Does strategy matter? A comparison of broadband rollout policies in Finland and Sweden

This study investigates broadband policies applied in Finland and Sweden with special reference to the geographical coverage of the required network infrastructure. These two Nordic countries are seen as forerunners in the development of the information society, and they also share several other similarities bearing relevance to the take-up of broadband. However, they have applied different broadband strategies: Sweden, one of the first-movers in this field, already launched its ambitious and interventionist national ICT infrastructure program in 2000, whereas the Finnish broadband strategy, published in 2003, largely relies on market forces. The present article analyses these broadband strategies, and attempts to identify their actual differences. It appears that the Finnish strategy caused temporary higher broadband prices and a somewhat slower rollout. However, the current results of the two countries’ strategies in terms of coverage and usage levels, as well as end-user prices, do not indicate any significant long-term policy-induced impacts.