Christopher Mattheisen
T-Systems Hungary`s fourth Symposium in Budapest Congress Centre recently attracted almost 2000 registered guests. The symposium, regarded as the biggest whole-day professional event of the industry, presented the expected actual and future technological challenges that companies and institutions have to face in the future.
Kerstin Günther, chairperson of the board of directors of Magyar Telekom, outlined that the info-communication infrastructure is the basis of our digital lives and will be more and more important due to the exponentially increasing amount of data traffic.
Günther said simple devices have evolved into a complex ecosystem of smart devices, ranging from smart phones through smart homes up to autonomous cars, and require almost as fast internet connection as the speed of tactile stimuli.
She said the Digital Hungary program, where Magyar Telekom plays an active role, also recognised the importance of network development.
Christopher Mattheisen, Magyar Telekom’s CEO, said that in relation to the Digital Hungary program and the InternetKon he envisages an encouraging future vision. Besides network development, the focus must be on the development of digital competences where the digitalisation of education plays a key role.
Mattheisen said there is a significant shortage of Hungarian IT professionals on the labour market despite IT being of key importance in the development of the digital economy with very attractive career opportunities.
Recognising this demand, Magyar Telekom and T-Systems Hungary had launched the Become an IT expert! program that presents the versatile, complex and exciting world of IT to primary and secondary school students, thereby making the industry more effective for the young generation.
The program, which has been established in close collaboration with the Association of IT, Telco and Electronics Companies (IVSZ), will be open to other players of the industry in the future and is run by volunteers who give career orientation lessons at schools.
Tibor Rékasi, T-Systems Hungary’s CEO, said the changes of technology are capable to outdate entire business models within a very short time. This disruption, or in other word paradigm change, is inevitable and no company or organisation is immune, therefore it is best to assess new opportunities in this changing world.
Rékasi pointed out that paradigm-shifting technologies take concrete shape on the basis of bottom-up ideas and usually make the life of a big community – like city life – smoother and easier. He took the example of drone technology, the application of which may present a real breakthrough in certain industries (e.g. agriculture).
Éva Somorjai, Magyar Telekom’s chief human resources officer, outlined that the expectations and work attitude of the new generation that just entered the labour market are basically different from that of the earlier generations. Managers have to take into account these viewpoints: instead of a sharp separation of work and private life, one has to find a way to integrate them while supporting remote work that can not only be performed from home but from any other place as well that is inspiring for the given employee.
Somorjai added that for future employees it will be more and more important – besides salaries and the work environment – that the given employer thinks and acts sustainably in its everyday operation. Partly due to the recognition of this fact Telekom Group had decided to become a green company and neutralise emission levels, in other words become a fully carbon-neutral company.
“We are very proud that thanks to the ambitious efforts for sustainability our company and our services to our customers have become fully carbon-neutral and with that achievement we are ahead of the biggest global telecommunication companies of the world,” Somorjai said.
There are two priority projects aiming to reach full carbon-neutral operation. The Telekom Group buys 100% of its energy consumption in Hungary from renewable energy sources and has offset the emissions caused by energy use derived of fossils by supporting green projects.
On the day of the symposium the guests voted for the project of year 2015 out of three candidates through the event’s mobile application. The prize went to the ticket- and pass-vending machine of the Budapest Transportation Centre (BKK) this year. The recognition was received by Dr. Dabóczi Kálmán, CEO of BKK.
The plenary session was followed by themed sections and professional discussions, where the participants could get to know the challenges faced by transportation, financial institutions, public administration, health industry or the municipalities due to the role of info-communication getting a higher emphasis in their areas in the future.
