Smart communities in unexpected places

Deep in the heavily forested Swedish province of Småland, every school, business and municipal apartment complex in Tranås is connected to the community broadband network. Telephony services to the town's schools, public healthcare sector, and municipal offices are provided via broadband. All this has had a dramatically positive effect on the town.

Monday, January 31, 2005

Beautifully located Tranås now aims to establish itself as a "smart community".

The town suffered a severe blow in 1995, with the closure of its fur factory, resulting in the loss of 3000 jobs. Soaring unemployment affected other business: many young people left the town and the seemingly inevitable downward spiral had started.

Kjell Petterson, IT Manager of Tranås Municipality, decided that laying fiber-optic cable was the answer. Local politicians supported his idea and Ericsson provided the fiber. Petterson says: "Our primary goal was to attract more businesses, which would in turn generate more tax income. We didn't want to be dependent on selling content to generate income."

Increased business activity

In financial terms, the broadband network has already paid for itself. The focus on promoting increased business activity, rather than selling broadband subscriptions, is the primary difference between Tranås and other, less-successful community broadband projects.

A few years ago the town had a tough time finding tenants for its municipal housing, but not now. Each municipal apartment comes fully wired and the residency rate has skyrocketed.

Since the introduction of broadband, more businesses and services companies have put down roots and the regional university established a Tranås branch. The town has also enjoyed an increase in population as well as an influx of IT professionals.

Smart community

The town council expanded on the project a few years ago by establishing its own telephony system using broadband: today the telephony system brings in a profit. Ericsson supplied solutions for telephony (Ericsson's MD110) and IP telephony.

Tranås now aims to establish itself as a "smart community," one that uses information and communication technology to link citizens, and the private and public sectors, in one network.

Schools have been equipped with computer rooms and teachers have taken part in training courses to bring them up to speed technologically. Students who do not have access to PCs at home can borrow equipment from school.

Encouraging development

Wireless Care is Tranås's ambitious healthcare project, also part of the smart community concept. It aims to provide each team of professional caregivers with the technology for conducting virtual patient visits using a computer. Caregivers will be able to access their patients' charts, X-rays, lab results and other essential information. Patients will one day be able to maintain direct contact with their doctors and nurses using home video equipment.

Tranås is sharing the wealth of its experience with other nearby municipalities. Nearly 55 districts that already have broadband are hooking up to a common IP network that is expected to encourage financial and community development throughout the area.

Kendal von Sydow