Digital Outlook 2030: Responsible business

Dear reader,

On the small farm in the Norwegian countryside where I grew up, responsibility was a way of life. We had animals to attend to and harvesting in the summer. As a farmer, you do your utmost to nurture and develop the farm to provide the next generation with an improved starting point.

I chose not to become a farmer, but the farmer ethos still resides with me. We need not only to deliver this year and next but also to ensure that we are here for the next 100. The long-term view can be elusive in our day-to-day lives, but nonetheless important for us as a company and the societies we do business in. I am therefore pleased to introduce this year’s Digital Outlook, developed by experts in our research arm Telenor Research, which focuses on different aspects and dilemmas of responsible business in light of the accelerating digitalisation of society.

Technology can help us change for a more sustainable future, but it can also lead us astray. If one can change a million decisions for the better, it is also possible to change them for the worse.

Indeed, there will be a constant temptation for businesses to say one thing and do another. For this reason alone, there is a greater need for responsible business, but more generally, we need to discuss how we can shape societies in a good way while keeping the advantages provided by digitalisation.

I firmly believe technology is a force for good if we are willing to think ahead and make bets against the future. Mistakes will undoubtedly be made, and unintended consequences are certain to follow, but we can mitigate this risk by engaging in honest and sometimes difficult dialogues about the impact of technology on our society in the coming decade. Therefore, in this Outlook, Telenor Research shares some perspectives on the opportunities and dilemmas digitalisation poses for consumers, employees, and businesses. I encourage you to dive into the chapters and engage in these crucial discussions. Because the choices we make - or don’t make - today will determine what our lives will look like in 2030 and beyond.

Sigve Brekke,
President & CEO Telenor Group.