Sweden's public sector has ditched Big Tech in the name of privacy as a major telecom provider unveiled a new secure online collaboration hub.
Based on an existing system developed by UK encrypted service provider Element, Tele2 Collaborate includes encrypted chat, video meetings, whiteboard, and document-sharing functionalities.
The "first of its kind" system allows all data to be managed and stored in Sweden by a Swedish supplier. It's designed to replace existing tools for those organizations processing citizens' most personal and sensitive information.
Tele2 Collaborate
"We are monitoring developments closely and adapting our offering to what each segment of the market demands. The Digital Collaboration Platforms (eSAM) project clearly showed that in the public sector, there is a need for secure collaboration solutions that handle even the most sensitive of data," said Stefan Trampus, Executive Vice President of B2B at Tele2.
A joint work carried out by the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration, and several other organizations, the eSAM initiative exactly began as a way to find alternatives to Skype for Business (which support is set to end in October 2025).
Another study from Forrester Consulting (commissioned by Element) also highlights this need. Here, findings show how IT leaders are increasingly seeking more secure and flexible solutions, with end-to-end encryption (E2E) and digital sovereignty being the top priorities.
Encryption describes the process of scrambling data into an unreadable form to prevent unauthorized access. End-to-end encryption (E2E) means the data is encrypted on the sender's device and decrypted only when it reaches the intended recipient.
Popular encrypted messaging apps and other security software like VPN services use E2E to secure all communications. Yet, these services aren't designed to provide organizations with digital sovereignty.
Digital sovereignty refers to the actual ownership of data. For instance, when I send a message on an encrypted app, I need to trust the tech company to handle that data correctly as the process is beyond my control.
"As a government, you simply don't want your data on a platform belonging to some vendor," Matthew Hodgson, CEO & Co-Founder at Element, told me. "On a day-to-day level, it means end-user organizations not being beholden to a big tech firm, locked into a proprietary platform."
That's exactly where Tele2's new collaboration hub comes in. Tele2 Collaborate complements the existing products and services in Sweden's public sector, explained Trampus, and enables them to manage secure messaging and collaborations. It's a one-of-a-kind solution, offering a single solution for a portfolio of secure communications products, and that's "different to anything that's been done before," said Hodgson.
We’re delighted @Tele2sweden chose Element to be an integral part of its new Tele2 Collaborate (Tele2 Samarbete) service, providing Sweden’s public sector with digitally sovereign and secure communications. https://t.co/ZryBu8Yvbm pic.twitter.com/eXpbzIwXJQApril 8, 2024
Tele2 opted to build its new collaboration hub using Element Server Suite (ESS). This is a digital infrastructure based on the Matrix—an open-source protocol for decentralized and secure communications—designed for enterprises and large-scale deployments.
"Through Tele2 Collaborate, Element will be available both on-premise and through a managed hosting service," says Amandine Le Pape, co-founder and chief operating officer, at Element.
Tele2 also partnered with NUITEQ, a Sewdish collaborative software company, to include seamless integration for digital whiteboards.
While enterprises in the Swedish public sector can now use Tele2 Collaborate to secure their communications and citizens' data—including direct messages, video meetings, and documents created and shared on the cloud—other nations in Europe could follow Sweden's lead in moving away from Big Tech.
For instance, Germany has also been working with Element to build a digitally sovereign and open-source solution called Open-Desk. Hodgson believes that the Swedish example could help accelerate the process across the continent.
He told me: "Seeing a mainstream telco such as Tele2 launch a truly secure decentralized communication solution is a huge step forward in educating the mainstream in the importance of digital sovereignty."
