U.S. IT rank slips, but gets high marks for broadband affordability
March 3, 2009
The United States lost ground to Western Europe and Japan over the past five years in its use of and access to telephone and internet technology, according to a U.N. report published Monday.
The U.S. fell six places to 17th on the International Telecommunications Union's ICT Development Index, which combines 11 measures as a benchmarking tool for rating information and communications technology development across countries. The index measures areas including internet access, use and skills, households with a computer, the number of internet users and literacy levels.
Despite its poorer showing versus 2002, the U.S. made significant progress in access to broadband, the report said. Broadband is also much more affordable in the U.S. than other countries.
Cell phone usage is the area of communications technology that is advancing most rapidly on a global scale. By 2007, more than 80 percent of Americans had cell phones accounts compared with just under half the population in 2002.
Poor countries remain at the lower end of the index with limited access to ICT infrastructure, including fixed and mobile telephony, internet and broadband.
Sweden tops the new index, followed by the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland and Norway.
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