What is Technology for Good?
We say that Ericsson is the leading advocate of Technology for Good in the Networked Society. I often get the question what does this really mean? In connection with the publication of Ericsson’s 2011 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report today, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to explain.
Mobility and broadband will continue to play a decisive role in the transformation of society, and in five years we believe that 90% of the world’s population will have access to mobile communication. With this scale, we are presented with an unprecedented opportunity to help address global sustainable development challenges.
At Ericsson we have focused on the key areas where we believe our company and our technology can have the greatest impact on social, economic and environmental development. Our approach is to use our core business – our technology and our expertise – to effect change, and it is also about engagement, public-private partnerships, and advocacy.
I have seen first hand how connectivity can change people’s lives and improve communities all over the globe, from school children in Malawi to farmers in the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, and from refugees in Uganda to city planners of Stockholm Royal Seaport.
Broadband infrastructure is rapidly being deployed, but we have only begun to explore how we can apply Technology for Good. You can read about our progress on initiatives and our performance during 2011 in the report and follow this blog for current issues.
We all, as fellow mobile subscribers, make up the largest social network in the history of mankind. You are a part of it and together we can tap that potential to make positive and lasting change.
We look forward to you joining the conversation and being a part of Technology for Good in the Networked Society.
Written by Elaine Weidman-Grunewald
Elaine Weidman Grunewald is Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson. She joined Ericsson in 1998, and she is responsible for a number of public private partnerships which explore the use of Technology for Good, i.e. the use Ericsson’s core technology to solve some of the world’s most compelling challenges and help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals , including the Millennium villages, Connect to Learn, and Refugees United. She is a leading advocate of Technology for Good and represents Ericsson in a number of external fora including the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and the United Nations Global Compact.
