Germany wants to use its presidency of the Group of 20 significant economies to market fast internet for all, agree frequent technical requirements and market lifelong digital finding out, Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries stated.
Zypries’ comments come ahead of a 1st meeting of G20 ministers accountable for digital policy later this week in Duesseldorf, ahead of a G20 summit chaired by Germany in July.
Germany wants the G20 to agree to a concrete program, like rolling out fast internet across the globe by 2025.
“The message must be: we are working together to make the opportunities of the digital revolution usable for all and to regulate it through a framework of rules,” Zypries stated in emailed answers to concerns from Reuters.
Zypries stated Germany and Europe had been in a very good position to take a major part in the improvement of the so-named Internet of Things (IoT), in which normal objects are connected to networks to send and acquire information.
By 2020, 21 billion IoT devices will be in use worldwide, up from fewer than five billion final year, investigation firm Gartner has estimated. However, authorities argue that the lack of global requirements is stopping the sector attain its complete prospective.
Zypries stated she was not concerned that the U.S. government will not be represented at the minister level at the meeting in Germany, noting that the administration below new President Donald Trump was nevertheless filling hundreds of positions.
“In the end, it is not a matter of who is sitting at the table, but achieving a good and resilient result together,” she stated.
Zypries reiterated her issues about expanding U.S. protectionism, noting that U.S. businesses such as Alphabet’s Google, Facebook and Apple had been leaders in digital goods and solutions.
“They export their products and services very successfully in the world, also to Germany, and are reliant on free trade. The United States also needs our machines and products to build up American industry,” she stated.
(Reporting by Gernot Heller Writing by Emma Thomasson Editing by Alison Williams)
