Ericsson CEO, Hans Vestberg foresees a very strong role of broadband services in the overall development of the world including addressing factors such as poverty, climate change and the economic crisis.

Speaking during the Earth Institute’s State of the Planet conference in New York, Vestberg stated, “Mobile communications access is critical in breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries.  The right tools can help people to escape from poverty and achieve the MDGs," he said. It is making a very meaningful difference in people's lives. Today there are 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions and in five years we are set to reach seven billion."

He added that the role of importance is unique because it can impact on all of the Millennium Development Goals. He also pointed out to be successful in achieving the potential, "scale up is needed" and that this will require commitments from many different sectors and international organizations.

Vestberg said that globally it is being observed that governments are indeed recognizing the importance of infrastructure spending on telecom and telecom service providers as large infrastructure investors can play a significant role in supporting such government efforts.

"Economic growth and environmental protection do not need to be in conflict. On the contrary, investments in broadband can help to stimulate both and bring a new era in green economy. Broadband will be a pre requisite for a 21st Century low carbon economy, and will enable services such as smart grids, intelligent transports, e-health, all of which have significant contributions to reduce CO2,” concluded Vestberg.