Federal strategy for Switzerland's digital future

Bern, 09.03.2012 - Through their potential for innovation, information and communication technologies (ICT) offer numerous opportunities for the economy and society in Switzerland. For example, they enable efficient, individual and cheaper processes to be implemented. In order to make the most of this potential, the Federal Council has updated its strategy for an information society in Switzerland. The strategy is applicable immediately and will be further developed regularly.

By means of the strategy, the Federal Council designates the areas of activity in which the innovation potential of ICT can have a particularly great impact. As a basis for a sustainable information society, the Federal Council envisages high-performance, open transmission networks. For the first time it has therefore included the topic "Infrastructure" in its strategy. Also, the topic "Energy and Resource Efficiency" has now been incorporated, in order to achieve sustainable, environmentally friendly use of ICT. All the other areas of activity (see box) have been fundamentally updated to take new developments into account. The Federal Council's strategy for an information society in Switzerland is crucial for the activity of the federal administration and defines the Confederation's corresponding priorities for action.

New projects

Together with its strategy, the Federal Council has adopted three new projects in relation to its implementation.

  • The federal administration will develop appropriate instruments in order to preserve Switzerland's public interest, as far as possible, in relation to the liberalisation of the international internet domain name market. In the future, for example, in addition to .ch or .com, it will be possible to choose any other internet suffixes at will, as decided in 2011 by the global management body for internet addresses, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
  • Barrier-free, equal-opportunity access to online information as well as communication and transaction services of the government and the federal administration are to be improved. 
  • In order be able to compare the attractiveness of Switzerland with other countries as a location for businesses, an appropriate statistical basis is essential. The range of data relating to the development of the information society should therefore be expanded.

Implementation of the strategy

The strategy for an information society is being implemented within the departments of the federal government. The Federal Council has tasked a newly created "Information Society Steering Committee" with ensuring the coordinated and tightly focused implementation of the strategy. This Steering Committee also has the task of submitting recommendations to the Federal Council for new, high-priority projects and is responsible for further developing the strategy. The Steering Committee will be put in place by the middle of the year. An "Information Society Business Office", based within the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), will support it in its work.

The strategy's areas of activity and their sub-topics

Energy and resource efficiency (new):

Energy and resource efficiency of ICT; ICT as a tool to optimise energy and resource efficiency in other areas

Infrastructure (new):

High-performance, open networks; smart controls for buildings, energy and transport; Swiss interests in relation to internet governance in an international context

Security and trust:

Security skills; cyber crime; critical infrastructures

The economy:

Ensuring a sustainable economy through the deployment and use of ICT (the e-Economy)

e-Democracy and e-Government:
Exercising civil liberties electronically; government data and information; ICT-based change within the administration

Education, research, innovation:
ICT professionals; basic ICT skills; Switzerland as a competitive base for research and innovation

Culture:

Digital cultural production and digitisation of the cultural heritage; protection of intellectual property in the digital sphere

Health and health care:

Reform of the health system with the help of ICT; dealing with the health risks of ICT

The updating process
The last strategy for an information society entered into force in 2006. Even at that stage, the Federal Council issued instructions for it to be reviewed regularly to ensure that it was up-to-date. This task was carried out by the "Interdepartmental Information Society Committee", now superseded by the "Information Society Steering Committee". Some 200 experts from inside and outside the federal government and from various sectors have worked on the new strategy.


Address for enquiries

Sabine Brenner, Information Society Coordination Office OFCOM, tel. 032 327 58 79



Publisher

The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html

General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; General Secretariat DETEC
https://www.uvek.admin.ch/uvek/en/home.html

Federal Office of Communications
http://www.ofcom.admin.ch

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-43694.html