( CNN ) I spent time in France earlier this week , and it 's clear to me that the French tech scene is at an inflection point . The time to invest in France 's future is now . And with more startups than any other European country at the Consumer Electronics Show this year , and a strong infrastructure in place , France is primed to embrace the latest technology transition : digitization of everything . Digitization , which harnesses the power of what we call the Internet of Everything at Cisco -- the connection of people , process , data and things -- will change everything from the way we work to how we serve citizens , and teach our young people . I believe that France will lead in this new era of country digitization . The French government truly understands the economic and societal benefits digitization will bring . This week , I met with Prime Minister Manuel Valls , and together we announced an ambitious partnership , pledging to transform France into a digital republic . By creating a connected ecosystem , there is tremendous opportunity to fuel economic growth , create jobs , foster innovation -- even improve energy use . Cisco will power this initiative through the network . France has a strong traditional infrastructure in place -- roads , water lines , buildings , even parking spaces -- and the country is now committing to build out their digital infrastructure , which will help increase productivity , create jobs , and improve the lives of citizens . Cybersecurity will also be enhanced for the country and its businesses and citizens , and the results for France could be dramatic . With our Networking Academy program , Cisco plans to train an incremental 200,000 students and create 1,500 additional academies over the next three years , so French entrepreneurs have the necessary skills to drive the digitization process . A key ingredient to France 's success will also be the entrepreneurial spirit and technical talent needed for digitization . Our first step is to ensure the proper training initiatives are in place to achieve this - providing a $ 100 million investment that will include training and infrastructure support to transform France into a digital republic . Digitization has the potential to revolutionize France as we know it today . This transformation will contribute to France 's overall global competitiveness by supporting job growth , education , cybersecurity , innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives in France . It 's also expected to lead to a boost in France 's Gross Domestic Product by 1-2 percent . This is a chance for France to innovate based on French values -- egalitarian peer-to peer Internet architecture -- one that creates new digital freedoms and significant socio-economic growth . If countries get ahead of this technology transition , like France , it could change the global agenda . This new phase of the Internet will bring many opportunities to revolutionize the world as we know it , as long as leaders are ready to embrace it . Cisco is excited to help France lead .
John Chambers : Digitization has potential to revolutionize France . New phase of Internet brings opportunities to revolutionize the world , he says .