The Netherlands scores high on IT list
The Netherlands has ranked ninth in the The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, released Tuesday 30 March 2010 by the World Economic Forum. The report highlights the key role of ICT as an enabler of a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world in the aftermath of one of the most serious economic crises in decades.
ICT Hub
IT infrastructure, research and development opportunities are particularly strong in the Netherlands and in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in particular. The Amsterdam Area already has one of the world’s highest broadband concentrations. It also boasts the best possible digital foundation, in the shape of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX).
This powerful and stable global Internet hub has supported the rise of a dynamic digital sector: Internet service providers, mobile operators, web hosts, content and VoIP providers, and applications specialists.
Competitive edge
The solid digital infrastructure acts as a magnet for international companies. In 2009, 25 percent of all international companies setting up shop in the Amsterdam Area were active in the ICT sector. This in turn has a positive effect on the economy as a whole.
Irene Mia, Senior Economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum and co-editor of the report comments: “The success of these countries underlines the importance of a joint ICT vision, an implementation, by all the different stakeholders in a society, for a country to take full advantage of ICT advances in its daily life and overall competitiveness strategy.”
Sweden tops the list and is followed by Singapore and Denmark. Nordic countries together with the Canada, Hong Kong and the Netherlands complete the top 10. The United Kingdom ranks 13th on the list and is followed by Germany.
The report
The Global Information Technology Report is produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, a leading international business school. Published for the ninth consecutive year with an extensive coverage of 133 economies worldwide, the report remains the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.
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