-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Rania Patsiopoulou, who made clear the need for Greece to transition to a sustainable future through the digital transformation that is already underway.
The Ambassador of Sweden to Greece, Ms. Charlotte Sammelin, during her opening remarks, emphasizing that this transformation can activate multiple synergies between the two countries. With 60% of the world's population currently connected to the internet and 55% living in cities, countries must focus on their digital readiness, address the challenges posed by the adoption of new technologies and ensure, with the help of digitalization, the transition to a sustainable and interconnected society, she explained.
In the thematic section “Phaistos Fund – The Ecosystem for the 5th Generation of Networks”, Mr. Antonis Tzortzakakis, CEO of 5G Ventures, underlined that “Greece cannot afford to miss the opportunity given to it by the 4th Industrial Revolution and 5G networks, in order to move from a lagging position to a leading position in the field of technology”. “Greece entered the restrictive measures with 4G and is proceeding to the exit with 5G, given that the first commercial networks are already in operation”, he emphasized.
In this context, it noted that according to a related study, investments of €1.2-1.5 billion in 5G network infrastructure can trigger investments of up to €5 billion across all sectors of the economy and lead to the creation of 50,000-60,000 new jobs. The four sectors expected to benefit the most, in order of result, are the Public sector & Health, manufacturing, energy & public utility services and transport & the supply chain.
Refer to the pan‑European pioneering 5G investment platform of the Phaistos Fund, explained that the investment fund «specializes in supporting business initiatives in the 5G sector which aim to exploit all the capabilities that stem from the new technological infrastructures to develop innovative services and products. And this because, as explained, the dynamics of 5G infrastructures are utilized only if there are innovative business and technological proposals that implement the digital transformation of economic sectors and, by ’extension, of the country.»
«The “Phaistos”, starts with an initial capital of 93 million euros that resulted from the auction of 5G licences last December, but its financial firepower will be strengthened by the participation of private investors. The capital gathering from the private sector is estimated to be completed within the next six months, after which the fund’s investment activity will begin», as estimated by Mr. Tzortzakakis.
See also: Why do businesses organize internal hackathons?
Afterwards, Ms. Lydia Partheni, Visit and Program Manager of Smart City Sweden, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, presented the smart and sustainable solutions that the company implements to create smart cities, solutions that, as she noted, are based on the close cooperation of the government with the private and academic sectors and that to date have more than 120 good practices to demonstrate to those interested in making the transition.
The ways in which we will ensure that digital transformation will lead to sustainable societies were listed by Ms. Eva Sattin, Senior Expert and Project Manager – Sustainable Digitalization and Innovation, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. “Digitalization paves the way for automation, optimization, innovation and circular material flows. However, the biggest challenge is not the capabilities of technology but our ability to utilize it properly,” she pointed out, adding that we must introduce into the equation the impact that technology and its applications can have on both the environment and society.
In addition, Calpak's smart factory, the first in Greece based on a private mobile network, which was implemented in collaboration with Ericsson, Gizelis Robotics and OTE, was presented by the participants of the "Smart Factory Greece - Digital Synergy" , moderated by Alpha journalist, Ms. Maria Nikoltsiou.
Referring to the implementation process of this specific project, the idea for which was born in 2018, Ms. Maria Boura, Director, Government & Industry Relations & Innovation of Ericsson Greece, explained that the necessary ingredient for the implementation of such projects is the innovative mindset, which Calpak's management possessed. Equally necessary, according to her, is the spirit of cooperation that inspires everyone who participated in the implementation of the project. The Ericsson representative also referred to the multiple challenges that industrial production faces today, noting that because of these, factories are called upon to invest in highly reliable, flexible and secure automation of production, in order to further increase their contribution to global GDP, which currently amounts to 16% (only 9.5% in Greece). Such high-quality connectivity can only be achieved through the use of private 4G/5G mobile networks. Concluding her intervention, Ms. Boura stated that "5G is not a destination, but a journey."
Explaining what a smart factory means, Mr. Costas Konstantinidis, CEO and co-founder of Caplak, said that it is a flexible automated production system that can optimize its own performance by re-evaluating production data and even predicting problems that may arise along the way. At the same time, he pointed out that even small and medium-sized enterprises should promote their digital transformation in order to be able to evolve into the new business environment that the 4th industrial revolution is giving rise to, and the example of CalpaK could inspire in this direction.
Mr. Evangelos Gizelis, CEO of Gizelis Robotics, , since through innovative practices they succeed in ensuring the competitiveness of businesses. Highlighting the critical role of 5G in the robotic automation sector, Mr. Gizelis noted that it paves the way for broader cooperation between machines and humans, which will ultimately increase the productivity of businesses but also accelerate the delivery of goods to citizens-consumers.
Mr. Dimitris Salpeas, Senior Manager, B2B Fixed Core & Connectivity Services of OTE Group, spoke about the advantages of private mobile networks for the operation of a smart factory, including "flexibility, mobility, reliability, security and scalability. Emphasizing that OTE Group understands the crucial role of networks for the digital transformation of the country and the economy, Mr. Salpeas noted that the organization has invested almost 5 billion euros in the last 10 years for the development of fixed and mobile networks, is launching investments of 2 billion euros over the next four years and aims for 5G population coverage to reach 50% by the end of the year. At the same time, he mentioned that the OTE Group has already completed many ICT projects in Greece and abroad and aspires to be the partner of choice for businesses on the path to their digital transformation.
The event was sponsored by: Cosmote, Ericsson, Intrum, Sarakakis Group of Companies, Smart City Sweden, SKF and Vellum Business Consultants. You can watch the video of the event here.
Information: Dimitra Asimakopoulou T: 2107289000, info@Hellenic-SwedishCC.gr
