Bahrain ranked high in network connectivity

Manama / TNS

Bahrain is among the most connected nations in the world, ranking among the top three in the GCC and 30 worldwide for its ability to use
information and communication technology (ICT) to boost competitiveness.
It was placed third among Arab nations and 28th in the world in the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) of the Global Information and Technology Report 2016.
The report, Innovating in Digital Economy, was released by the
World Economic Forum (WEF), in partnership with INSEAD and
Cornell University.
Bahrain climbed two spots from the previous edition of the index released last year, reflecting its use of ICT to drive social and economic transformation.
In the Arab world, the UAE was ranked first (26), followed by Qatar (27), Bahrain (28), Saudi Arabia (33), Oman (52) and Kuwait (61).
The index, which ranked 139 developed and developing countries, found Singapore as the highest-placed country in terms of networked readiness.
Finland, which topped the ranking in 2014, remains in second place for a second year in a row, followed by Sweden (third), Norway (fourth) and the US (fifth).
Making up the rest of the top 10 are the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, Luxembourg and Japan.
The report measured the drivers
of the ICT revolution globally, using the NRI which assesses the state
of networked readiness using 53
indicators.
For each of the 139 economies, it allowed the identification of areas of priority to more fully leverage ICTs for socio-economic development.
Ten indicators were used to determine the ranking of a country, including political and regulatory environment, infrastructure, affordability, skills, economic impacts, business usage and other indicators.
The report ranked Bahrain among the top 30 digital savvy countries for making the latest technology available to governments and people, making it easy for entrepreneurs to start risky projects and having a robust education system that meets market needs.
The kingdom fared better than Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia in terms of use of
social media such as Facebook
and Twitter, which it also scored high in the importance of ICT in
decision-making, reflecting the
government’s eagerness to adopt latest technology.
“We are at the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which represents a transition to a new set of systems, bringing together digital, biological and physical technologies in new and powerful combinations,” said the report.
“These new systems are being built on the infrastructure of the digital revolution.”