Page 20 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark 5 SDG

Fixed Broadband 82.85 %
Subscriptions

Wireless Broadband
Subscriptions (per 116 674
100 000 inhabitants)

Household Internet 96.00 %
Access

Wireless Broadband 92.20 %
Coverage – 4G

Availability of Wi-Fi in
Public Areas 232 Spots No benchmark available

The reporting of Ålesund's economy starts with its connectivity and ICT infrastructure KPIs.

Mobile internet access and usage are prevalent. This is an important achievement for the region, as
research shows that advanced wireless networks (and 4G penetration in particular) are necessary for
technology leadership in any city. The benefits of such leadership are important for the economy of a
city or region, and include local GDP growth, job increases, technological cost savings, and a broadly
deployed network-driven innovation engine. For growing cities or regions such as Ålesund, achieving
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and sustaining such economic growth is all the more important when competing for resources and
talent with larger commercial centres.

Moreover, Ålesund’s overall household penetration rate is higher than the Norwegian average of
approximately 90 per cent. It will be further bolstered when the region finishes providing high-speed,
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fibre-based broadband for households in rural areas over the next few years.

Optimizing smart, sustainable ICT infrastructure: To capture the ICT usage state at
that time and to conduct even deeper analysis, Ålesund could utilize Recommendation
ITU-T L.1601: ‘KPIs related to the use of ICT in smart sustainable cities’ and Recommendation ITU-T
Y.4902/L.1602: ‘KPIs related to the sustainability impacts of ICT in smart sustainable cities’. Also useful
are Recommendation ITU-T L.1400: ‘Overview and general principles of methodologies for assessing
the environmental impact of ICTs’ and Recommendation ITU-T L.1440: ‘Methodology for environmental
impact assessment of ICTs at city level’.

For the expansion of high-speed broadband in rural areas, in particular, Recommendations ITU-T Y.3000
to Y.3499: ‘Future networks’ can help guide forward-looking implementation.

14 U4SSC Factsheet | Ålesund, Norway | June 2020