The United Kingdom has been ranked as the tenth most developed county in terms of information and communications technology – but is falling behind of its European neighbours because of the high price of fast internet access.
In the annual ICT Development Index (IDI), compiled by the International Telecommunication Union, the UK is placed at tenth in the world – ahead of the likes of Germany and the US, but behind Sweden, Denmark and Korea.
The index 'combines 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool globally, regionally and at the country level. These are related to ICT access, use and skills, such as households with a computer the number of Internet users; and literacy levels.'
Northern Europe
It is Northern Europe that dominates, with only the Republic of Korea pushing into the top 10 from other continents.
Sweden is top of the IDI rankings, followed by Korea, with Denmark, Holland, Iceland, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Finland and, in tenth place, the UK.
However, despite its placing in the IDI, the news is not so good in the Telecommunication Union's newest statistics on pricing.
According to the new 'ITU ICT Price Basket', the UK is 14th in the price rankings, with the US leading the way in providing low cost mobile and internet access.
Via Computer Weekly
