DOHA: Qatar has shown dramatic progress in ICT effectiveness in two major new global studies, confirming the important strides the country is taking towards a world-class communications infrastructure.
The first, by the UN Agency International Telecommunication Union, based in Geneva, "Measuring the Information Society," which captures the level of ICT developments in 152 economies worldwide and compares progress made during the past two years. Qatar has risen to number 44 in the ICT Development Index (IDI), and is named as one of the most dynamic countries in terms of the change in the overall value of ICT development.
A second major study, "The Global Information Technology Report", also shows the ongoing development of Internet and communications infrastructure in Qatar, and its rapid progress compared to international averages. Developed by global management research group INSEAD, the report offers a comprehensive assessment of the present state of networked readiness in the world. The report places Qatar up five places to the 25th place in the international ranking, with improvements across the board, particularly in the readiness (4th, up eight places) and usage (34th, up six places) components.
Ongoing investment in network technology, along with increased deployment of Broadband, has propelled the nation up the international rankings in recent years. In particular, Qtel's ongoing investment in building one of the most advanced networks in the region has made an important difference in the overall scoring. The company has invested more than QR3b in network infrastructure to provide the best possible resources for the people of Qatar, and has plans to make further investments.
© The Peninsula 2011
