Global Arab Network | Qatar Ranked as 30th Most Networked Nation in the World

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Qatar Ranked as 30th Most Networked Nation in the World

Global Arab Network - - Hannan Taha

Monday, 29 March 2010 13:03

Qatar has maintained its strong international ranking in Networked Readiness in the recently release Global Information Technology Report 2009‐2010 (GITR). Qatar ranked 30th globally this year and showed significant gains in terms of its market environment and government readiness in support of ICT adoption. The annual report, released by the World Economic Forum and INSEAD on March 25, 2010, is the world's most comprehensive international assessment of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on nations' development and international competitiveness. Qatar’s government readiness is its area of greatest performance, ranking 3rd in the world.

Government readiness is assessed based on prioritization of ICT, procurement of advanced technology solutions and importance of ICT to the government’s vision for the future. Qatar ranked 19th globally in terms of market environment, which is based on factors such as intensity of local competition, government regulation, time required to start a business and availability of the latest technologies, among other factors.

“Information and Communication technology plays a fundamental role in Qatar achieving its ambitious national goals. Our prioritization of ICT is clearly reflected in our strong international ranking in the latest Global Information Technology Report. ictQATAR looks forward to continuing our important work across all sectors to make Qatar a truly networked nation,” said Dr. Hessa Al‐Jaber, ictQATAR’s Secretary General.

“We recognize that to continue to move forward as a nation we will need to ensure that everyone in Qatar has access to a high‐speed broadband network. This will enable all sectors to increasingly benefit from the next generation applications that will be vital to succeed in the global knowledge economy. ictQATAR is committed to making this national broadband network a reality,” said Al‐Jaber.

The report included numerous new indicators for 2009‐2010, including accessibility to digital content, internet bandwidth and level of competition index. It also highlighted potential areas of improvement for Qatar. Among individuals, businesses and government, Qatar’s business community showed the greatest need for greater adoption of ICT, both in terms of ICT readiness and usage.

“ictQATAR is in the process of making more government services available online through Hukoomi, Qatar’s online government portal. We are also working to make the Internet more accessible to Arabic speakers by developing a program to promote digital content as an industry. Qatar’s recent approval to move forward with creating Arabic Internet Domains is an important part of this,” added Al‐Jaber.

The Networked Readiness Index examines how prepared countries are to use ICT in three areas: general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; readiness of government, individuals, and businesses to use and benefit from ICT; and the actual usage of available ICT by these stakeholder groups. The Report underscores that good education fundamentals, innovation, and wide ICT access are key to nations' social growth and economic competitiveness.

Global Arab Network

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