The Swedish public sector is saying goodbye to Big Tech

Sweden’s public sector has sidelined Big Tech in the name of privacy, as a major telecom provider unveiled a new secure collaboration hub.

Based on an existing system developed by UK encrypted service provider Element, Tele2 Collaborate includes encrypted chat, video conferencing, whiteboarding and document sharing capabilities.

The ‘first of its kind’ system allows all data in Sweden to be managed and stored by a Swedish supplier. It is designed to replace existing tools for organizations that handle citizens’ most personal and sensitive information.

Tele2 Collaboration

“We keep a close eye on developments and adapt our offering to what each segment of the market demands. The Digital Collaboration Platforms (eSAM) project has clearly demonstrated the need in the public sector for secure collaboration solutions that can handle even the most sensitive cases. data,” says Stefan Trampus, Executive Vice President of B2B at Tele2.

A joint work carried out by the Swedish Tax Administration, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration and several other organizations, the eSAM initiative started precisely as a way to find alternatives to Skype for Business (which is where support is set). end in October 2025).

Another study by Forrester Consulting (commissioned by Element) also underlines this necessity. Here, the findings show how IT leaders are increasingly looking for more secure and flexible solutions, with end-to-end encryption (E2E) and digital sovereignty the top priorities.

Popular encrypted messaging apps and other security software such as VPN services use E2E to secure all communications. Yet these services are not designed to provide organizations with digital sovereignty.

Digital sovereignty refers to the actual ownership of data. For example, when I send a message through an encrypted app, I have to trust that the tech company is handling that data correctly, as the process is beyond my control.

“As a government, you simply do not want your data to be on a company’s platform some sellerMatthew Hodgson, CEO and co-founder of Element, told me. “On a day-to-day level, this means that end-user organizations are not dependent on a large technology company, locked into a proprietary platform.”

That’s exactly where Tele2’s new collaboration hub comes into play. Tele2 Collaborate complements existing products and services in the Swedish public sector, Trampus explains, allowing them to manage secure messaging and collaborations. It is a unique solution, providing a single solution across a portfolio of secure communications products, which is “unlike anything that has been done before,” Hodgson said.

Tele2 has chosen 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,” said Amandine Le Pape, co-founder and chief operating officer of Element.

Tele2 also partnered with NUITEQ, a Sewdish collaborative software company, to enable seamless integration for digital whiteboards.

While Swedish public sector companies can now use Tele2 Collaborate to secure their communications and citizens’ data – including direct messages, video meetings and documents created and shared in the cloud – other countries in Europe could follow Sweden’s lead by moving away from Big Technology.

For example, Germany has also worked with Element to build a digitally sovereign and open source solution called Open desk. Hodgson believes the Swedish example could help speed up the process across the continent.

He told me: “Seeing a mainstream telecom company like Tele2 launch a truly secure, decentralized communications solution is a huge step forward in educating the mainstream on the importance of digital sovereignty.”