Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 16:59:39 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam
Friends:
I received this in my mail and thought it might be of interest to you all.
Arun
ITU Digital Access Index: World's First Global ICT Ranking
Education and Affordability Key to Boosting New Technology Adoption
Geneva, 19 November 2003 - The first global index to rank Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) access has turned up some surprises. Slovenia
ties France; and the Republic of Korea, usually not among the top ten in
international ICT rankings, comes in fourth. Apart from Canada, ranked 10th,
the top ten economies are exclusively Asian and European. The Digital Access
Index (DAI) distinguishes itself from other indices by including a number of
new variables, such as education and affordability. It also covers a total
of 178 economies, which makes it the first truly global ICT ranking.
Countries are classified into one of four digital access categories: high,
upper, medium and low. Those in the upper category include mainly nations
from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Gulf States and emerging
Latin American nations. Many have used ICTs as a development enabler and
government policies have helped them reach an impressive level of ICT
access. This includes major ICT projects such as the Dubai Internet City in
the United Arab Emirates (the highest ranked Arab nation in the DAI), the
Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia (the highest ranked developing Asian
nation) and the Cyber City in Mauritius (along with Seychelles, the highest
ranked African nation). The DAI will be a useful tool for tracking the
future advancement of these ambitious emerging economies.
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*** Full Article at: http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2003/30.html
