Perhaps surprisingly, early internet adopters, including the US
and Australia, were found to be trailing in broadband uptake.
According to the fifth annual survey of its kind by The
Economist, enterprises are taking advantage of internet
protocol-based services, mobile-phone usage is mushrooming in
developing and developed economies alike, and broadband is taking
off.
The research, conducted in co-operation with IBM, found
Scandinavia dominating: Denmark in 1st place, Sweden 3rd, Norway
4th and Finland 5th. By comparison, in the 2001 rankings, the top
four countries were, in order: the US, Australia, the UK and
Canada.
What sets Scandinavia apart, according to the authors, is the
extent to which the internet has reshaped business transactions,
the eagerness with which citizens have incorporated internet
technology into their daily routines, and the extent to which
Scandinavian governments have driven development.
Singapore, in 7th place has made the greatest advance in this
year's ranking, up five places over last year. Like its neighbours,
Hong Kong (9th) and South Korea (14th), Singapore is a world leader
in broadband rollout and benefits from strong government-industry
cooperation.
EU entrants stand to gain, according to the findings. This
year's EU accession countries — Estonia (26th), the Czech Republic
(27th), Hungary (30th), Slovenia (31st), Latvia (34th), Poland
(36th), Lithuania (38th) and Slovakia (39th), as well as Cyrus and
Malta, not included in the ranking – already have decent
infrastructure and e-business environments.
In Estonia, the majority of internet users are broadband
subscribers, and all public schools have broadband access. These
countries will immediately benefit from the EU's coordinated
approach to development.
For a copy of the full report, see: The 2004
e-readiness rankings
