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The report presents the ICT Development Index (IDI), which ranks countries' performance  with regard to ICT infrastructure and uptake, and the ICT Price Basket (IPB), a unique metric  that tracks and compares the cost and affordability of ICT services. This edition also features  new data series and analyses concerning revenue and investment in the ICT sector, and  proposes a new methodology using non-conventional data, to measure the world's  telecommunication capacity.  The past year has seen continued and almost universal growth in ICT uptake. Much of this enhanced connectivity is due to  the rapid uptake - a 40 per cent rise in 2011 - of mobile-broadband subscriptions, to the point where there are now twice  as many mobile-broadband as fixed-broadband subscriptions. The surge in numbers of mobile-broadband subscriptions  in developing countries has brought the Internet to a multitude of new users. The report nevertheless notes that the prices  for ICT services remain very high in many low-income countries. For mobile broadband to replicate the mobile-cellular  miracle, 3G network coverage has to be extended, and prices have to go down further.

The aim of this study is to assess the effects of information and communications technologies (ICTs) on the firms' capabilities to innovate in a selection of OECD countries. This findings support the hypothesis that ICTs act an enabler of innovation, particularly for product and marketing innovation, in both manufacturing and services. However, not is been find any evidence that ICT use increases the capability of a firm to cooperate, to develop innovation in-house or to introduce products new-to-the-market. These results suggest that ICTs enable firms to adopt innovation but they not increase their "inventive" capabilities. (www.eldis.org)

"he international 'digital divide' is closing as a steady fall in worldwide costs of telephone and broadband Internet services has enabled a number of developing countries to expand their access to information and communication technology (ICT), the United Nations telecoms agency says in a report released today. Measuring the Information Society 2012, produced by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), says that developing countries now account for the "lion's share" of market growth in the mobile sector, according to an ITU press release detailing the report. The report also shows that the ICT sector has not only become a major contributor to economic growth, but is especially so in developing countries, where global exports of ICT goods accounted for 20 per cent of their merchandise trade in 2010, compared to 12 per cent world wide. "While prices in developed economies have stabilized, those in developing countries continue to fall at double-digit rates," ITU stated in a news release on the report. But, ITU said, the digital divide - generally defined as the difference in levels of ICT access between developed and developing countries - remains significant."

The Government first set out its policy on the use of open source in 2004. This was restated in both 2009 and 2010. The Government ICT Strategy states that "Where appropriate, Government will procure open source solutions."  To support this, Action 3 of the Strategy says that "To create a level playing field for the use of innovative ICT solutions, the Government will publish a toolkit for procurers on best practice for evaluating the use of open source solutions." The following set of documents make up that toolkit: All About Open Source - including FAQs  ICT Advice Note - Procurement of Open Source  Procurement Policy Note on Open Source  OSS Options  CESG Guidance on Open Source - for Government users only Publically accessible summary of the security guidance Total Cost of Ownership  Total cost of ownership of open source software: a report for the UK Cabinet Office supported by OpenForum Europe PPN Open Source The purpose of this toolkit is to ensure that there is a level playing field for open source and proprietary software and that some of the myths associated with open source are dispelled. 

In 2001, when the World Economic Forum first published  The Global Information and Technology Report (GITR),  the dot-com bubble had just burst; there were fewer than  20 million mobile phone users in all of Africa; and Apple  Inc.'s product line was confined to Macintosh computers.  That Report presented an optimistic view of the future,  highlighting the transformational potential of information  and communication technologies (ICT) in advancing the  progress of global society and business. In the decade  that followed, Booz & Company has witnessed firsthand  the realization of that potential in its work with clients and  communities worldwide and through its long-standing  involvement with the GITR. Today there are more than  500 million mobile phone subscribers in Africa, and  Apple is the world's largest company in market capitalization, producing iPhones, iPods, and iPads along with  Mac computers. Despite the strides the sector has made  since the technology bust in 2001, however, we believe  we are only just beginning to feel the impact of digitization-the mass adoption by consumers, businesses, and  governments of smart and connected ICT. Success in the digitization world-where competitors from Shenzhen to Schengen can emerge seemingly  overnight-requires policymakers and business leaders  to go back to the drawing board to identify and build  "right-to-win" capabilities in their spheres of influence.  Digitization is more than a matter of access. Our recent  research shows that digitization multiplies the impact of  connectivity, creating substantial incremental value in  terms not only of job creation and economic growth, but  also of societal well-being and government transparency.  Today, more than 70 percent of the world's citizens live in  societies that have just begun their digitization journeys.  As the individuals and enterprises in these societies  continue to progress in developing their own digitiza

BM Research - Africa will have its first location in Nairobi, Kenya in collaboration between the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) through the Kenya ICT Board. It will conduct basic and applied research focused on solving problems relevant to Africa and contribute to the building of a science and technology base for the continent.   "IBM's commitment to undertake the proposed research agenda will contribute greatly to our national priorities as part of Kenya's Vision 2030," said His Excellency Honorable Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya. "We look forward to delivering world-class research and innovation as part of IBM's Smarter Planet initiative and playing an important role as an IT leader on the African continent." 

Watch out! Internet connections worldwide may have been slower past weekend! Last weekend hundreds of hackers, programmers, designers and anti-corruption experts and activists in Bogotá, Budapest, Casablanca, Jakarta, Moscow and Vilnius gathered last weekend to develop new ICT tools that can help citizens monitor government and report corruption. Websites like ipaidabribe.com in India and use of twitter in events like the Arab Spring have shown that technology can be a powerful vehicle for people power. Hacks Against Corruption (HAC) is Transparency International's first attempt to bring together technology and anti-corruption specialists to use technology to come up with some of the challenges we face in fighting corruption: visualising the cost of corruption, monitoring complex, massive public budgets and allowing citizens to safely report corruption in their life.

eHealth is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health. It is recognised as one of the most rapidly growing areas in health today. The Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2005, adopted Resolution WHA58.28 establishing an eHealth strategy for WHO. The resolution urged Member States to plan for appropriate eHealth services in their countries. That same year, WHO launched the Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe), an initiative dedicated to the study of eHealth-its evolution and impact on health in countries. The Observatory model combines WHO coordination regionally and at headquarters to monitor the development of eHealth worldwide, with an emphasis on individual countries. Recognizing that the field of eHealth is rapidly transforming the delivery of health services and systems around the world, WHO is playing a central role in shaping and monitoring its future, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Le Congrès mondial sur les technologies de l'information (WCIT 2012) est une conférence de trois jours autour du thème « UNE vision pour une société numérique mondiale ». Il mettra en vedette plus de 100 conférenciers de renom et attirera jusqu'à 3 000 délégués de plus de 80 pays, y compris des représentants de l'industrie, de gouvernements, du monde universitaire et de la société civile. Les volets suivants en feront partie : Un World Tech Jam où des milliers de délégués du congrès et de participants en ligne collaboreront et partageront leurs idées, leur passion et leurs points de vue dans une véritable approche ascendante de création d'un plan d'action pour une société numérique mondiale. Un panorama avant-gardiste sur les promesses de la révolution numérique, présenté par un éventail de conférenciers d'honneur inspirants, de véritables gourous dans le domaine numérique. Des tables rondes d'experts composés de maîtres à penser de renommée internationale des secteurs gouvernemental, industriel et universitaire discuteront de ce que font les innovateurs de premier rang et les pays les plus avant-gardistes, puis réfléchiront à la façon dont la collaboration numérique entre les parties intéressées permettrait de réaliser les promesses de l'ère numérique. Des séances intensives en ateliers, où les délégués, les modérateurs, les représentants de l'industrie des TIC et les parties intéressées classeront par ordre de priorités les suggestions du World Tech Jam. Des vitrines de présentations où des innovateurs canadiens et de jeunes innovateurs de la planète exposeront leurs idées qui transforment le monde et répondront aux questions de l'auditoire. Des séances de réunion interentreprises structurées (B2B) visant à renouveler des contacts ou établir des partenariats multinationaux et intersectoriels avec des cadres supérieurs d'entreprises provenant de pays développés et d'éco

In its report, Modelling the Economic Impact of Cloud Computing the economic advisory firm estimates if Cloud services are adopted across 75 per cent of ICT spend by businesses it would increase long-run GDP after 10 years by 0.23 per cent, which translates to $3.32 billion per annum. A 75 per cent adoption rate, according to KPMG, is achievable.

C ities are real-time systems,  but rarely run as such.  Governance models remain  in the 20th century, while citizens  increasingly have access to 21st  century tools predicated on the  increasingly ubiquitous availability of internet, smartphones  and tablets, social media and  so on. A city's operational and  planning decisions are generally  based on snapshots and averages  rather than the ongoing monitoring, insightful visualisations,  and constant feedback loops that  contemporary information and  communications technologies  (ICT) enable. While there are  fundamental differences between  running a city and, say, running  Amazon.com, they are perhaps  fewer than has been assumed. this report outlines many of the  opportunities for cities afforded by these  contemporary technologies, indicating  how the 'smart city' approach might  fundamentally transform the way that cities  are governed, operated, interacted with and  experienced, particularly with the focus on  reducing greenhouse gas emissions and  becoming sustainable in the broadest sense,  including in economic terms, with new jobs  generated in 'green technologies' and ictrelated activities. 

The government posted its Reports on Plans and Priorities for dozens of departments and agencies yesterday. The Industry Canada report makes for interesting reading as there is a section on the still missing Digital Economy Strategy that includes targets for e-commerce buying and selling in Canada. The department states: Industry Canada will continue to implement measures in support of the Digital Economy Strategy to accelerate adoption of digital technologies, promote trust and confidence in the online marketplace and foster a globally competitive ICT sector based on a modern legislative framework, a robust digital infrastructure and a digitally skilled workforce. Leaving aside the fact that there is no digital economy strategy - or at least the government has still not released the long overdue document - the report also includes a target to determine whether the Canadian online economy is "governed by an effective policy and regulatory framework." The government's performance indicator is the percentage of Canadians buying and selling online, with the targets set at 43% of Canadians buying and 15% selling.

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development, in partnership with ITU- BDT, has developed country case studies taking an in-depth look at the state of broadband development in four emerging economies spanning the Americas, Asia and Europe. A series of case studies are being conducted to underline the importance of broadband and ICTs in achieving the MDGs, and to assist countries in meeting the Broadband Challenge and Targets adopted by the Broadband Commission in October 2011. The studies were launched during a special side event held at the WSIS Forum 2012.

A world-first, the report reveals information and communications technology (ICT) enhanced with ubiquitous high-speed broadband is becoming Australia's new utility - as historic and game changing as electricity or telephony.

Governments around the world are investing multiple billions to support the roll-out of fiber to enable high speed broadband. These subsidies are based on the premise that fiber to the home (FTTH) brings substantial externalities. It is argued that FTTH will support economic growth and is key to national competitiveness; that it will benefit education, healthcare, transportation and the electricity industry; and that it will be the TV platform of the future. In this paper we argue that the evidence to support these views is surprisingly weak, and that there are several errors that are made repeatedly when making the case for FTTH. In particular: * The evidence that basic broadband contributed to economic growth is decidedly mixed, and some of the studies reporting greater benefits have significant flaws * Time and again, data that basic broadband brings certain benefits is used to justify investment in fiber - but the investment in fiber must be based on the incremental benefits of higher speed, since (in the developed world) there is already near universal basic broadband * This error is compounded since other high speed broadband infrastructures (such as cable, and in time wireless) are often simply ignored when making the case for fiber * Fibre is credited with bringing benefits that would in fact require major systems and social change in other parts of the economy, such as a widespread shift to home working, or remote medical care. In practice, these changes may never happen, and even if they do they will have significant additional cost beyond simply rolling out fibre * Frequently business or government applications, such as remote medical imaging, are used to make the case for FTTH. But these applications require fiber to certain major buildings, not to entire residential neighborhoods (and these buildings often have high speed connections already) We do not argue that there is no commercial case for rolling out fiber, nor do we argue that fiber b