IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

In der aktuellen e-readiness-Studie der IBM werden die Fähigkeiten der weltweit 70 wichtigsten Volkswirtschaften beurteilt, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation (ITK) einzusetzen. Während Dänemark, Schweden, die Niederlande und Norwegen ganz vorne liegen, folgen die ehemalige Spitzenreiter USA und Hongkong erst auf den Rängen fünf und acht. Deutschland landet auf Rang 17 – drei Plätze schlechter als im Vorjahr. Bewertet wurde die e-readiness eines Staates anhand von rund 100 Kriterien wie etwa Zahl der Internetzugänge, Gesetzgebung oder wie viel die Regierung in ITK-Lösungen investiert.

Die skandinavischen Länder haben beim diesjährigen Global Information Technology Report des World Economic Forums (WEF) einmal mehr überzeugt. Neben Dänemark und Schweden, die an der Spitze der Wertung zu finden sind, belegen auch Finnland, Island und Norwegen einen Platz unter den besten zehn. Der Bericht des WEF gibt Einblick in das derzeit vorherrschende Technologie-Potenzial eines Landes und umfasst eine Reihe von Faktoren, wie das politische und wirtschaftliche Marktumfeld oder auch die Verbreitung und Akzeptanz neuer Technologien bei Verbrauchern und in der öffentlichen Verwaltung.

In a survey of 65 countries measuring how amenable a market is to internet-based opportunities, the UK ranked fifth place dropping from being the second most e-ready nation in 2004.

It is one of the only spheres that more powerful Western nations turn to the Baltic state for guidance and which Estonia can play the expert to powerhouses such as the United States, NATO and the EU.

The country has deservedly earned a reputation for being on the cutting edge of IT, due in no small part to government initiatives that aim to make the country a leader in e-governance and online services. The applications already in place are impressive.

A recent EU report says that Europe has more broadband subscribers and better mobile Internet penetration than any other nation on earth. The 114 million subscribers of the 27 EU member countries comfortably exceeds the 84 million broadband subscribers in the U.S. and 88 million broadband subscribers in China as reported by UK research firm Point Topic.

Spending on information and communications technology (ICT) is growing again with some buoyancy in developed markets. In emerging markets, expansion of connectivity — individuals' and organisations' access to voice and data communications — continues on a rapid ascent. Broadband Internet access, meanwhile, is beginning to reach critical mass in several countries and is becoming a catalyst for other improvements in the digital economy.

The report lavishes praise for Finland, noting that its skilled population and pervasive technology placed it near the top of the table.

“ICT is ubiquitous and uptake by the population is quasi universal," said WEF's researchers.

“With the right efforts and information and communications technology (ICT) capabilities systems in place, it has the potential to continue doing so in the future, generating $30 billion in economic growth and creating an addition one million jobs over the next three years, in a part of the world that needs them urgently,” he added.

The colloquium will be held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on 19 and 20 April and is meant as the start of a process of reviewing all of government’s ICT policies.

News of the planned event comes just days after a new World Economic Forum report was published showing SA is performing particularly poorly as a connected nation, ranking behind Tunisia and Mauritius in Africa and placing 72nd in the world.

According to the report, only three nations are less effective than the UK when it comes to capitalising on the opportunities offered by new technology, namely Cyprus, Lithuania and Hungary.

According to the '2010 UN eGovernment Readiness Survey,' Saudi Arabia has advanced from 70 to 58, and Kuwait from 57 to 50, and Oman from 84 to 82, which is attributed to the continuous investment in IT infrastructure by these countries.

The Foundation has confirmed that the growing efforts by GCC governments to promote digital transformation and literacy has helped further enhance the region's collective ranking in the 2010 UN eGovernment Readiness Survey, which presented various roles for e-government in addressing the global financial crisis. Bahrain and the UAE occupied the top two rankings respectively among Arab countries in the survey, followed by Kuwait at third, Saudi Arabia at fifth, Qatar at sixth and Oman at eighth.

The commitment by governments around the region to develop e-presence has also had a major impact on the regional Information Technology (IT) industry. "Through efforts to automate, integrate and streamline their services, regional governments have driven much of the demand for IT in the region," Bashar Kilani, manager of IBM's Middle East software group in Dubai, told OBG. For instance, in the UAE the government accounts for between 40% and 50% of the IT market.

The survey is carried out every two years and takes stock of how countries around the world are progressing towards achieving true e-Government status. This year’s report found many have put in place e-government initiatives including the acceleration of the adoption of ICT across the public sector in order to deliver more efficient, more transparent, more inclusive and more sustainable government to all citizens.

The report revealed that nearly all countries in the region made it within the top half of the NRI, showing a growing trend wherein countries are leveraging ICT to increase economic prospects and improve global competitiveness.

The report revealed that nearly all countries in the region made it within the top half of the NRI, showing a growing trend wherein countries are leveraging ICT to increase economic prospects and improve global competitiveness.

“ICT Sustainability: The Global Benchmark 2012 Report,” which summarizes responses from 1,200 CIOs and senior managers from eight countries, found efforts to improve ICT sustainability in organizations have reached a plateau. The global ICT Sustainability Index, or ITSx, declined slighting in 2012, falling to 53.1 from 54.3 in 2011 and a high of 56.4 in 2010.

Despite efforts over the past decade to develop information and communications technologies (ICT) infrastructure in developing economies, a new digital divide in terms of ICT impacts persists, according to the latest rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World, released today by the World Economic Forum.

Estonia was the highest ranked Central and Eastern European country.

The table of rankings for 2013 was topped by Finland, followed by Singapore, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, US and Taiwan.

However, few in Malaysia are familiar with the Global Information Technology Report (GITR). It is perhaps time that we acquaint ourselves better with the GITR.