Germany ranks 11th in the DESI report 2017 and it is a leader in spectrum assignment. With 72% of German Internet users reading news online, 78% using the Internet to listen to music, watch videos and play games, 31% making video calls over the Internet and 59% using online banking, Germans are above average users of the Internet. When it comes to online shopping, the country even ranks third among the EU28 (82%). In addition, German citizens and companies are actively approaching the opportunities of eCommerce.

However, Germans are reluctant to subscribe to fast broadband. Moreover, with only 19% eGovernment users, the greatest challenge is to improve the online interaction between public authorities and citizens. Therefore, many institutions and companies are eager to learn from Baltic experiences and are also keen on  finding partners on fields such as eGovernment, Cyber Security and others. Furthermore, urbanization, logistic, and environmental needs force the country to invest largely into smart technologies, especially into smart city and energy solutions.

 

The first German Baltic Digital Summit on 21 January 2019 in Düsseldorf in centered on these main fields of Business Interest and focuses on practical approaches and best practices.