Riyadh — Saudi Arabia advanced to 33rd rank among 139 countries classified by the World Economic Forum as the top progressive states in the field of information technology and communication. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said in a statement on Wednesday that according to the annual report of the World Economic Forum (https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-information-technology-report-2016), the Kingdom has advanced two ranks in 12 months to reach 33rd position among 139 countries in terms of readiness to contain diverse networks of information technology. The Kingdom came in the 8th place globally in terms of the efficiency in the use of information technology and communication by government and official bodies in the implementation of their work, and the extent to improve the quality of government services for the population in the information technology field. It came in the 9th place globally in terms of the extent of the government's success in promoting the use of information technology and communication. The Kingdom also ranked 15th in terms of broadband subscriptions for mobile computers per 100 inhabitants. It ranked 17th in the production of electricity (kilowatt/hour/per capita), and ranked 18th in the index of the quality of services being provided by the government in the field of internet. This index deals with assessing the implementation of the government for internet services projects. "The government is leading the way to increased networked readiness, promoting ICTs in the country," said the report. The Global Information Technology Report 2016 features the latest iteration of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), which represents a key tool in assessing countries' preparedness to reap the benefits of emerging technologies and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the digital transformation and beyond. More particularly, the report assesses the factors, policies, and institutions that enable a country to fully leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) for increased prosperity and crystallizes them into a global ranking of networked readiness at the country level in the form of the NRI. Countries are assessed over four categories of indicators: (1) the overall environment for technology use and creation (political, regulatory, business, and innovation); (2) networked readiness in terms of ICT infrastructure, affordability, and skills; (3) technology adoption/usage by the three groups of stakeholders (government, the private sector, and private individuals); and (4) the economic and social impact of the new technologies. Whenever relevant, the Index looks at what the different actors in society, both private and public, can do to contribute to the country's networked readiness.
