Australia jumps to number four in global e-readiness rankings

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 06 May 2008 16:38

IT Industry - Strategy

Australia has achieved a significant improvement in the latest edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking of the e-readiness of 69 nations, jumping from ninth place in 2007 to fourth in 2008.

The gain follows a drop the previous year - from eighth in 2006 - and took place in a year that saw the leader, Denmark lose the top position it has held for the past four years to the USA and falling to fourth place. Hong Kong took the number two spot, up from fourth place.

The EIU said those countries that had risen in the rankings "have largely done so on the back of improvements in the expansion of connectivity, including in broadband accounts and WiFi hotspots, and also in the security of Internet connections. Improved performance in the area of innovation has also contributed to these countries' move up the rankings."

The e-readiness rankings are a weighted collection of nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria, organised into six distinct categories measuring the various components of a country's social, political, economic and technological development. According to the EIU, "E-readiness derives from more than just the number of computers, broadband connections and mobile phones in the country; also critical are citizens' ability to utilise technology skilfully, the transparency of the business and legal systems, and the extent to which governments encourage the use of digital technologies."

"The underlying principle behind the rankings is that digital business is at its heart business, and that for digital transactions to be widely adopted and efficient they have to thrive in a holistically supportive environment," the EIU says.

It claims that the e-readiness ranking "allows governments to gauge the success of their technology initiatives against those of other countries. It also provides companies that wish to invest in online operations with an overview of the world's most promising investment locations."