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Who's Wired for the 21st Century?

Stockbyte

By Tiffany Stecker

Who's Wired for the 21st Century?

From tiny Singapore to sprawling Canada and Australia, interconnectedness is not a question of a nation’s size but of its resources. On Mar. 26, the World Economic Forum and INSEAD Business School near Paris released their annual Global Information Technology Report for 2009, which measures the information and communication technology (ICT) preparedness of 134 countries around the world.

The criteria fall into three broad categories--environment, readiness, and usage--and the message is clear: Countries with the best ICT infrastructure are those most likely to thrive in the connected, global economy of the 21st century.

Who's on top? As in previous years, Nordic countries dominate the rankings, thanks especially to their concerted effort in the 1990s to strengthen education and develop mobile technology. The U.S. ranked No. 3, up from 2008, thanks to increased mobile and broadband usage. Four Asian nations hold positions among the elites, with Singapore breaking into the top 5. Click on for a look at the top 15.

Business Exchange related topics:
Information Technology
Globalization
Emerging Markets