Australia stalled at 14 in the network readiness rankings

Stuart Corner
Friday, 03 April 2009 05:36

IT Industry - Market

Denmark has maintained its position as the world's most networked economy for the third consecutive year, in the Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009. Australia remains a 14th place having moved up only one place in the past three years. The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009 is sponsored by Cisco and produced jointly by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and INSEAD. According to Cisco, it "provides an excellent opportunity to take stock of where countries stand in this race to harness the potential of information communications technology (ICT) in general and broadband in particular.

The just-released 2008-09 edition observes that Denmark's leading position is the result of a steady rise since 2003 and that "the other Nordic countries also continue to teach the world best practices on how to leverage ICT for increased competitiveness, with Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway at 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 8th position, respectively."

The US "continues to deliver a convincing performance in networked readiness, climbing one position to an outstanding 3rd place," followed by Singapore (4th) and Switzerland (5th). Five other economies from the Asia and Pacific region place in the top 20 this year: Korea (11th), Hong Kong (12th),Taiwan (13th), Australia (14th), and Japan (17th). Since last year, Taiwan and Japan have made modest gains and Hong Kong has slipped back one position, but the most impressive improver has been China which rose 11 positions to 46th, overtaking India (which is down four positions at 54th).

Cisco observes; "What's clear is that countries with solid ICT foundations (both infrastructure investment and effective government policies) have made big advances in broadband penetration. Leading countries have particular strengths underpinning their excellence, such as a focus on education, a supportive business climate and a stable geopolitical context. It's important for all countries to couple their investment in broadband infrastructure with a concerted effort to create the right environment (economically, socially and politically) in order to gain the maximum benefit from ICT."

Cisco notes that "connectivity is not solely determined by income levels - good quality broadband connectivity can make it possible for lower-income countries to 'leapfrog' the wealthier nations in ICT development and start benefiting from improved connectivity. Ubiquitous, high-speed Internet connectivity opens the door to the enormous possibilities enabled by Internet communications, which can help grow economies and improve the lives of citizens. Countries, cities and corporations that understand the power of quality broadband networks and seize the moment to drive penetration will see their competitiveness improved immediately and sustainably."

The report is available here.