Experts in new ‘Digital Outlook’ agree: digitalisation critical to ensuring green shift towards 2030

(Fornebu/Arendal, 17 August 2021) The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear: we need much bigger and more drastic measures to combat the climate crisis. Both Telenor and leading Norwegian innovators point to digitalisation as an essential part of enabling greener and smarter ways of living, learning, and working in the next decade.

The first Digital Outlook Report released by Telenor Research shares perspectives from industry players and academics, as well as from Telenor’s own experts, on how new technologies and the accelerating digitalisation of society can ensure a greener and smarter world by 2030, both for Norway and the society as a whole.

The report explores the opportunities that rapidly advancing technology holds for the way we live, learn, and work, and reflects on topics such as the future of energy, the importance of learning in order to be green, and how new ways of work are reshaping cities. At the core of the Outlook is the fact that advancing connectivity and the utilisation of new digital technologies are central to our ability to create new and better solutions that can safeguard our planet. 

The outlook served as a backdrop for the panel discussion ‘Green Digital Transformation towards 2030’ between politicians and industry leaders that took place during the Norwegian political festival Arendalsuka 2021. From left: Gry Rohde Nordhus, Head of Telenor Group Communications and moderator, Nikolai Astrup, Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Modernisation (Conservative Party), Espen Barth Eide, Member of the Norwegian Parliament (Labour Party), Alexandra Bech Gjørv, President and CEO of SINTEF, Birger Steen, Principal of Summa Equity, and Petter-Børre Furberg, CEO of Telenor Norway.

The greatest challenge

"For me, this Outlook is first and foremost about people and society. It is about the decisions we will have to make in the coming years to create a more sustainable, inclusive, efficient, and flexible future,” says Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group.

He describes climate change as the greatest challenge of our generation.

"The latest report from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) leaves no doubt about this. Combatting this will require something from every one of us, and it will impact all aspects of our lives. Digitalisation is the underlying theme that cuts across it all, and technology is at the heart of new solutions that make a green shift possible. We see across all industries that connectivity and the use of data trigger innovation, spawn new knowledge, broaden skills, and enable new ways of operating.”

Key perspectives 

The Outlook is divided into three chapters addressing the following: 

• Live: Energy powers all aspects of our lives. The ongoing energy transition will, by 2030, will lead to an entirely new power mix, sourced in radically different ways in much of the world. Representatives from companies leading the energy transition look at the role of renewables and how technology will help ensure a stable supply of power in the next decade.
• Learn: The road ahead is difficult and harnessing talent in all venues is essential. This section explores how innovation and technology will alter the way we access, understand, and absorb knowledge. Education experts shed light on how academia is re-thinking how degrees are delivered in the next decade and the role technology plays in creating immersive and language barrier-free ways of learning. This is forever changing the nature of higher education and enabling both students and employees to contribute to a greener future. 
• Work: New technology plays a transformative role in the future way of work, and this will not only alter the individuals’ experience on-the-job, but it also has the potential to transform the make-up of companies and cities alike. The expectations to utilise new digital tools to become ‘smarter’ and ‘flexible’ are already here - and ‘green’ is the next order of business.

You can access the full Digital Outlook 2030 report on Telenor.com.

Media contact: 

Stian Kristoffer Sande, Communications Manager, Telenor Group
Stian-kristoffer.sande@telenor.com | +47 975 39 221

About Telenor Research: 

Telenor Research is Telenor Group’s corporate unit for scientific research. The unit conducts research within key areas, including customer insight, data analytics, machine learning, innovation, digital services, new technologies, and market dynamics.