UAE tops region in 'most networked' economy list

Dubai: UAE is the 29th "most networked" economy in the world for the second consecutive year, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008.

The Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) released the report, which is considered the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and competitiveness of nations.

Among the Gulf countries, UAE was placed at 29th with 4.55 points followed by Qatar at 32nd with 4.42 points, Bahrain at 45th with 4.13 points, Saudi Arabia at 48 with 4.07 points, Kuwait at 42nd with 4.01 points and Oman at 53 with 3.97 points.

ICT impact

The latest edition of the report covers 127 economies and ranked Denmark first for the second consecutive year with 5.78 points, followed by Sweden with 5.72 points, Switzerland with 5.53 and US with 5.49 points as the world's top four most networked economies.

Now in its seventh consecutive year, the report has become the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.

'The report is released at a time in which the importance of high bandwidth connectivity for countries' competitiveness, sustained growth, and poverty reduction is widely recognised. Facilitating access and effective use of ICT has increasingly moved to the top of national agendas in most developed and developing economies, while more resources are invested in ICT infrastructure upgrading and development, said Irene Mia, a senior WEF economist and co-editor of the report.

The report features the latest computation and rankings of the Networked Readiness Index as well as a number of essays covering different issues of networked readiness and showcasing best policies and practising in leveraging ICT for growth and development.

As in previous years, the report is the result of collaboration between the World Economic Forum and Insead.

Mia said this year's report presents three case studies related to innovation and networked readiness in Singapore, Qatar, and the European Union. It is hoped that these can provide important insight on best policies and practices in view of fully leveraging ICT and innovation for increased competitiveness.