(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman has retained its competitive position as 40th in the world in terms of technological readiness, according to the Global Information Technology Readiness Report 2014 (GITR), which showed that countries with a strong vision to develop their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capacity have a dominant economic presence.
The sultanate continues to score highly in government functions, such as effectiveness of law-making bodies (12th ranking) and the efficiency of the legal system (14th ranking), indicating that Oman's plans to transition to a knowledge-based society is making significant headway.
Technology use amongst the populace continues to score highly, with mobile phone subscriptions numbering 159.3 per 100 people, indicating that more than 50 per cent of the population operates multiple devices. The report also shows 62.7 per cent of Omani households have access to a personal computer, with 60 per cent using the Internet.
Oman ranks 12th in the world for government procurement of advanced technology, 13th in terms of the importance of ICT in the government's vision and 15th in terms of government success in ICT promotion shows. The report indicates that private sector investment in ICT is increasing, with Oman ranking 14th in the world for available venture capital.
Commenting on Oman's GITR ranking, Azzan al Busaidi, Ithraa's director-general for research and IT services, said, ''The report places Oman above the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. We fully recognize ICT can also help us boost health, education, industry, tourism, agriculture, and small businesses, as well as enhance our transport and communications. It is a crucial component in helping Oman become more competitive.''
''The results of this year's Global Information Technology Readiness Report clearly demonstrate that the investment being made in technology by the government and our private sector is paying dividends,'' said Busaidi, according to a release Saturday.
This year's report has been expanded to rank 148 economies across the world in terms of information technology growth and details the impact of ICT within each economy, and the effect on the wellbeing of its citizens.
Globally, the top ten positions show little change from last year. Finland, Singapore, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland continue to occupy the top six positions and remain unchanged from last year. The US has continued its upward trajectory by improving two spots to seventh, while the UK has fallen two places to ninth. Hong Kong (eighth) and South Korea (tenth) are the new entries in the top ten this year, climbing from 14th and 11th positions, respectively.
The GITR 2014 highlighted that little progress is being made to bridge the digital divide between tech-savvy nations and the others. The stalling of progress is worrisome for emerging and developing nations, which are at risk of missing out on many positive impacts that ICT can bring, including increased innovation, economic competitiveness and greater social inclusion.
One of the key findings of the report is that countries cannot rely only on ICT infrastructure development to become competitive. Rather, the benefits of ICT can only be fully derived when a country implements a holistic strategy aimed at creating conditions for skills, innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish alongside modern infrastructure.
Shariffa Mohamed al Maskary, director of international relations and information at the Information Technology Authority, said, ''The report shows good improvement by the sultanate in many areas in which it keeps its competitive position amongst the world countries.''
''In the ICT use and government efficiency index, Oman improved its ranking to 18th. This is a good indicator, showing the ICT sector's progress and impact on the economy and society,'' said Maska
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