Saudi Arabia's Internet users spent around $3 billion in 2010 on products and services online, a survey said. According to the e-Intensity Index recently launched by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), within the Middle East, the UAE leads with a ranking of 26according to the BCG index. The UAE ranks highest in terms of enablement, followed by expenditure, and engagement. Similarly, Saudi Arabia, ranked 39th on the Index, ranks higher in terms of enablement as compared to expenditure and engagement. Interestingly, Egypt ranked 49th on the Index, has higher levels of engagement when compared to enablement or expenditure. Joerg Hildebrandt, Partner & Managing Director in BCG, Middle East said: "Policy makers and business leaders want to know how different countries rank in terms of their Internet intensity - in other words, the depth and reach of their digital activity. The BCG e-Intensity Index measures both a nation's supply of Internet infrastructure and its demand for and use of Internet services." Specifically, the Index measures enablement: how well built is the infrastructure and how available is Internet access? It measures expenditure: how much money is spent on online retail and online advertising? And it measures engagement: how actively are businesses, governments, and consumers embracing the Internet? South Korea comes out on top, powered by super-high-speed infrastructure, a well-developed e-commerce and digital-advertising marketplace, and high levels of Internet engagement. Denmark, Sweden, the UK, and Iceland round out the top five places. The US has the tenth highest score. The index becomes even more interesting when you dig below the surface, the report said. The US, for example, leads on the overall Internet engagement score, while Denmark tops the charts on expenditure and Hong Kong on enablement. While developing nations rank near bottom, they have pockets of innovation and advanced usage.
