I nternational leaders face an era of unprecedented change. The recession and  financial crisis that ended in 2009 caused a seismic shift that has reshaped  the global business landscape. The world economy is now characterized  by sluggish growth in the West, a shift in power to the East, and value-driven  customers and rising risks everywhere. At the same time, the downturn has  hastened the adoption of key technologies-mobility, cloud computing, business  intelligence and social media-that are transforming businesses and sparking a  new wave of wealth creation, particularly in the emerging world. Economic growth and technology are inextricably linked. Current economic  conditions are fostering investment in technology as emerging markets ramp up  their demand for technology to fuel growth, and advanced markets seek new  ways to cut costs and drive innovation. This becomes a virtuous circle as digital  technologies drive consumer income and demand, education and training, and  efficient use of capital and resources-leading to increased economic growth,  particularly in emerging markets. 

Akamai's globally distributed network of servers allows us to gather massive amounts of  information on many metrics, including connection speeds, attack traffic, and network  connectivity/availability/latency problems, as well as traffic patterns on leading Web sites.  Each quarter, Akamai publishes a "State of the Internet" report. This report includes data  gathered from across Akamai's Intelligent Platform during the third quarter of 2011 about attack  traffic, broadband adoption, and mobile connectivity, as well as trends seen in this data  over time. In addition, this quarter's report also includes insight into SSL, the state of IPv6  adoption, and observations from Akamai partner Ericsson regarding the impact that mobile  data plans have on usage. 

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

"es Madelinots auront bientôt accès à Internet haute vitesse d'un bout à l'autre de l'archipel. Après des investissements majeurs de 3 millions et demi de dollars, la compagnie locale Duclos & Michaud Télécom se prépare à offrir des services de téléphonie et de télévision en haute définition."

"Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) aims to provide high-speed Internet broadband access to all Australians and transform Australia into one of the world's top five digital economies by 2020. The NBN's model of universal and equal access to information flows supported by a nationwide infrastructure network stands out from the dominant scenario of profit-driven, tiered models of communication infrastructure networks. This paper analyses the economic and social value of information as a basic utility in contemporary society and argues that the NBN is an essential component in a nationwide project of digital citizenship, while highlighting the need for strong and effective policies to support it. The policies underlying the NBN and the technical aspects of its infrastructure network are compared with the Coalition's alternative plan and public and private initiatives from other countries. It is argued that, in order to realise the full potential of the NBN, its future strategies must take into account the current networked practices of Australian citizens and be supported by an equally universal project of digital literacy. Finally, examples of current practices and future benefits of the implementation of high-speed broadband access are presented."

In the coming years, mHealth-the provision of health services enabled by mobile  communications-will revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered. From text  message campaigns disseminating information on healthy lifestyles to the use of  smartphones as medical devices capable of diagnostics and remote monitoring,  mobile technology will permeate every aspect of global health systems. In the  process, this technology will cut the costs associated with provision while  maintaining and improving quality of care and reaching patients for whom access to  healthcare has until now been limited.   However, a number of barriers need to be broken down before mHealth can begin to  transform health systems and service delivery. Moreover, a diverse range of  stakeholders must collaborate in order for mHealth applications to be adopted on a  wide scale.  For this reason, Telenor Group commissioned The Boston Consulting Group to study  the potential impact of mobile services on healthcare over the coming years. This  report summarizes the findings of the study, which focused on 12 markets that  Telenor serves

Over the past several decades, the globalization of the  manufacturing ecosystem has driven more change and impacted  the prosperity of more companies, nations and people than at any  time since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Nations around the  world have taken part in and benefited from the rapid globalization of  industry and expansion of manufacturing. Globalization of  manufacturing has been a key driver of higher-value job creation and  a rising standard of living for the growing middle class in emerging  nation economies. This has dramatically changed the nature of  competition between emerging and developed nations as well as  between companies. Recent research confirms manufacturing has  been immensely important to the prosperity of nations, with over  70% of the income variations of 128 nations explained by differences  in manufactured product export data alone. 

"Every business needs to "go digital." Data about customers, competitors, suppliers, and employees are exploding (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns1175/Cloud_Index_White_Paper.html). Ninety percent of all data were created in the past two years. By 2016, there will be 3 billion Internet users globally, and the Internet economy will reach $4.2 trillion in the G-20 nations1."

The Cisco ®  Global Cloud Index is an ongoing effort to forecast the growth of global data center and cloud-based  IP traffic. The forecast includes trends associated with data center virtualization and cloud computing. This  document presents the details of the study and the methodology behind it. Global data center traffic:  ● Annual global data center IP traffic will reach 4.8 zettabytes by the end of 2015. In 2015, global data center  IP traffic will reach 402 exabytes per month.  ● Global data center IP traffic will increase fourfold over the next 5 years. Overall, data center IP traffic will  grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33 percent from 2010 to 2015.  Data center virtualization and cloud computing transition:  ● The number of workloads per installed traditional server will increase from 1.4 in 2010 to 2.0 in 2015.  ● The number of workloads per installed cloud server will increase from 3.5 in 2010 to 7.8 in 2015.  ● By 2014, more than 50 percent of all workloads will be processed in the cloud.  Global cloud traffic:  ● Annual global cloud IP traffic will reach 1.6 zettabytes by the end of 2015. In 2015, global cloud IP traffic  will reach 133 exabytes per month.  ● Global cloud IP traffic will increase twelvefold over the next 5 years. Overall, cloud IP traffic will grow at  a CAGR of 66 percent from 2010 to 2015.  ● Global cloud IP traffic will account for more than one-third (34 percent) of total data center traffic by 2015. 

"Consumers have a seemingly insatiable thirst for mobile data. New devices-powered by better, faster software-and an ever-expanding selection of apps continue to enhance the user experience. Telecommunications companies with spare network capacity have done their part to boost demand with device subsidies, faster networks, and all-you-can-eat pricing plans. But coming capacity constraints in many markets complicate prospects for continued profitable growth. Smart companies will get ahead of the curve by shifting their strategies from promoting data use to maximizing the economic value they can extract from the massive demand already on the horizon. Managing capacity and value, rather than cost, will be the deciding challenge of the future."

"Since deregulation in the 1980s and the emergence of the commercial Internet in the 1990s, the telecommunications industry has faced disruptions and premature reports of its untimely demise. But the challenges have never been greater than now. The stock market has punished most large carriers while richly rewarding companies that compete with telcos. Since Google's IPO in 2004, its market capitalization has risen to about $150 billion, while the value of most operators in developed markets has fallen. The U.S. telecom industry has lost more than 100,000 jobs in the past five years and more than 400,000 in the last decade. The decline in wireless average revenue per user (ARPU), which began in the United States in 2006, has since spread to most major operators. Carriers are not standing still. They are rapidly reducing costs and trying to streamline operations1. These moves are necessary but not sufficient. The world is spinning too rapidly for restructuring as usual-no matter how deep-to keep working. Game-changing forces, such as cloud computing and "voice for free" services, are warping the industry. (See Exhibit 1.) Cloud computing, for example, exposes operators to competition from major IT players, while free voice services-led by Google, Skype, and others-threaten operators' main source of revenue."

"The economic impact of the Internet is getting bigger-just about everywhere-and it already has an enormous base. In the U.K., for example, the Internet's contribution to 2010 GDP is more than that of construction and education. In the U.S., it exceeds the federal government's percentage of GDP. The Internet economy would rank among the top six industry sectors in China and South Korea."

"Every business needs to "go digital." Data about customers, competitors, suppliers, and employees are exploding. Ninety percent of all data were created in the past two years. By 2016, there will be 3 billion Internet users globally, and the Internet economy will reach $4.2 trillion in the G-20 nations."

High-speed affordable broadband  connectivity to the Internet is  essential to modern society, offering  widely recognized economic and  social benefits (Annex 1). The  Broadband Commission for Digital  Development promotes the adoption  of broadband-friendly practices and  policies for all, so everyone can take  advantage of the benefits offered by  broadband.  With this Report, the Broadband  Commission expands awareness  and understanding of the importance of broadband networks,  services, and applications for  generating economic growth and  achieving social progress.  It has been written collaboratively,  drawing on insightful and thoughtprovoking contributions from our  leading array of Commissioners and  their organizations, foremost in their  fields. This Report is structured around  four main themes which can  help us to realize the potential of  broadband 

This report presents the results of an investigation of experts' views on digital competence for all, commissioned by the Joint Research Centre's Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC‐ IPTS). The objective of this investigation was to provide another perspective on what it means to be digitally competent today, in addition to reviews of literature 4 and current frameworks for the development of digital competence, 5 all of which constitute part of the wider IPTS Digital Competence Project (DIGCOMP). Some common ground exists at a general level in defining digital competence in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, which may be hierarchically organised. However, this does not provide the clarity needed by teachers, employers, citizens - all those who are responsible for digital competence development, be it their own or other people's  ‐ to make informed decisions. Further work is needed to create a common language that helps to enhance understanding across the worlds of research, education, training, and work. This will make it easier for citizens and employers to see what digital competence entails and how it is relevant to their jobs and more generally, their lives. 

In working across the globe and working with multiple carriers deploying new, more robust broadband networks, Strategic Networks Group consistently comes up against the notion that once the network is built, adoption will naturally follow.  "Build it and they will come" is a school of thought that expresses the great hope that potential subscribers will naturally adopt, however this notion goes against what we have always known about technology adoption. Meanwhile, broadband is broadband for many consumers and businesses - who do not see the difference, nor what is possible with ultra-fast broadband (e.g. fiber / Fiber-to-the-Home). On the other hand, organizations like US Ignite are forming to promote "Next generation Applications," specifically new applications in education, healthcare, clean energy, public safety, and workforce development, including advanced manufacturing. These require the ultra-fast broadband connectivity which the networks being rolled out today will provide. And before we get to "Next generation applications," consider the bandwidth required to support online collaboration so critical to being competitive in a 21st century economy.

"Longtemps en avance dans le secteur des télécommunications, la France est aujourd'hui en retrait dans le domaine du numérique. Ce rapport de Terra Nova, présenté aujourd'hui dans Les Echos et préfacé par Jacques Attali, appelle à définir une véritable stratégie de développement du numérique à l'échelle nationale. Il décline plusieurs propositions pour mettre à profit les perspectives économiques offertes par cet outil, renforcer à travers lui les solidarités et valeurs collectives, préserver l'intérêt général par la régulation."

"Pour en connaître davantage sur l'univers du NET et dynamiser vos outils de communication WEB. Lors de l'activité, en plus de pouvoir mieux connaître et échanger avec nos 33 experts locaux présents dans des kiosques, vous recevrez de l'information utile qui vous aidera à mieux adapter votre environnement d'affaires au monde du NET. Présentés par des spécialistes utilisant un langage clair, six (6) ateliers traitant de sujets variés et actuels vous seront offerts lors de la première édition de ce Rendez-vous du Web."