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Many governments around the world responded to the recent financial crisis by taking greater control of their banks. The Finnish government is considering similar, preemptive action in relation to information and communications technology.



Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said this week that the government may increase its ownership stake in companies like TeliaSonera to secure the operation of communications infrastructure in the event of a crisis.



"In the end, it is the state that guarantees society's basic functions will run in all circumstances. In this respect, state ownership should not be feared and it can often be the best way to secure things," Vanhanen told Finland's public broadcaster YLE.



The government is researching how its country would respond in the event of a crisis such as a natural disaster, a large power cut, a war or any other exceptional situation, given the high reliance on information and communications technology.



The network infrastructure in Finland is owned by telecom companies TeliaSonera, Elisa and Finnet. The government already owns 10% of the shares in Elisa and 13.7% of TeliaSonera. The largest shareholder in TeliaSonera is the Swedish government with 37%.