UAE is world's 24th most ICT-savvy country

The UAE ranks 24th in the world and first among Arab countries in its use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance competitiveness and development, according to The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum.

Other Arab countries are prominently featured in the ranking as well: Qatar (25), Bahrain (30), Saudi Arabia (33) and Oman (41).

Sweden and Singapore continue to top the global rankings, confirming the leadership of the Nordic countries and the Asian Tiger economies in adopting and implementing ICT advances for increased growth and development.

The Nordic countries lead the way in leveraging ICT. With Denmark in 7th and Norway in 9th place, all are in the top 10, except for Iceland, which is ranked in 16th position. Led by Singapore in second place, the other Asian Tiger economies continue to make progress in the ranking, with both Taiwan, China, and Korea improving five places to 6th and 10th respectively, and Hong Kong SAR following closely at 12th.

While the UAE scored relatively well in both the environment and usage categories (#25 and #30, respectively), its strongest performance is in the readiness measurement, where it finished 6th out of the 138 countries measured. In several subcategories, the UAE scored even higher: Its level of company-wide technology adoption in the private sector is 5th in the world, the government's procurement of advanced tech products is 3rd, and its per-capita number of mobile telephone subscriptions is 1st.

With a record coverage of 138 economies worldwide, the report remains the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations. The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) featured in the report examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions: the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of the three key societal actors ? individuals, businesses and governments ? to use and benefit from ICT; and their actual usage of available ICT.

Under the theme Transformations 2.0, this 10th anniversary edition explores the coming transformations powered by ICT, with a focus on the impact they will have on individuals, businesses and governments over the next few years. Since the beginning of the report, the sheer amount of information generated by today's digital society has increased at an astounding rate.

"Innovation and ICT have proven a crucial lever for long-term growth, with countless social and economic benefits and the capacity to significantly improve people's life around the world," said Alan Marcus, Senior Director and Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications, World Economic Forum in a press release. "Countries fully integrating new technologies and leveraging the new data revolution in their development and growth strategies are laying the foundations for competitive, resilient economies for the future." "As digital economies steadily become the norm, our goal at Booz and Company is to continue exploring the economic and social benefits that ICT can bring - and the ways in which they are increasingly interconnected," said Karim Sabbagh, Senior Partner and the global leader of the Communications, Media, and Technology practice. Booz '&' Company's contribution to the GITR report discusses the ways in which broadband can enable digital communities, allowing leaders in government, health, transportation and other sectors to capitalize on ICT's potential.

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